snpmurray's Full Review: Ursula K. Le Guin - Tombs Of Atuan
Tombs of Atuan is the second book in the "Wizard of Earthsea" series. The novel, and the series, follow the life of Ged, who rises from Goatherd to Master Mage across the course of the series. This book is a beautiful read, a story of how the human spirit grows through friendship, love and sensitivity, and how it may atrophy without these same gifts.
Set in the World of Earthsea, where magic is a powerful and most organic force, we find ourselves in this second book discovering the culture of an isolated realm, the Kargad islands. Here, the arts magic are, compared to much of Earthsea, little known. What is known of them is held by an oppressive religious system. Into this world was born Tenar. At the tender age of five she is press-ganged to serve as their high priestess. Stripped of her given name, she is removed from society, and her life revolves only around the rituals required of her as high preistess, denying her the opportunity for further growth in a wider world. She assumes these duties, ignorant of any other life...no doubt the goal of her keepers.
Ged, the magician, is present on Kargad in order to retrieve a long-lost artifact, the second half of the ring of Erreth-Akbe. With it, he hopes to continue his life-long vocation of restoring balance to the forces of magic in his world. The Ring-half is hidden in the tomb-labyrinth beneath the Temple of Atuan. The only person permitted to know this realm is Tenar, and discovering him as an intruder there she imprisons him.
Normally oblivious to mere locks of metal, Ged is unable to escape, since the "gods" that the people of Kargad serve are in actuality malignant spirits. His powers are greatly weakened, and he cannot free himself. A co-dependancy develops between Tenar and Ged....he is her secret possession, the only one capable of enlightening her to the wider world, and he needs her for mere survival. A love develops between them which forces Tenar to weigh duties she did not choose, against the desire for greater growth.
This is all beautifully and simply written. The Ged we met in the first book, an excited young adolescent learning to wield forces he could not dream of, has matured. He is now a seasoned man, with a greatness of soul, and unusual wisdom. He does not attempt to overwhelm his captor, and treats her with a respect for personhood, marking him as a personality of power. It is the sensitive understanding which he shows her, despite her treatment of him, which marks him as a personality of power. LeGuin magnificently illustrates that this wisdom and gentleness is why he is the master magician that he is.
Names are very significant in this series. To know a true name of a thing, or a person, is to possess the power to control the named thing. Tenar was stripped of her true name when she became the high priestess, symbolising her lack of personal freedom. Ged has a gift by empathy for knowing the names of things, and restores her name to her. Again, and poetically, he gives her name back to her, but does not use it to wield magic against her which might have served more selfish ends. It is this gentle consideration that shows LeGuins' amazing insight into true Goodness.
I've read these books over and over since my early teens, when I discovered them in my school library. As I have grown into manhood myself, I have been utterly confused as to why these books are targeted at teens. Sure, the writing style is straightforward, but even the most simple of melodies can have great beauty and, well, magic to it. If you haven't read this book, spend a night in reading it. If you don't come away enriched, touched, and entertained, Id be very surprised.
General Fiction - From Ursula K. Le Guin winner of numerous awards including the National Book Award, a Pushcart Prize, five Hugos, five Nebula Awards...More at Barnes and Noble
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