Earthsea (book Series)
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''The Earthsea Cycle'', also known as ''Earthsea'', is a series of
high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...
books written by the American writer
Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...
. Beginning with ''
A Wizard of Earthsea ''A Wizard of Earthsea'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Ursula K. Le Guin and first published by the small press Parnassus in 1968. It is regarded as a classic of children's literature and of fantasy, within which it is widely in ...
'' (1968), ''
The Tombs of Atuan ''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 ser ...
'', (1970) and ''
The Farthest Shore ''The Farthest Shore'' is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, first published by Atheneum in 1972. It is the third book in the series commonly called the Earthsea Cycle. As the next Earthsea novel, ''Tehanu'', would not be ...
'' (1972), the series was continued in ''
Tehanu ''Tehanu'' , initially subtitled ''The Last Book of Earthsea'', is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Atheneum in 1990. It is the fourth novel set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea, following almost twenty ...
'' (1990), and ''
Tales from Earthsea ''Tales from Earthsea'' is a collection of fantasy stories and essays by American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It accompanies five novels (1968 to 2001) set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. . Retrieved 2012-02- ...
'' and ''
The Other Wind ''The Other Wind'' is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It is the fifth and final novel set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. It won the annual World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and w ...
'' (both 2001). In 2018, all the novels and short stories were published in a single volume, ''The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition'', with artwork by
Charles Vess Charles Vess (born June 10, 1951) is an American fantasy artist and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau pain ...
.


Setting

The world of Earthsea is one of sea and islands: a vast archipelago of hundreds of islands surrounded by mostly uncharted ocean. Earthsea contains no large continents, with the archipelago resembling
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
or the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. The largest island, Havnor, at approximately across, is about the size of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
. The cultures of Earthsea are literate non-industrial civilizations and not direct analogues of the real world. Technologically, Earthsea is an early
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
society, with bronze used in places where iron is scarce. Weapons also include the use of wood and other hard, easily crafted metals. The overall climate of Earthsea is temperate, comparable to the mid-latitudes (over a distance of about ) of the northern hemisphere of the Earth. There is a yearly transition from warm summers to cold and snowy winters, especially on northern islands like Gont and Osskil. In the southern regions of Earthsea, it can be much warmer. Most of the people of Earthsea are described as having brown skin. In the Archipelago "red-brown" skin is typical, while the people of the East Reach have darker "black-brown" complexions. The people of Osskil in the north are described as having lighter, sallow complexions, while the
Karg KARG may refer to: * KARG (FM), an American Family Radio affiliate (91.7 FM) licensed to serve Poteau, Oklahoma, United States * Walnut Ridge Regional Airport Walnut Ridge Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical ...
s of the Kargad Lands are "white-skinned" and often "yellow-haired". Le Guin has criticized what she described as the general assumption in fantasy that characters should be white and the society should resemble the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
. Magic is a central part of life in most of Earthsea, with the exception of the Kargish lands, where it is banned. There are weather workers on ships, fixers who repair boats and buildings, entertainers, and court sorcerers. Magic is an inborn talent which can be developed with training. The most gifted are sent to the school on Roke, where, if their skill and their discipline prove sufficient, they can become staff-carrying wizards. The Dry Land is where most people go after they die, with the exception of the Kargs. It is a realm of shadow and dust, of eternal night where the stars are fixed in the sky, and nothing changes. The souls who reside there have an empty, dreary existence, and even "lovers pass each other in silence". Le Guin has stated that the idea of the Dry Land came from the "Greco-Roman idea of
Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...
' realm, from certain images in
Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
's work, and from one of
Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), shortened to Rainer Maria Rilke (), was an Austrian poet and novelist. He has been acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, and is widely recogni ...
's Elegies." In the fifth and last novel of the series, ''
The Other Wind ''The Other Wind'' is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It is the fifth and final novel set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. It won the annual World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and w ...
'', it is revealed that the Dry Land is a part of the dragons' domain that was stolen from them by the earliest mages in an attempt gone awry to obtain immortality. The Dry Land is restored to the dragons at the end of ''The Other Wind''.


