The Farthest Shore (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 3) Mass Market Paperback – September 1, 2001

Aside from the Harry Potter series being largely ripped off from the details of Ursula LeGuins masterpiece... The wizard Ged creates, through his vanity and insecurity, a shadow in the world which only he can master and put to rest. And this mistake of childhood follows him through his life in small ways ... the vanity, the temper. In an act of cruel temperhe forces a fellow wizard to walk with him to the Dry Land, to death, and back again, hoping to stop him from compelling the spirits of the dead to walk among us at his beckon call . But it backfires and the end of all things nearly occurs because, again, of his own temper, it seems, that brings about more evil than evil people. So many morals are taught, from this one, that our bad intentions ring for many years after, to ... how to talk to dragons, how to weave a spell, to welcome the visiting spirit, to listen to the language of water and know the names of all things... Its a spiritual journey, simply writtenbut deeply trod. I love it and read it often. And I am always renewed. I wish there were more stories about this hero,or others in this world she invented back in the 60's. She describes the Earthsea world as revealing itself to her, rather than her making it up... and I almost believe it. For me, as I try also to undo the past and weave into the spells of today a forgiveness not only of myself, but of all things that walk this earth, I know there is a magic in all we do , one we take forgranted. For it is in the land of the living that we belong, to live outloud, to meet dragons in their own domain, chase dieing children into the land of death to save them, to walk with the shadow of our own hell, and, learning its name, be at peace with ourselves. Here for so short a moment, then forever to walk upon the dry land where mother and child sit, unknowing, near one another,and those who died for love pass each other on the street. All this is in this little book. Everything from the nature of the evil ..the weaving of spells, the thrill of arriving at the school of wizardry, these things that had not been written aboutuntil Ms. Le Guin. The masters of Roke are as alive to me as my own teachers, and why not? Anything is possible if you believe and can see the ways it might manifest. Good reading for ages 10 and up, I'd say.

Spellbinding book. Read it as a kid, gave it as gift to 12 year old as gift. He loved it.

The cycle of Earthsea is a wonderful read. Enjoy!Children and parents will love it. Be brave, be strong.. read on

Absolutely adore the whole series. This one is quiet lovely. The camaraderie between Ged and Arren is much warmer than the previous book which was a colder less familiar tale.

The Wizard of Earthsea series is heavily influenced by nonwestern philosophy, so I wasn't expecting to see an existentialist novel by Le Guin. I enjoyed it.The antagonist in this novel is the unwillingness of people to accept death. This also causes them to lose their passions in life: "To refuse death is to refuse life... You will die. You will not live forever. Nor will any man nor anything. Nothing is immortal. But only to us is it given to know that we must die. And that is a great gift: the gift of selfhood. For we have only what we know we must lose, what we are willing to lose... Would you give up the craft of your hands, and the passion of your heart, and the light of sunrise and sunset, to buy safety for yourself -- safety forever?"When the archmage is asked why he is unaffected by the malaise going over the world, he responds that wants to do what he is doing: "Because I desire nothing beyond my art... And if I am soon to lose it, I shall make the best of it while it lasts." In the book, his art represents all of the meaningful crafts and endeavors that people engage in and that make people happy. Desiring nothing beyond his art evokes Camus' "Myth of Sisyphus" for me -- that even though Sisyphus is only pushing a rock up a hill, we should still imagine Sisyphus happy. And making the best of his art while it lasts is a tight fitting analogy for making the most of a life that will end too soon.He also accepts death: "Did you not understand that he, even he, is but a shadow and a name? His death did not diminish life"

LeGuin third's entry still has a lot of the great, novel ideas that set her apart from so many other fantasy authors. The lead-up to third act is a bit slow, but is the pay-off ever worth it!

A lyrical book with with empathic characters and luscious language. There's pace, adventure, a magical universe where powers are part of the tapestry of a land of archipelagoes, varied peoples and their cultures, and a suspenseful plot. Sparrowhawk's engagement with dragons and their interlinked history with human heroes of the land is wonderful. Again youth and age, naivete and power, bewilderment and deep knowledges are spun side by side. But it's not Smurftown. We learn there's a price to pay whether things work out or don't. There's a Taoist dark and light equilibrium at stake the whole time. We follow a far-flung terrain as well as the heroes, from unknowing to knowing, from starting out to fulfilling their destinies, as time and experiences build them, or destroy them, we want them to survive.This time the young side-kick is a prince who's destiny isn't to be a mage, but a King. Touchingly he works this out for himself with Sparrowhawk the Archmage reinforcing the positives of his future, but first the Quest. The Archmage here hunts a nemesis that's sucking the life and light out of the world and its people in a bid to be immortal. Interestingly the book suggests a connection between the magical arts and artful production. Thinking about it gets you believing in your powers again. Ursula Le Guin started out in the 1960s (I think) and didn't stop. Just glad I found her in time to plunge my thirsty imagination into her sparkling pools. I'll follow her anywhere.

Good book

Terceiro livro de uma sequência, encerra a história do mago Ged, decadas depois da narrativa do segundo volume.A autora tem imaginação e criatividade espantosas e uma capacidade de contar bem uma história que tem poucos semelhantes.

Good quality. Strong cover. Excellent story that goes further than fantasy. You can feel the energy of the book

No useless tension nor leaving the reader hanging. No wordy and overly complicated world-building. Just an amazingly written story, that flows like a fable and left me richer that when I started it.

If you are like me; buying all the mass market paperbacks of this wonderful series, because you love the covers and want the books all to be in the same size: think again. They don’t come in the same size. A bit of a dissapointment