The Other Wind

When the sorcerer Alder shows up at Ged Sparrowhawk's door, his haunted tale tells of great changes coming, both for the living and the dead. Alder soon finds himself in the center of a storm, collecting around him the king of the Archipelago, a Kargan princess, dragons, wizards, and others. Back in the days of prehistory, a decision was made, and a land was stolen. Now what was broken must be fixed, and what was made must be broken. Earthsea will never be the same again... This is quite a haunting book. Reading like a murder-mystery, the book drew me along, hoping to understand the enigma that Earthsea was groaning under. The book is short, and written with a clarity that demonstrates why Ursula Le Guin is considered one of the giants of the genre. If you are a fan of the Earthsea books, then I can't urge you enough to buy and read this book!

The last, it appears, of the Earthsea novels; this was written nearly forty years after the first one but the voice, the cadence, the characters and the background assumptions all ring true. LeGuin provides many worthy life lessons for all of us through her fantasy writing.

I read the first Earthsea trilogy as a teenager and loved them. I read Tehanu in my late 20's and HATED it. I felt that Le Guin was defiling the original trilogy by using it as a sounding board for feminist themes.Now in my late 30's I have just completed re-reading the entire series from start to finish and I have completely revised my thinking. I now find Tehanu to be the deepest and most fulfilling book of the series. And I view the series as two separate trilogies. The first trilogy was aimed at a much younger audience and has simpler themes. The second trilogy is aimed at a more mature audience. I wasn't ready for Tehanu when I first read it. Come to think of it, I think that the second trilogy would be best appreciated if read many years after the first. The first trilogy does stand on its own, but the second transforms and enriches it. While some authors have to invent new themes and characters to extend a series, Le Guin reaches back to the original series and re-examines the original themes from a different point of view. In doing so she expands on them and yet does not diminish the originals in the process...a very difficult feat!The Other Wind is unique in the Earthsea books in that it is the only one to follow multiple plot lines through the eyes of several characters. All the previous stories had been single threaded and primarily told through the eyes of a single character. This book is alternatively told from the points of view of Tenar, Lebannen and a new character, Alder. While Ged is the central character of the first trilogy, the first three books were from the point of view of Ged, Tenar and Lebannen respectively. If the second trilogy has a central character it would be Tenar, although I don't believe she ever appears in "Tales from Earthsea". It is unusual to have the second volume in a trilogy be a collection of short stories, but I think it succeeds brilliantly.The Other Wind is the first in the series to push politics to the forefront. There are four major parties represented here: the Kargs, the people of Paln, the Hardic peoples and the dragons. Each of them has a different world view which puts them into conflict and, ultimately, resolution.I found the pacing of this novel to be excellent. Fast enough to keep the reader's interest, slow enough to let the reader absorb the many themes. If you are looking for swords, sorcery and gothic battles, look elsewhere. This is a book where people are struggling to understand the meaning of their lives and deaths. It is a novel that shows that men and women can be equals but still different. And it shows that the hero doesn't have to slay the dragon to win the princess.

Upon reading "Tales From Earthsea", I was, like many others, confused and distraught that Le Guin was changing the very heart of the world of Earthsea that we had loved for the last couple decades. But did that stop me from going to hear the author at a reading in Pasadena, CA, and eagerly purchasing the new book? Of course not! -- and well it didn't, for Le Guin has saved the best for last, and skillfully proven that "Tales" was a necessary addition to the Earthsea mythology.First off, please, read the first four books before "The Other Wind". It will save much confusion. Next, as Le Guin said herself, the book doesn't have very many natural breaking points, so set aside a weekend to plow through the entire book, letting the tension in the book hit you deeply and quickly.Le Guin's writing here seems effortless. The words are beautiful to read, silently or out loud. Her characters, from Ged (who is not the only central character), to Lebannen (a surprisingly honest look at a king), to Tenar (you can feel this woman's pain!), and all the rest are believable characters, though each would have been better served by a novel twice this long. But that's just the thing: Le Guin expertly chooses what to tell and what not to tell: the story moves along even with a relatively large cast of characters. And the story is wonderful, fulfilling the hopes of every ready who has spent countless hours in Earthsea.This book is highly recommended, for anyone who loves mythology, who loves epic literature, or who simply wants a good read for a weekend. Enjoy!

Le Guin's latest addition to the Earthsea Cycle is truly a triumph. In the third book in this series, The Farthest Shore, Ged the Archmage sets out on a quest that ends in the restoration of the balance between life and death, the living and the dead... or so it seems. In the Other Wind, Le Guin portrays an unrestful land, where the dead start reaching over the wall that seperates them from the living. We are able to meet the characters from the other Earthsea books again, who have all matured and changed. In fact, Ged and Tenar are leading restful, almost ordinary lives at home. Some readers may find it unsettling to find their hero's lives so changed, and the land of Earthsea quivering on its foundations, but the conclusion of the novel brings together everything good about the books. With this final novel, Earthsea seems to be bound together again, unshakingly, although not without a few seperations... The song of the woman of Kemay presides, hauntingly, over the plotline of the book.Farther west than west,Beyond the land,My people are dancing On the other wind.