The Farthest Shore

Ursula K. Le Guin 1973 Buy from Amazon.com

The Farthest Shore is the third book in the Earthsea cycle, and is set some years after the events of the first two books. It is told from the point of view of Arren, the son of the Prince of Enlad.

Arren comes to Roke, the Isle of Wizards, to bear a message to the Archmage, Sparrowhawk. In his lands, wizards are losing their spells, and there are bad omens. Even amongst the common people, without power, crime and banditry is on the rise, and his father wishes to know if the Wizards can help, or if not, can he assist them.

Sparrowhawk has heard much the same thing from other places, and decides that he must go on a quest to discover the cause. Arren learns a great deal about the nature of magic, and the nature of life. The great value of life, which allows men to appreciate it and give it its due, is in the truth of its end.

They travel throughout the Inland Sea, and everywhere they go, they find that the Sorcerors and Wizards have lost their power, and often their own names. The common people have lost their skills and arts, and produce nothing, or only shoddy wares.

Sparrowhawk is a man who has faced his own death, the shadow of it called up in his youth, and defeated his fear. Arren is still a young man, and there are many things for him to learn and understand. Sparrowhawk knows this and provides the space and experiences to learn about it.

This is another lovely story by Le Guin, and it is a fascinating contrast to read the first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, and know the young Sparrowhawk, and see him as he is perceived by Arren. Arren’s admiration and love for Sparrowhawk stem from his patience, his wisdom, and the growth between the arrogant and proud young man from the beginning of the first book to the quiet and confident Archmage is delightful.

For those who enjoyed the first two, this book will certainly not disappoint.

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