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The sorcerer Alder fears sleep. He dreams of the land of death, of his wife who died young and longs to return to him so much that she kissed him across the low stone wall that separates our world from the Dry Land-where the grass is withered, the stars never move, and lovers pass without knowing each other. The dead are pulling Alder to them at night. Through him they may free themselves and invade Earthsea.Alder seeks advice from Ged, once Archmage. Ged tells him to go to Tenar, Tehanu, show more and the young king at Havnor. They are joined by amber-eyed Irian, a fierce dragon able to assume the shape of a woman.
The threat can be confronted only in the Immanent Grove on Roke, the holiest place in the world and there the king, hero, sage, wizard, and dragon make a last stand.
Le Guin combines her magical fantasy with a profoundly human, earthly, humble touch.
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In her afterword to the 2012 "unified edition" of Earthsea, author Le Guin notes that the six books have been persistently called a "trilogy" and sometimes a "quartet," while she resists "sextet," and even "series" or "cycle," feeling that the hyper-title "Earthsea" is itself sufficient. I noticed a conspicuous five-fold structure to the six books. There are five novels. The non-novel fifth volume consists of five stories. The fifth novel (i.e. sixth book) has five chapters. 5 = 6 is an expression of magical adeptship, some might note.
As each of the previous novels introduced a key viewpoint character, so too does The Other Wind: Alder is a bereaved village sorcerer sent on a quest by his nightmares. He is at the focus of the first show more chapter, and then the story becomes very much an ensemble affair involving all of the principal protagonists developed over the earlier volumes. Ged remains on Gont, but Havnor is the meeting place of Alder, Tenar, Lebannen, Tehanu, and Irian. The second chapter also features the arrival of the Karg princess Seserakh, and the third brings in the Pelnish wizard Seppel. The fourth chapter is a sea voyage, so that the final chapter can take place on Roke with a climax at the Immanent Grove.
I couldn't resist interpreting the emotional swings of Tenar throughout the book as reflecting those of the author as she worked to gather up the threads of her creation and tie them into a finished work. There is an especially rich and dense passage just prior to the major plot resolution, in which the reader gets a quick description of the sleeping dreams for each of the many main characters.
The Other Wind offers no sense of an enemy or an oppressive evil like the preceding four novels did. Neither the dead nor the dragons are villains, and the old powers of the earth give only ambivalent solace. The book instead presents a time of perplexing crisis, in which established wisdom is undermined by a clearer view of the past, and diverse agents need to cooperate in order to create their future.Species of "original sin" are divined--the division between dragon and human, and between the Kargs and the Hardic peoples. The nature of the Hardic afterlife is understood and transformed. And the dragons find their destiny.
The completed Earthsea reminds me more of Delany's Return to Nevèrÿon than it does of any other fantasy series. The two had very different models and audiences. I suspect Le Guin of taking her cue from high fantasy as exemplified by Lord Dunsany, and Delany of taking his from the sword and sorcery of writers like Robert E. Howard. Earthsea was written for young readers (at least initially), and Nevèrÿon ... was not. But both bring a late 20th-century philosophical sophistication to their stories, a linguistic turn beyond Tolkienesque conlangs, and an exploration of non-modern societies in flux that can inspire reflection in modern readers. Both use their fantastic worlds to explore a diversity of mundane perspectives. Delany is perhaps more incisively psychological, Le Guin more stunningly poetic.
The Other Wind is not a long book; I read it in a little over a weekend. But it is very full, with its large cast and world-shifting resolution. Although Le Guin intimated that she had a view of what might happen later to Ged, among others, she did leave us a satisfyingly complete set of stories in the six books of Earthsea. show less
As each of the previous novels introduced a key viewpoint character, so too does The Other Wind: Alder is a bereaved village sorcerer sent on a quest by his nightmares. He is at the focus of the first show more chapter, and then the story becomes very much an ensemble affair involving all of the principal protagonists developed over the earlier volumes. Ged remains on Gont, but Havnor is the meeting place of Alder, Tenar, Lebannen, Tehanu, and Irian. The second chapter also features the arrival of the Karg princess Seserakh, and the third brings in the Pelnish wizard Seppel. The fourth chapter is a sea voyage, so that the final chapter can take place on Roke with a climax at the Immanent Grove.
