Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Tombs of Atuan
Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K Le Guin
104 posts | 162 read | 34 to read
Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea cycle has become one of the best-loved fantasies of our time. The windswept world of Earthsea is one of the greatest creations in all fantasy literature, frequently compared with J.R.R. Tolkien's "Middle Earth" or C.S. Lewis' "Narnia." The magnificent saga begins with "A Wizard Of Earthsea," continues in "The Tombs Of Atuan" and "The Farthest Shore," and concludes with "Tehanu" --each book a treasure of wisdom, wonder, and literary wizardry. When she was still a child, Tenar was stripped of her name and family and dedicated as high priestess to the Nameless Ones, dark powers of "The Tombs of Atuan." This is the tale of the young wizard, Ged, who came to the forbidden labyrinth to steal its greatest treasure--the Ring of Erreth-Akbe--and stayed to set Tenar free and lead her out of darkness.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
underground_bks
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

Following a young sacrificial priestess of an underground labyrinth and her life-changing encounter with a thief, I liked this second book in the Earthsea series more than the first and am very curious how the next book will put the first two into perspective somehow.

review
HeyT
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

I have to say I think I liked this one even more than the first one. I was expecting a Ged adventure so the point of view shift in the beginning threw me off but once I reset my expectations I was thoroughly invested in Tenar/Arha. I love that these books have a very lyrical and sort of dreamlike feel to them when I finish.

20 likes1 stack add
quote
KamrynWaites
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin

“She is eaten”

blurb
KamrynWaites
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin

The eaten one is stripped of all the things they know including their name. It‘s a strange ritual that is forced upon this person

review
KamrynWaites
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
Mehso-so

This book is about a girl who is chosen to be the eaten one. Everything she owns, even her name is stripped away from her. She does not feel like she belongs there and must decide if it‘s worth it to risk everything and escape.

quote
Emitalski
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin

“The throne itself was black, with a dull Fillmore of precious stones or gold on the arms and back, and it was huge.”

blurb
Emitalski
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin

I like how the details and imagery allow the reader to vividly picture the tomb and all the aspects that are found in front of the throne.

review
Emitalski
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
Mehso-so

This book published in 1970 is the story of a young girl who is given the role of priestess. The first chapter is described using gloomy and dark details that uphold the mystery of the name of the story. If you are someone who is interested in tombs and ancient history, this book would be a good fit.

review
kierstenkaplan
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
Mehso-so

This book was published in 1970. It has lots of suspenseful words. I found it sometimes hard to pick up what was happening but by the end of the chapter things started to make sense.

blurb
kierstenkaplan
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin

I really liked how in depth in detail this chapter/book went!

quote
kierstenkaplan
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin

“She is eaten! She is eaten!”

review
bookishbitch
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

I finished book 2 of the Earthsea series and I loved it. I thought the character development was excellent. I was happy with the ending and I love that an event in the previous book got explained. Looking back I wonder if this was a bit of a call out of religions. But I admit that might be my own baggage talking. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next!

review
Pedrocamacho
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

I had just finished the first book in the Earthsea trilogy and, luckily, had the second one sitting around, because I really wanted to read it. I love how Ged isn‘t the first person character in this book.

quote
hissingpotatoes
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

#haunted October 2021 day 21: in costume @eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs Brilliant 🙌🏻💗 3y
16 likes1 comment
quote
hissingpotatoes
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

Maybe it was the whole primitive, hateful idea of the feminine as dark, blind, weak, and evil that I saw shaking itself to pieces, imploding, crumbling into wreckage on a desert ground. And I rejoiced to see it fall.

I still do.

#QuotsyOCT21 day 17: tattered

14 likes1 stack add
review
tenar
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

Isolated, ritualized, & indoctrinated, Arha is the young high-priestess of the Nameless Ones. Her story is like night and day compared to the first book of Earthsea - a labyrinth instead of open sea, gloom where there was light. And a rigid hand driving her into the darkness.