Series


Books

Le Guin originally intended for ''
A Wizard of Earthsea ''A Wizard of Earthsea'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Ursula K. Le Guin and first published by the small press Parnassus in 1968. It is regarded as a classic of children's literature and of fantasy, within which it is widely in ...
'' to be a standalone novel, but she wrote ''
The Tombs of Atuan ''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 ser ...
'' as a sequel after considering the loose ends in the first book; ''
The Farthest Shore ''The Farthest Shore'' is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, first published by Atheneum in 1972. It is the third book in the series commonly called the Earthsea Cycle. As the next Earthsea novel, ''Tehanu'', would not be ...
'' followed after further consideration. These three books were written in quick succession, from 1968 to 1972, and are sometimes seen as the "original trilogy". Nearly twenty years later, Le Guin wrote a fourth book, ''
Tehanu ''Tehanu'' , initially subtitled ''The Last Book of Earthsea'', is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Atheneum in 1990. It is the fourth novel set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea, following almost twenty ...
'' (1990), and followed it with ''
Tales from Earthsea ''Tales from Earthsea'' is a collection of fantasy stories and essays by American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It accompanies five novels (1968 to 2001) set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. . Retrieved 2012-02- ...
'' and ''
The Other Wind ''The Other Wind'' is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It is the fifth and final novel set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. It won the annual World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and w ...
'' in 2001. The latter three books are sometimes referred to as the "second trilogy". The series as a whole is known as the ''Earthsea Cycle'', and was published in a single volume in 2018 as ''The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition'', with art by Charles Vess.


Short stories

Le Guin published nine short stories of Earthsea. Seven appear in two collections of her work (and some have been reissued elsewhere). Two early stories were originally published in 1964, and were collected in ''
The Wind's Twelve Quarters ''The Wind's Twelve Quarters'' is a collection of short stories by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, named after a line from A. E. Housman's '' A Shropshire Lad'' and first published by Harper & Row in 1975. Described by Le Guin as a retrospectiv ...
'' (
Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...
, 1975). These helped to define the setting of Earthsea. Five much later stories were collected in ''
Tales from Earthsea ''Tales from Earthsea'' is a collection of fantasy stories and essays by American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It accompanies five novels (1968 to 2001) set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. . Retrieved 2012-02- ...
'' (Harcourt, 2001), where three were original. In October 2014 a new novella set in Earthsea was published as a stand-alone, "The Daughter of Odren". A final 12-page short story, "Firelight", was published in June 2018, covering the last days of Ged.
Tales from Earthsea ''Tales from Earthsea'' is a collection of fantasy stories and essays by American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It accompanies five novels (1968 to 2001) set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. . Retrieved 2012-02- ...
also includes about 30 pages of fictional reference material titled "A Description of Earthsea" (2001). * "
The Word of Unbinding "The Word of Unbinding" is a short story by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in the January 1964 issue of ''Fantastic'', and reprinted in collections such as ''The Wind's Twelve Quarters''. In this story, the Earthsea realm, which ...
", ''
Fantastic Stories of Imagination ''Fantastic'' was an American digest size, digest-size fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science fiction magazine, published from 1952 to 1980. It was founded by the publishing company Ziff Davis as a fantasy companion to ''Amazing Stories' ...
'', January 1964 +Q * "
The Rule of Names "The Rule of Names" is a short story by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in the April 1964 issue of ''Fantastic'', and reprinted in collections such as ''The Wind's Twelve Quarters''. This story and "The Word of Unbinding" convey ...
", ''Fantastic Stories of Imagination'', April 1964 +Q * "Dragonfly", '' Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy'',
Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...
, 1998 +T * "Darkrose and Diamond", ''
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...
'', Oct-Nov 1999 +T * "The Bones of the Earth" (2001) T * "The Finder" (2001) T * "On The High Marsh" (2001) T * "The Daughter of Odren" (2014) * "Firelight", ''
Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published works by Jack Kerouac, Philip ...
'', Summer 2018, issue 225 :Notes: :+Q Collected in ''The Wind's Twelve Quarters'' :+T Collected in ''Tales from Earthsea'' :T   Original to ''Tales from Earthsea'' :All of the stories are included in ''The Books of Earthsea''.


