Best. Fantasy. Series. Ever.

Superb.

I binge-listened to all the Earthsea books on Audible. They’re that good.

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The most poignantly esoteric of fantasy writers, sailing with the full force of the mage-winds of Earthsea!

This is a wonderful work of fantasy writing by an author who has influenced many other writers in the genre, such as Terry Pratchett. This book has some wonderful esoteric passages and weaves together plots from the previous stories. The narrator, who also did the unabridged recordings of JRR Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, is the perfect choice to do this book justice - if only Rob Inglis could have been persuaded to all the books in the Earthsea Cycle! #MythologyInspired #Fables #Inspiring #Magical #Earthsea #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

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Finale but not final

I definitely recommend reading this series as a whole, and in order. This book is far more satisfying when you've read the previous two and understand how everything -- and magic, in particular -- works in the world of Earthsea. Even though the overarching plot is about magic, nearly all the details and characters are non-magical, which somehow drew me in more. The story brought a few things full-circle, left minor things unresolved, and did a wonderful job of giving a resolution without a concrete conclusion. I felt I could daydream all day about what happened to the people of Earthsea after I was done reading, which is the best way to end a book.

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A slow tragedy, but well told

This book is written to a slow, almost glacial pace. It seems oddly realistic and is quite good at drawing the reader in, but eventually even the most patient reader will get bored. Having said all of that, it ends well if in a bit of tragedy. I'm left hoping that the story of Ged does not end so, especially considering his noble sacrifice.

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Hard At First. You Won't Regret It

Any additional comments?

Right off the bat I thought to myself. Did I just make a big mistake? I loved Robert Inglis in the Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit so I purchased all three Earthsea books in a row and figured they would have to be good because the Narrator was good. I was a little confused at first but she has a unique writing style that will grow on you. This is one of those books that you really can't casually listen too. You really have to pay attention otherwise you are going to be lost. After finishing all the books I purchased the last two she wrote in this series. The Other Wind and The Last Book of Earthsea. There's just something magical about this place and her writing style and the characters. I would def give it a shot but expect a more serious book rather than some laughs like Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings even. I'd still highly recommend it and don't regret listening to it.

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I see why it's a classic

Such an excellent story with very human characters and set in a fascinating world, all narrated spectacularly.

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Earthsea, minus the charm of the first two volumes

I'm surprised to say that I did not really enjoy this volume of Earthsea. The book is dark, the characters fairly two dimensional, the antagonist vague and non-menacing, and the pace rather plodding until the very end. There are some very dark themes in this book, having to do with the acceptance of death, that didn't resonate with me. Also, the story is about the loss of magic in the world. I don't know why, but this particular trope has never been my favorite kind of story. I love Fantasy, and I love magic, and I'm not much interested in a story where the magic is going away. I know it contrasts well with the usual setting by removing the fantastic and all that, but I've always found it a dreary trope. To add to the dreariness, this story really drags along at a snails pace for the majority of the book. What I really want is a story from the perspective of Ged, who is the most interesting character in Earthsea. But like the Tombs of Atuan, we see Ged through the eyes of a different character. In this case, the new character of Arren, who falls hopelessly in love with Ged at first site (it's never made clear if this is sexual attraction or just worshipful adoration, which I think should have been addressed one way or another). For me Arrens' alternating worship / distrust of Ged doesn't make for very interesting character interactions, especially since Ged is sullen and grumpy for most of the book. There's just too much angst and mistrust in this volume. It didn't feel like Earthsea to me, and I believe it's because it lacked "charm". The first two Earthsea books were charming, while this book was bleak and almost depressing. There were some fun moments to break up the slog. The community of rafters was interesting, and we get to see way more dragons in this volume, though they are toward the end. I did like the ending as well. The last few chapters got really interesting. Just not interesting enough to justify all the long boring chapters about sailing and ruminations on death and the nature of evil. The prose is was as great as always, but great prose does not an entertaining story make. In this case, I found myself forcing myself to read on just to "get it over with". I'll be continuing to the next volume, Tehanu, because I know many people say it's the best book of the series, but this volume did shake my faith in the author a bit. As always, Rob Inglis was an excellent narrator.

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beautiful, profound, poetic prose, timeless wisdom

beautiful, profound, poetic prose, timeless wisdom, heart wisdom, ancient lore, fantastic alternate universe, dragons n mages n apprentices and heirs to great responsibility

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Narrator makes it come alive

I have loved Rob Inglis' readings of the EarthSea books and feel that his voice is perfect for the themes in these books. I can hear his voice in my head whenever I read something in a similar vein. I hope to hear more books narrated by him!!

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Not as good as the first

I liked it but the first book was the best. Still good though. I'd recommend anyone that likes the first two.

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