I‘d love to write of her journey, but it would spoil this short book! Although dark & fantastical, it tenderly touches my own lived experience of transformation. A favorite.

rockpools Beautiful review! 4y
tenar @rockpools Thank you very much! 💜 It‘s a beautiful book. 4y
20 likes2 comments
quote
hissingpotatoes
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

Maybe it was the whole primitive, hateful idea of the feminine as dark, blind, weak, and evil that I saw shaking itself to pieces, imploding, crumbling into wreckage on a desert ground. And I rejoiced to see it fall. I still do.

quote
hissingpotatoes
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

The word power has two different meanings.
There is power to: strength, gift, skill, art, the mastery of a craft, the authority of knowledge.
And there is power over: rule, dominion, supremacy, might, mastery of slaves, authority over others.

blurb
lalatiburona
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

One last book on the beach before I go back home.

review
BekaReid
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
Pickpick

I loved this book more than the first! And Le Guin's afterword "...fantasy isn't wishful thinking. But a way of reflecting and reflecting on reality." Yes!!

blurb
BekaReid
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

Spending my Saturday morning in good company

blurb
Seshat
Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K Le Guin
post image

Did I mention I have the Charles Vess-illustrated Earthsea?

blurb
Seshat
Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K Le Guin
post image
review
wideeyedreader
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this one a lot! The main female character is deeply interesting and complex, and I loved the story.

blurb
wideeyedreader
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

A rainy day is perfect for reading!

blurb
Autumnscribe
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

And now for something completely different.

12 likes1 stack add
blurb
Autumnscribe
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

After fighting my youngest daughter‘s fever for the last 8 days, complete with 2 doctor visits and an ER trip, she is finally on the mend, and I am falling apart in a corner with a book that I hope will cheer me up.

GrilledCheeseSamurai Glad she's on the up! 5y
Dragon Thank goodness she‘s on the mend! Hugs and flowers 💐 5y
Autumnscribe @GrilledCheeseSamurai and @Dragon thank you. :) it has been a long and scary week. We have the fever down to 101 from 104.8. So with any luck we may return to the 90s tomorrow. 5y
Dragon Fingers crossed 🤞 5y
15 likes4 comments
blurb
wordslinger42
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

@TheBookHippie Thank you SO much for the book & lovely picture/note! I can't wait to read the book 😊 I'll be writing back soon!

TheBookHippie Yay!!!!!!! 6y
28 likes1 comment
review
Lucy_Anywhere
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

So I liked A Wizard Of Earthsea, but I loved The Tombs of Atuan even more. It's just as beautifully written, the world-building is compelling, and the story is simple but absorbing. What makes the difference for me, though, is that this is a story dominated by female characters - a rare bird in fantasy. How have I only discovered Ursula Le Guin now?!?

esurient If you've only just discovered Le Guin, you can look forward to having so many more books to read. ❤ ! 6y
6 likes1 comment
review
scowler1
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

Great book, check out this nicely whitewashed cover from a Dutch version. Here, the dark skinned wizard Sparrowhawk escapes the labyrinth with Tenar, dressed in her rough homespun black hooded cloak.

saresmoore Oh, gosh, I don‘t know whether to laugh or cry over that cover art! 6y
scowler1 @saresmoore I think the poor girl has a mosquito bite on her upper thigh. Ouch! 6y
saresmoore 😂 6y
4 likes3 comments
quote
AvidReader25
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

“Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.”

“The Earth is beautiful, and bright, and kindly, but that is not all. The Earth is also terrible, and dark, and cruel.”

27 likes1 stack add
review
hissingpotatoes
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

5/5⭐ This book is EVERYTHING. The tone is the epitome of dark perfection. It's literally mirrored in the pitch black weightiness of the underground tombs, of the expectations on Tenar. Her internal journey as she becomes high priestess along with her physical journey away from the tombs is stunningly, gorgeously, expertly told, understated but so much more powerful for the lack of wordiness. I love this book even more the 2nd time. #projectreread

Lel2403 I read this as a child and the feel of those tombs has stayed with me, brilliant writing 6y
13 likes2 comments
quote
hissingpotatoes
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

The sun itself was hidden, but there was a glitter on the horizon, almost like the dazzle of the crystal walls of the Undertomb, a kind of joyous shimmering off on the edge of the world.

"What is that?" the girl said, and he: "The sea."

#projectreread

So understated, yet so powerful.

blurb
Lindsy
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

Sunday morning reading. Anticipating a hard week (work, kavanaugh hearings, etc.), so I wanted something hopeful. Le Guin seemed a good choice.

quote
hissingpotatoes
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

You told me to show you something worth seeing. I show you yourself.

