snpmurray's Full Review: Ursula K. Le Guin - The Farthest Shore
What a beautiful book!
The Farthest shore was for many years the final book of the Earthsea series, until LeGuin decided to write “Tehanu”, a lamentable decision, perhaps, but that’s another story…
All these books tell tales around the character of Ged, born as a goatherd, and destined to become the mightiest mage of his time. In The Farthest Shore we find Ged at the peak of his power; he is ArchMage of his world of Earthsea, keeper of the balance of the magical world. He is deep and contemplative, a personality of power and beauty.
All is not well, however, in the world of Earthsea. Mages in distant lands bring reports that the words of magical power are losing their efficacy. Practitioners of both the arts Magic, and the arts of painting, singing, dancing…all report that the beauty seems to be going out of what they do. They no longer see a point in attempting to enrich the world.
This unnatural turn of affairs causes Ged to leave the enclave of the Masters and go on a quest across his world in search of the cause of this calamity. Reaching back to his roots he becomes again a simple sailor/adventurer, and seeks that which troubles Earthsea. We watch him visit the furthest reaches of the Vast archipelago that is Earthsea, and we visit some of its most obscure inhabitants. He goes accompanied by a young untested noble named Arren, in whom Ged sees a possible solution to the pressing problem of his worlds future.
An old enemy of Ged lies at the heart of the drain on the worlds magic. Our protagonists journey brings them inexorably toward a confrontation with this icon of anti-magic, and anti-life. In the course of their journey, Ged and Arren come to the disturbing conclusion that the solution to their problem may mean facing their own deaths. Ged has done this before (a central tenet of the first book in the series) but for Arren, learning that life is always no further than a breath from death is a new and difficult hurdle to fearless living. Ged guides and counsels Arren towards this understanding, which he requires to fulfill his destiny.
This then, is the basics of the story. I have always loved this trilogy, and have been meaning for some time to reread its final chapter (as I said, there is a later addition, but I shall block it out with all my capacity for denial and pretend it never happened!) and review it for Epinions. This book is just so beautiful. Ged is the epitome of wise husbandry of power. Take for example, that he has the ability to bring about outrageous storms, focus them in both direction and force, and yet we find he will sit patiently dead in the water, awaiting the wind if and when it should come ,rather than blow a gust into his own sails….his magic is for the assistance of natural balance, and he will not use it for his own ends. It is illustrations such as this which make this an exceptional book.
As I said, in the first book of this series, Ged has previously faced the issue of death, and it is central to the plot of Farthest Shore. The story comes full circle in this regard, and a much older and much wiser Ged is now able to cast the reflections of his learned wisdom through his teaching of Arren. The youngster , not unlike the young Ged, is full of portents for the future, and is keen and sharp, but unlearned in self mastery, and this book is as much a novel of rite of passage as anything else. Arren often seems the extension of Ged. As Geds contribution to the world is coming to its climax and ending, he imparts the teaching that a sense of fulfillment, and a life lived in beauty, has more meaning than all the power in the world. Indeed, that a life lived in beauty is, in actuality, all the power in the world.
This for me, is the finest book LeGuin has written. Despite the erudite language of her science fiction contributions, left hand of darkness et al, it is Farthest shore in which she reaches the reader most personally, and most movingly. She is known and remembered for her contributions to the literary discussion of gender, of political systems, and more, but here she shows what is best in herself…her gentle heart, and her vision of a world where all the power there is could not bring one breadth more humanity to its owner. Whilst a good song can be sung by a lover of music, men may be touched. If there is ever a time where no-one wishes to sing , humanity is nothing.
“What do you take me for? Because you are called Archmage do you take me for a village sorcerer? I who alone amongst all mages found the way of immortality, which no one ever found !”
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