Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.
The Tombs of Atuan starts with the tale of a young girl. She was born as the old Arha died, taken from her family once she survived to the age of five, and raised as the newest in a long line of reborn priestess of dark, mostly forgotten gods.
Good times.
It’s a little strange to spend all of A Wizard of Earthsea with said Wizard, only to get a completely different point of view for a large chunk of Tombs. Minor spoilers–since it’s a trilogy, it should be expected–but, we do eventually meet up.
It is a wonderful story, in a dark sort of way. The world building is fascinating. It’s interesting to see another part of the world; especially the underlying conflict between dark old gods and the new(ish) Godking and their respective.
“The Priestess of the Tombs knows best what manner of death will please her Masters, and it is hers to choose. There are many ways.”
And then suddenly Ged.
And then, all too soon, it’s over. As much as I liked this book, it really feels more like an introduction to a larger adventure. A Wizard of Earthsea went by quickly as well, but somehow felt more complete. We’ll have to see how that plays out in future books.
Onward!
Side note:
PEOPLE OFTEN DON’T BELIEVE ME when I say that when I wrote A Wizard of Earthsea I had no plans beyond that book. But it’s true. I know—it says on the first page of the first book that Ged is going to be a famous mage with songs and epics about him, a dragonlord, Archmage of Earthsea, which all seems to promise sequels; but I just put that there so the reader would know this was a world where magic was powerful, where there were dragons, the world of fantasy. It’s good to get that sort of thing clear at the start. I also put it there so the reader (and I) could be sure that this rather unpromising kid did have a future.
You know, I like that. This book does feel weird as a sequel and this explains somewhat why.