Name: The tombs of Atuan
Rating: 4.134615384615385 (156 reviews)
ISBN: 9780689845369

Ursula K. Le Guin

Arha's isolated existence as high priestess in the tombs of Atuan is jarred by a thief who seeks a special treasure.

The tombs of Atuan

M. Sosotris

Very different from A Wizard of Earthsea but good nonetheless. Almost felt like horror/thriller at times.

Jesper Nellemann Jakobsen

In this second novel in the Earthsea series, Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, and everything is taken from her—home, family, possessions, even her name. She is now known only as Arha, the Eaten One, and guards the shadowy, labyrinthine Tombs of Atuan.

Then a wizard, Ged Sparrowhawk, comes to steal the Tombs’ greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. Tenar’s duty is to protect the Ring, but Ged possesses the light of magic and tales of a world that Tenar has never known. Will Tenar risk everything to escape from the darkness that has become her domain?

The Second Book of Earthsea

The Tombs of Atuan

alice

Oh, Tenar—how I love you.

"She cried for the waste of her years in bondage to a useless evil. She wept in pain, because she was free."

Absolute molasses reading on thus one. I just couldn't get into it. Unsure whether or not I will read the second one.

Yvette

Ryan LaFerney

The Tombs of Atuan is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in the Winter 1970 issue of Worlds of Fantasy, and published as a book by Atheneum Books in 1971. It is the second book in the Earthsea series after A Wizard of Earthsea (1969). The Tombs of Atuan was a Newbery Honor Book in 1972.

Set in the fictional world of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan follows the story of Tenar, a young girl born in the Kargish empire, who is taken while still a child to be the high priestess to the "Nameless Ones" at the Tombs of Atuan. Her existence at the Tombs is a lonely one, deepened by the isolation of being the highest ranking priestess. Her world is disrupted by the arrival of Ged, the protagonist of A Wizard of Earthsea, who seeks to steal the half of a talisman buried in the treasury of the Tombs. Tenar traps him in the labyrinth under the Tombs, but then rebels against her teaching and keeps him alive. Through him she learns more of the outside world, and begins to question her faith in the Nameless Ones and her place at the Tombs.

Like A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan is a bildungsroman (a coming of age story) that explores Tenar's growth and identity. Tenar's coming-of-age is closely tied to her exploration of faith and her belief in the Nameless Ones. The Tombs of Atuan explores themes of gender and power in the setting of a cult of female priests in service to a patriarchal society, while providing an anthropological view of Kargish culture. 

This story is poetic, dark, beautiful, and haunting. The Tombs of Atuan takes on a different tone than its predecessor and veers even more away from traditional fantasy. It features a new and unfamiliar female protagonist instead of focusing on the established and familiar male one. It shies away from much of the adventuring aspects of Wizard and much of the genre; there is no grand epic adventure, no dragons, and no sailing off into the unknown (until the end in a very literal sense). Everything is purposefully claustrophobic, restrictive, and intimate. This is Tenar's journey.

 The message of this book is that the past does not define us and that we too like Tenar can overcome darkness. It is also about the price of freedom and its burden. Its about Tenar's struggle to break free from the stifling dogma that shaped her beliefs and understanding of the world (take for instance, her view of other cultures). Tenar’s decision to be free of the corrosive influence of her masters comes at steep costs. She loses Manan, her old and faithful servant, in a struggle escaping the Tomb. She causes the destruction of the only home she had ever known in the aftermath. Most significantly, she loses her identity as Arha, the person she was for so many years. Le Guin, wisely shows us, that growing up, rejecting evil, expanding ones worldview is well, painful.

“A dark hand had let go its lifelong hold upon her heart. But she did not feel joy, as she had in the mountains. She put her head down in her arms and cried, and her cheeks were salt and wet. She cried for the waste of her years in bondage to a useless evil. She wept in pain, because she was free.” 
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan

Highly recommended reading.

Compared to the first book in the Earthsea saga, I loved this so much better. However, I only can appreciate the greatness of this book because I could witness the story of Ged in the first book. And this book wasn’t about Ged at all, it was much more. In the Tombs of Atuan, On some pages, I could feel the cold dark nights that Genly Ai in Gethen had to go through. Ursula is great at depicting environments and making you feel isolated or feel the warmness of a nice gesture. 

Fatih Arslan

A.L.L.