Unsubmitted story

After "The Rule of Names" and before "A Wizard of Earthsea", Le Guin wrote a longish story about a prince in search of the Ultimate. He travels southwest from Havnor through the archipelago into the open sea. He finds a raft-colony and sea-people. The prince joins them in the sea. He wears out, sinks and finds the Ultimate. This story was never submitted for publication for "it never worked out itself well". However, the theme of a raft-colony and sea-people was later taken up as an important ingredient in the plot of ''
The Farthest Shore ''The Farthest Shore'' is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, first published by Atheneum in 1972. It is the third book in the series commonly called the Earthsea Cycle. As the next Earthsea novel, ''Tehanu'', would not be ...
''.


Awards

Each book in the series has received a literary award: On November 5, 2019, the ''
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
'' listed ''The Earthsea Trilogy'' on its list of the 100 most influential novels.


Adaptations


Audiobooks

There have been a number of audiobook readings by different narrators and publishers. "(Major works only, principal U.S. editions only)". In the early 1990s, Robert Inglis narrated the first three books of the series for
Recorded Books Recorded Books is an audiobook imprint of RBMedia, a publishing company with operations in countries globally. Recorded Books was formerly an independent audiobook company before being purchased and re-organized under RBMedia, where it is now an ...
.


Radio

A
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
-produced two-hour radio dramatization of ''A Wizard of Earthsea'' was originally broadcast on Radio 4 on December 26, 1996. This adaptation was narrated by Dame
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...
, with
Michael Maloney Michael Maloney (born 19 June 1957) is an English actor. Life and career Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series ''Telford's Change''. He made his ...
as
Ged The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...
, and used a wide range of actors with different regional and social accents to emphasize the origins of the Earthsea characters (for instance, Estarriol and others from the East Reach were played by actors with Southern Welsh accents). The adaptation was subsequently released on audio cassette. In April and May 2015,
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
aired a new, six-part dramatization of the ''Earthsea'' works, encompassing the storylines and motifs of the novels ''A Wizard of Earthsea'', ''The Tombs of Atuan'' and ''The Farthest Shore''. The first of the six 30 minute-long episodes premiered on April 27 and the last on May 5. The characters of Ged and Tenar were portrayed by three actors at different stages in their lives (Kasper Hilton-Hille,
James McArdle James John McArdle (born 3 April 1989) is a Scottish actor from Glasgow. He won the Ian Charleson Award for his role as Mikhail Platonov in '' Platonov'' and was nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for p ...
and
Shaun Dooley Shaun Dooley (born 29 March 1974) is an English actor, narrator and voice-over artist. Early life Dooley was born in Barnsley in Yorkshire. He studied at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester between 1992 and 1995. Career Dooley's fir ...
as Ged; Nishi Malde, Aysha Kala and
Vineeta Rishi Vineeta Rishi, is an English actress, known for playing Jas Khella in the BBC One soap opera ''Doctors (2000 TV series), Doctors''. Born in Bracknell, Berkshire to Indian parents, Rishi grew up in Walkergate, Newcastle upon Tyne where she attende ...
as Tenar). The radio drama was adapted by Judith Adams, directed by Sasha Yevtushenko and featured original music composed by Jon Nicholls. Following the premiere radio broadcast, each of the episodes were made available for online streaming on
BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the p ...
for a month, via the
BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...
service. The adaptation was created and aired as part of a thematic month centered on the life and works of Ursula Le Guin, in commemoration of her then-recent 85th birthday. In addition to the ''Earthsea'' radio drama, the thematic month included the airing of a two-part radio adaptation of ''
The Left Hand of Darkness ''The Left Hand of Darkness'' is a science fiction novel by U.S. writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Published in 1969, it became immensely popular, and established Le Guin's status as a major author of science fiction. The novel is set in the fictiona ...
'' earlier in April, as well as exclusive interviews with Le Guin and some of the writers she inspired.


