Fantasy Book Review Ursula K Le Guin The Farthest Shore

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Bantam Press 1972 - Spoiler alerts The third and final volume in the original mystical fantasy series of Earthsea novels by Le Guin. Two more books were would be added in later years. Sparrowhawk (Ged), the Archmage grand wizard of Earthsea, who we have followed through his childhood apprenticeship to his current level of mastery, is approached by a young prince called Arren with terrible news, wizards across the Earthsea Archipelago of islands are losing their powers and forgetting their spells. The magic is dying. Ged, accompanied by the Prince, sets off on a small sail boat that can glide by magic, to seek out the source of the terrible drain, which is even stealing the magic off the dragons though Ged himself seems unaffected but a terrible sacrifice may be required of him to correct the terrible imbalance. Highly evocative, often deeply profound and creating a fabulous world in a fraction of the pages taken up by Tolkien and Rowling. Ged is my favourite of all the great literary wizards. Arthur Chappell