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Earthsea

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Has anyone read the Earthsea series? I read the first one a long, long time ago after watching the okay Scifi Channel show. I enjoyed it and was wondering if anyone here felt that the charm of the universe was kept later in the series? I'm thinking of rereading the first and then going on to the others. 

 

 

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I've only read the first novel. A Wizard of Earthsea I think it was. I actually quite enjoyed it, but unfortunately I was studying it at uni and it kind of killed any interest I had in the novel. I didn't even realise it was a series until you just mentioned it. Was the TV show any good? 

 

Funnily enough, I read The Left Hand of Darkness, also by Le Guin, while at uni and it was probably the novel that sparked my interest in Sci-Fi altogether. To this day it's still one of my favourite novels and I couldn't recommend it enough. Have you read anything else by Le Guin?  Or The Left Hand of Darkness? It's just got such a fantastic sense of colour, atmosphere and the two main characters are simply brilliant. It's been a while since I read it, and I can't remember if the novel is particularly descriptive or not, but I remember having really vivid images of the scenarios playing out in my head. 

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I have the original trilogy (Wizard of Earthsea, Tombs of A'Tuin and The Farthest Shore). I read them as a teenager and they are still my favourite fantasy novels of all time. Each one is different but they all fit together (from a literary point of view, Tombs of A'Tuin is perhaps the best).

 

 

I keep meaning to pick up the later novels, although I have to admit being a tiny bit apprehensive.

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 Each one is different but they all fit together (from a literary point of view, Tombs of A'Tuin is perhaps the best).

Agreed, that book is awesome plus scared me as child. Has a maze and a wizard and stuff. Good book. 

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I read the first three a couple years ago as part of a prose-reading project. I liked the first one more than I could ever have expected, then got diminishing returns with the subsequent books so that I decided to lay off after The Farthest Shore.

 

It's funny, I like Le Guin's writing style, the universe she employs it to create, and the stories that take place there. I like it a lot. But her chapter-to-chapter execution tires me out more than bigger, more pompous fantasy epics. I'm sure I'll finish the series sometime, but it's more that I liked what I read just enough to stop and preserve those feelings.

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I'm a huge fan of Le Guin. I have the earth sea quarter ready to reread at the moment. The 4th book is very odd, but eminently worth a read. The story is unlike any book I've read before.

The dispossessed is in my top three books ever. I like it more than the acclaimed Left hand of darkness.

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Hmmmm that's interesting dibs. I read The Dispossessed and didn't enjoy it as much. I just didn't get the connection with the characters that I got with The Left Hand. Have you read any other set in that universe? I can't remember what it's called now, but I'd definitely be interested in trying some more out in that world. 

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It's some of the most 'adult' fantasy that I've read (in the proper sense of the word, ie. dealing with grown-up feelings). I've read and re-read the first three books about once every 3 years since I was 12 and I discover new things to feel every time as I age.

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