Television


Miniseries, 2004

The U.S.-based
Sci Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
broadcast in December 2004 a three-hour loose adaptation for television of ''A Wizard of Earthsea'' and ''The Tombs of Atuan'', entitled '' Legend of Earthsea'' (later, simply ''Earthsea''). It was broadcast in two parts on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
in the UK at Easter 2005. Sci Fi Channel had angered Le Guin and fans of the Earthsea novels with its announcement that Ged and the vast majority of the other characters would be played by Caucasians and with the
dramatis personæ Dramatis personae (Latin: 'persons of the drama') are the main characters in a dramatic work written in a list. Such lists are commonly employed in various forms of theatre, and also on screen. Typically, off-stage characters are not considere ...
posted on an official website. The latter revealed several original characters – such as "The Archmagus" and "King Tygath", "Diana", "Penelope", and "Marion" – and it referred to "Kargide" characters rather than Kargad, Karg, or Kargish. The religious practices of Atuan were portrayed differently in the adaptation, and the celibacy of Earthsea wizards overlooked as Ged and Tenar become sexually involved. One month before the U.S. broadcast, Le Guin posted on her website "A Reply to Some Statements Made by the Film-Makers" published in the December 2004 issue of ''Sci Fi Magazine''. She opened with the observation, "I've tried very hard to keep from saying anything at all about this production, being well aware that movies must differ in many ways from the books they're based on, and feeling that I really had no business talking about it, since I was not included in planning it and was given no part in discussions or decisions." (Director
Robert Lieberman Robert Lieberman (born July 16, 1947) is an American motion picture and television director. Personal life Lieberman was married from June 27, 1990 to June 7, 2001 to actress Marilu Henner; the divorced couple has two children, Nicholas Morga ...
, too, had stated that she was not involved.) "That makes it particularly galling of the director to put words in my mouth." Le Guin disavowed some specific interpretations both by Lieberman and by executive director Robert Halmi Sr., and concluded (quoting Lieberman):
I wonder if the people who made the film of ''The Lord of the Rings'' had ended it with Frodo putting on the Ring and ruling happily ever after, and then claimed that that was what
Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
"intended ..." would people think they'd been "very, very honest to the books"?Le Guin (November 13, 2004)
"Earthsea Miniseries: A Reply to Some Statements Made by the Film-Makers of the Earthsea Miniseries Before it was Shown"
. Ursula K. Le Guin. Retrieved 2015-08-13. "Updated Sunday July 13, 2008".
  One of several Earthsea Miniseries Notes

) – linked notes by Le Guin and by others.


Planned TV series

In May 2018, it was announced that the series had been opted for a film adaptation by producer Jennifer Fox. In 2019 it was decided to produce a TV series instead. As of September 2022, nothing has been heard of this proposed series in three years.


Animated film, 2006

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...
's 2006 film, ''
Tales from Earthsea ''Tales from Earthsea'' is a collection of fantasy stories and essays by American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It accompanies five novels (1968 to 2001) set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. . Retrieved 2012-02- ...
'', is loosely based in the Earthsea mythology. It was directed by
Gorō Miyazaki is a Japanese director. He is the son of animator and film director Hayao Miyazaki, who is one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli. Described as "reluctant" to follow his father's career, Goro initially worked as a landscaper for many years befo ...
, the son of
Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...
. Le Guin granted Studio Ghibli the rights due to her love of Hayao Miyazaki's films. Le Guin called the adaptation "disappointing" and "entirely different" from her creation. With linked "Response from a correspondent in Japan".
  Complete subtitles: A First Response to "Gedo Senki", the Earthsea film made by Goro Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli. Written for my fans in Japan who are writing me about the movie, and for fans elsewhere who may be curious about it.


Explanatory notes


References


Citations


General and cited references

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Le Guin's homepage
– her own map of Earthsea, truncated *

– with Le Guin's own map and published illustrations including maps

by Jan M. Griffin, ''The ALAN Review'' 23.2 (Spring 1996)
The Isolate Tower: An Earthsea Compendium
– fan encyclopedia or companion book

– fan encyclopedia or companion book {{Fantasy fiction Book series introduced in 1968 Books illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert Books illustrated by Ruth Robbins Fantasy novel series Fiction set on ocean planets Fictional terrestrial planets High fantasy novels Mass media franchises introduced in 1964 Series by Ursula K. Le Guin