This was the first Ursula Le Guin book I ever read. Though it is second in the Earthsea cylce, I recommend the reading order:

1. Tombs of Atuan 2. A Wizard of Earthsea 3. The Farthest Shore 4. Tehanu 5. The Other Wind 6. Tales from Earthsea

Reading Tombs of Atuan first, and as my introduction to Ursula Le Guin was pretty magical. Ursula has a way with words that made a book that takes place almost entirely in an undecorated, otherwise boring underground maze somehow very interesting.

Her writing style also reminded me of Steinbeck in the sense that both she and Steinbeck seem to have an eye for seeing and describing the essence of a person. 

Getting to meet Ged through the eyes of another first was also quite fun. It made me wonder (knowing nothing about him) who is this guy? What's his story? And I think that curiosity made me enjoy reading A Wizard of Earthsea much more than if I had read Wizard before Tombs. 

Tenar was also just done so well. The traditions, the superstitions, the descriptions of the darkness and fear...and overcoming fear... This was an interesting read that I enjoyed much more than I anticipated.

Fraser Simons

I loved the shift to a female protagonist and that they had to work together to escape their own types of imprisonment. The amount of lore being put into these short novels is really incredible. The connection between the first and this was more satisfying than I expected. 

I especially liked the end.

Rjyan C Kidwell

For the second book about Earthsea, LeGuin introduces a whole new protagonist in a much different corner of the world. It's a tale that borders on the Lovecraftian, but eventually pierces through the nihilistic gloom characteristic of that milieu with more of the vivid psychological insight of "The Wizard of Earthsea." LeGuin's fantasy is very unique, but without the un-ancient novelty that often ornaments more recent writers' attempts to inject new life into a landscape so encumbered by debts to Tolkien-- and I don't know if it's because she mines her mythemes from a wider range of cultures, if she's more ingenious at combining them, or that her inspiration simply comes from a different place. But whatever the reason, her images seem every bit as indelible without the reliance on recycling as the more familiar tropes of orcs and elves.

Sarah Ryan

Enjoyable sequel. Main character from first instalment is a secondary character here and we follow a brand new character who goes through her own journey from darkness into light.

Bryony Trump

I appreciated this book for what it is--an introduction to a fantasy saga. Even though in my opinion, the story of this installment or elements of this world aren't as compelling as others I've read, I am intrigued by the development of the main characters. I think I would read on in this series to find out where Tenar and Ged end up going and doing. 3.5/5 stars.

Simon Elliott Stegall

Not on the same epic scale as Wizard of Earthsea, but possibly more original. More on par with your typical LeGuin novel: extremely imaginative, but lacking a little something- at least compared to her best work. Anyway, four stars... but not, in my opinion, as magical as book 1.

'The magic of Earthsea is primal; the lessons of Earthsea remain as potent, as wise, and as necessary as anyone could dream' Neil Gaiman Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle has earned a treasured place on the shelves of fantasy lovers everywhere, alongside the works of such beloved authors as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. When young Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, everything is taken away - home, family, possessions, even her name. For she is now Arha, the Eaten One, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. While she is learning her way through the dark labyrinth, a young wizard, Ged, comes to steal the Tombs' greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. But Ged also brings with him the light of magic, and together, he and Tenar escape from the darkness that has become her domain.

Nickie Mohler

Even though I loved this book, I did not love it as much as the first one. I had a hard time liking Tenar. But, towards the end, I found that she grew on me. I still absolutely love Geb. The writing is amazing. I am very interested to see where the story goes next.

Daryl Houston

I read A Wizard of Earthsea to my family last year, and it really captivated me. I had hoped to read more of the series aloud, but my daughter wasn't into it, so I'm picking it back up on my own now. It's a quick and easy read aimed at children (a Newberry book if I'm not mistaken), and so it's nothing earth-shattering or all that profound, though maybe there's profundity in a book for kids that touches on figuring out whom to trust and how?

Rob Brogan

Felt like it could have been a side-story but maybe that’s just my poor attention span talking. Interesting setup for the gradual build of this new fantasy universe. Without spoiling anything I think it’s worth reading but probably only the second half of the book is necessary

Setting the standard for high fantasy, this first installment of the EarthseaCycle trilogy is written by award-winning author LeGuin, winner of the Nebulaand Hugo Awards.

The tombs of Atuan

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