#projectreread

blurb
rwmg
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
review
rwmg
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
Pickpick

Beautiful story of how Lenar becomes Arha, the reincarnated priestess of the Nameless Ones but then makes a choice that diverts her to another path from what seemed to be a pre-ordained existence.

RaimeyGallant Nice review. :) 6y
5 likes1 comment
quote
rwmg
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin

"Dragons have no masters. The question is always the same, with a dragon: will he talk with you or will he eat you? If you can count upon his doing the former, and not doing the latter, why then you‘re a dragonlord.”

Excerpt From: "The Tombs of Atuan" by Ursula K. Le Guin. Scribd.
This material may be protected by copyright.

Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/224291741

blurb
rwmg
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

Reading on holiday at spa hotel in the mountains

SandyW Now that looks lovely, and relaxing! 6y
rwmg @SandyW It is 6y
12 likes2 comments
blurb
Lostinagoodbook
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

I am really loving this book so much. The insights and character growth ... this is an extraordinary book. #epicfantasy #fantasy #leguin

7 likes1 stack add
review
Redjewel_7734
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

A really enjoyable book 2-I didn‘t love this one as much as I did the first. The narrator was good, but didn‘t bring the story alive in the same way the narrator of the first book did. I did really enjoy watching Tenar/Erha come to know herself & question the stories she‘s been fed her whole life. The action doesn‘t really start till about 2/3 through the book, but I enjoyed the quiet beginning too.

quote
BooksMcD
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

“What she had begun to learn was the weight of liberty. Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.” ~ The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin

blurb
BarbaraJean
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

A bit late for my March reading summary, but that‘s what happens when Easter weekend, my birthday, and a Litsy outage all happen in quick succession! March was a mixed bag. I really enjoyed the Earthsea novels and The Wise Man‘s Fear, Phoebe & Her Unicorn was a delight, and Between the World & Me lived up to all the fantastic reviews. The three down the middle (one re-read) were more disappointing. Tombs of Atuan may be my favorite of the month.

Andrew65 Some good titles 👏 7y
51 likes1 comment
review
jpmcwisemorgan
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
Pickpick

At first I was confused about where this book might be going but I enjoyed the description of the belief system. There are parallels between Ged and Tenar in that they have to learn who they are and realize they have a say in who they might become. Neither is evil or good, both have to balance this I think. The idea that freedom is heavy is accurate. I think sometimes we forget that.

blurb
rosalita
Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K Le Guin
post image

Next up: The second Earthsea book. This is a rather fragile old paperback so I hope it holds up to reading. 😯

BookishMe Welcome to Litsy 👋🏾 👋🏾 7y
rosalita Thank you, @BookishMe ! 7y
11 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
UrsulaMonarch
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image
Pickpick

Being back at work doesn't mean I have more total time to read, but I do have more time to read on a rainy commute! #caltrain

Unlike many in #earthseachapteraday , I still preferred the first book, but I liked the end of the second book too! The afterword was still my favorite part ☺️

batsy On the whole I have to say I preferred the first one, too. The Farthest Shore has a similar feeling :) 7y
UrsulaMonarch @batsy I agree with the similar feeling! It's interesting how the first one was about acquiring magic & the third seems to be about it being taken away 7y
44 likes2 comments
quote
BarbaraJean
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

In the place of darkness I found the light, her spirit. By her an old evil was brought to nothing. By her I was brought out of the grave. By her the broken was made whole, and where there was hatred there will be peace.
#Earthseachapteraday

SilversReviews Great photo. 7y
2BR02B Wonderful quote. 7y
51 likes2 comments
quote
BarbaraJean
The Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

You were the vessel of evil. The evil is poured out. It is done. It is buried in its own tomb. You were never made for cruelty and darkness; you were made to hold light, as a lamp burning holds and gives its light.

#Earthseachapteraday

jpmcwisemorgan I liked this passage a lot! 7y
47 likes1 comment
review
JazzFeathers
Tombs of Atuan | Ursula K Le Guin
post image
Mehso-so

I enjoyed the Tombs of Atuan a lot more than Wizard... to an extent. Tenar was near to me in a way Ged never was.
I really loved the Place of the Tombs, the caves and the Labyrinth. Those parts, with their sensoriale writing, were my favourite.

But the story seemed to go round and round, there was always a sense that something would happen, but never did. The climax was in Ged's hands and that really disappointed me.
#EarthseaChapterADay