aaand that's book 4 in the Earthsea cycle. It was called the Earthsea trilogy when LeGuin wrote it in the late sixties and early seventies, until twenty years later, when she picked it up again with the fourth book, Tehanu. Then it became the Earthsea cycle.

I found this one to be pretty predictable and heavy in feminism. The development of a new, interesting character brought some freshness to it, but I didn't find that this book fit well with the others. It's still worth reading, but I would have been fine reading just the original trilogy.

So… overall, it's good, but not great.

Yesterday I finished reading the second book in the Earthsea cycle, The Tombs of Atuan, and today I finished The Farthest Shore, the third. Ursula K. LeGuin is a master wordsmith. The books are fantastic and written as one in that world may tell the legend. Highly, highly recommended if you like fantasy. Even if you don't, they're worth a read.

plot=great
writing style=awesome
addiction level=high

It's been years since I read Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy. I had been meaning to go back and revisit them, so I finally picked up the first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, and read it today. I had forgotten how good these books are. I'm itching to read the rest now. If you like fantasy, it's well worth a read, and the books aren't too long.

Ever heard of flash fiction? No? Then read these short stories, each comprised of six words.

honey, please... put the chainsaw down.

A few days ago I spent about two days reading Christopher Paolini's Eragon and Elder, the first two books in the Inheritance trilogy. It was a decent read, but nothing to go nuts over. The story has all the familiar elements: elves and dwarves acting out their stereotypes, strong friendships that turn to betrayal, war, and the emergence of a hero from a nobody kid. It's very much a coming-of-age story, and seems so far to be a cross of the Lord of the Rings, Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern and Harry Potter. It's overwritten in some areas and underwritten in others, but the story itself is a pretty good one.

I just wonder about the elves. They hood the boy so the other elves won't notice that he's human, but they do nothing about the dwarf, when dwarves haven't been seen in their realm for ages… seems to me that dwarves aren't exactly inconspicuous. And what about the horse? He told it to stay there and wait for him, then he leaves without it. Makes me wonder if it's still there…

It's the little things that bug me. It's a decent read, though. Out of 5, I'd give it a 3.5. Worth reading if you like that kind of thing, but probably not something I'd read again. The movie comes out next week, though, and I'm sure I'm going to go see it.