Wizard of Earthsea & The Tombs of Atuan

Finally got around to reading the source material from the Earthsea miniseries and in June, 2006, I offered this review:

 

Not long ago, I watched the miniseries called Earthsea. I liked it so checked around the web to see what others thought. To my surprise, it was savaged by the fans of the books upon which it was based. So, I decided to read the source material for myself.

The first book of the Earthsea saga was 'Wizard of Earthsea' and it deals with Ged (though known to most by his use-name of Sparrowhawk), who is destined to be the greatest wizard of Earthsea. He has a natural talent for magic but no patience. His impatience leads him to be reckless and create a nameless demon - called a gebbeth - that is intent on devouring his soul and using his body as a vessel. The book is something of a morality tale where Ged learns humility and the reader has the balance of good and evil explained. Still, it is an entertaining read and this facet of the tale was done adequately in the movie.

The second book of Earthsea was 'The Tombs of Atuan' and it tells the tale of Tenar, a girl chosen as priestess for the Nameless Ones when she was only 5. Like the Dali Lama, it seems this particular priestess is continually reborn. Now called Arha - the Eaten One - she served the Nameless Ones through ritual dances, blood sacrifices, and other such observances. It is with the arrival of Ged that her life changes. He seeks to steal a broken half of the Ring of Erreth-Akbe, which is really more a bracelet. The ring was broken long ago and Ged had stumbled upon one half while chasing the gebbeth (previous book) and now seeks the other which is said to be housed in the Labyrinth of the Nameless Ones. Ged's powerful magic is little use in the Labyrinth and only through winning Arha as an ally does he succeed. As the pair flee the Labyrinth with the restored ring, the labyrinth and the temple which sits upon it collapse. Strangely, two more chapters follow, delving into how Tenar will cope in the world. She cannot stay in her land and her only skills are related to the worship of gods she has just betrayed by aiding a blasphemer to escape. This tale was tossed aside in the movie though bits and pieces are apparent.

Probably the most oft repeated complaint I found was that Ged was white in the movie while he is 'red-brown' or 'coppery-skinned' in the book. His friend Vetch is described as 'black-brown' but is played by a pasty-white fellow. Only the barbarous Kargs - a Viking- like people from what I have read so far - are white. Speaking of the Kargs, the idea that they might attack the Wizard's Isle of Roke is silly for one who reads the book, kind of like a Hobbit army marching on Mordor.

I have enjoyed the books and, for those in search of something to read, Ursula K. Le Guin writes a fine tale.