Book Review : The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula LeGuin

 The Tombs of Atuan 

(The Earthsea Cycle #2)

By Ursula K. Leguin 

Published Year: 1970

Page Count: 141 pages 

Medium Used: Kindle PW 

Genre : High Fantasy, Gods, Sorcerers, Magic, Old Powers, Adventure, 2024-read. 

Rating : 4.5/5 

Her words are magic. Her writing is splendid. It is very evocative and creative of the world she wants us to be transported into. She has a lucid imagination and a skill of writing to convey it. I absolutely loved Tenar, the girl heroine of the book who is both vulnerable, naive, trusting and commanding at the same time. She is the light that has been kept ensnared in darkness until her rescuer comes. And Ged - I absolutely respect him. He is a man of conscience and convictions and principles. Most of all, he is a man of his word. He has shown immense respect and delicacy to a girl in a time when it is a rare occurrence. He has love for the wild life and small, hapless creatures. 

I liked the story very much. My only vacuous feeling is it didn't last longer. And I picked it without reading the first book of the series.

 Sorcerers, Magicians, Emperors, Priests and Priestesses .. mountains, plains, self destroying tomb stones, Nameless ones of the Old Powers, empty thrones and dark, underground labyrinths. Siblings holding onto family heirlooms and legacies in remote isles .. what a world,indeed ! 

At the age of five years, Tenar is taken away from her parents by the Priestesses of Atuan Tombs. She is given as the most powerful priestess to the Nameless Ones - the Old Powers and kept in the darkness for eternity as a ruler/ true prisoner of her own status. Enter into the scenario, a sorcerer and mage with whom Tenar develops a solidarity with. He helps her out of her prison - physical and mental. He introduces her to the worlds of his adventure and exploration. He tells her the tale of the ring of balance and peace. He is the wizened mage and she is the little one. Together they escape the confines of the tombs and where do they end up? What is her fate that awaits her on this perilous journey?