The Tombs of Atuan: Volume 2 (Earthsea Cycle)

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I read this and A Wizard of Earthsea after watching the TV adaption. As I stated in my review of the previous book, I was not expecting such a well written and engaging book as this one is.

Arha, now feeling a sense of rebirth, embraces her name Tenar. In the Big House dining hall she tells Kossil, "I have done away with the robber.... What a fine day it is!" Kossil reminds her that the Priestess must fast for 3 days after a human sacrifice, but Arha had clearly forgotten. Arha fumbles, saying that he's been buried alive. The questions and answers escalate to threats until Arha curses Kossil. Arha shouts, "May the Dark Ones eat your soul, Kossil!" and Kossil visibly staggers before entering the Temple of the Godking. Arha devises a plan to protect Sparrowhawk and deceive Kossil. Manan will escort Sparrowhawk to the Great Treasury by following Arha, then dig a fake grave deep in the Undertomb. Manan disagrees, but obeys Arha's commands. A treacherous pit lies across their path and can only be crossed via a hand-width ledge skirting the left wall. Finally, Arha and Sparrowhawk enter a room with Manan waiting just outside the door. Inside, six great stone chests lie under a layer of dust, but neither seems interested. She tells him this is the Great Treasury he's been seeking, but that he can never leave. Dejected and betrayed, Sparrowhawk says nothing. Arha promises to return with food and water when she's able, but it will be sporadically, since she cannot starve herself forever. Sparrowhawk replies, "Take care, Tenar." Chapter 8: Names [ ] Pixieltd on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 5 hours agoArha enters the Great Treasury with water and stolen bread. Sparrowhawk doesn't recognize her. She says, "It's I, Arha - Tenar. I brought you water. Here, drink." He drinks, but he is weak and fumbling. He declines the bread despite not having eaten in 2 days and puts his head in his hands. She falls to her knees and sobs, but without tears. He comforts her calling, "Tenar - ". But she replies that she is not Tenar, not Arha, and the gods are dead.

The dark is a powerful fictive tool, taking on a life of its own, and Le Guin makes such beautiful art of it in Tombs . Since this is Le Guin—and it’s me reading Le Guin—you bet your ass she took it beyond incredible sentences, artful descriptions, and expert use of setting and tone, by now all obvious staples of her work as a writer. Out of the darkness of the Place of the Tombs of Atuan, from Arha’s struggles with Ged and with herself in the dark of the Labyrinth, comes a powerful critique of ideology, of what it means to believe—and more daringly, what it means to be oneself in a world where one is made to believe. These are important aspects of children’s literature generally, in which protagonists often struggle to understand who they are, what the world is, and how they fit in and jibe with the world as whoever they are. Bernardo, Susan M.; Murphy, Graham J. (2006). Ursula K. Le Guin: A Critical Companion (1sted.). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33225-8.Finally, Arha decides to explore the greater Labyrinth beyond the Iron Door. Believing the Nameless Ones guide her steps, she makes many trips to the various inner rooms. One day, Thar reveals that the Labyrinth was created to hide treasure while trapping thieves. Only Arha can enter the Treasury to avoid the wrath of the Nameless Ones and facing death. The previous Arha told Thar to reveal the Treasury's path only after the current Arha asked. Curiously, Arha postpones her visit to the Treasury.