I couldn't resist interpreting the emotional swings of Tenar throughout the book as reflecting those of the author as she worked to gather up the threads of her creation and tie them into a finished work. There is an especially rich and dense passage just prior to the major plot resolution, in which the reader gets a quick description of the sleeping dreams for each of the many main characters.
The Other Wind offers no sense of an enemy or an oppressive evil like the preceding four novels did. Neither the dead nor the dragons are villains, and the old powers of the earth give only ambivalent solace. The book instead presents a time of perplexing crisis, in which established wisdom is undermined by a clearer view of the past, and diverse agents need to cooperate in order to create their future.
The completed Earthsea reminds me more of Delany's Return to Nevèrÿon than it does of any other fantasy series. The two had very different models and audiences. I suspect Le Guin of taking her cue from high fantasy as exemplified by Lord Dunsany, and Delany of taking his from the sword and sorcery of writers like Robert E. Howard. Earthsea was written for young readers (at least initially), and Nevèrÿon ... was not. But both bring a late 20th-century philosophical sophistication to their stories, a linguistic turn beyond Tolkienesque conlangs, and an exploration of non-modern societies in flux that can inspire reflection in modern readers. Both use their fantastic worlds to explore a diversity of mundane perspectives. Delany is perhaps more incisively psychological, Le Guin more stunningly poetic.
The Other Wind is not a long book; I read it in a little over a weekend. But it is very full, with its large cast and world-shifting resolution. Although Le Guin intimated that she had a view of what might happen later to Ged, among others, she did leave us a satisfyingly complete set of stories in the six books of Earthsea. show less
The sixth and final book in Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle. Despite an interesting and reasonably effective conclusion, this volume feels kind of slight, and I'd say this is the weakest of the novels in the series. But that's only to say that it's simply good, rather than being one of the finest works of fantasy ever published, which is a description I'm fairly comfortable applying to the original trilogy.
Le Guin is a writer of many strengths, and I think the Earthsea books showcase them all wonderfully. Her writing is lovely, compellingly readable, and scattered through with apt turns of phrase and with imagery that that seems to tap directly into a deep place in your brain. Her world-building is thoughtful and skillfully presented. This show more particular volume doesn't showcase her ability to weave together plot and theme so well, as it's a bit short on the former. But it does beautifully demonstrate her ability to take large, abstract ideas -- relationships between kingdoms, origin myths, an exploration of the boundaries between life and death -- and ground them beautifully in small, poignant, human details.
If this final installment comes across as something of an afterthought -- and I think it does -- it's at least one that's worth reading. show less
Le Guin is a writer of many strengths, and I think the Earthsea books showcase them all wonderfully. Her writing is lovely, compellingly readable, and scattered through with apt turns of phrase and with imagery that that seems to tap directly into a deep place in your brain. Her world-building is thoughtful and skillfully presented. This show more particular volume doesn't showcase her ability to weave together plot and theme so well, as it's a bit short on the former. But it does beautifully demonstrate her ability to take large, abstract ideas -- relationships between kingdoms, origin myths, an exploration of the boundaries between life and death -- and ground them beautifully in small, poignant, human details.
If this final installment comes across as something of an afterthought -- and I think it does -- it's at least one that's worth reading. show less
It pains me to give a middling rating to Le Guin’s final installment in her Earthsea cycle, as I admire her other work so much. Her world building is impeccable and there is uncommon depth in the philosophy of her writing, which makes even books deemed “Young Adult” enjoyable even later in life. In this story she cautions against upsetting the natural way of things by not accepting death, something which takes on additional meaning when you realize she was 72 when she wrote it (though would live and write for nearly two more decades).
I loved the premise, that a disturbance has been caused because of that, which is apparent in dreams and the menacing behavior of dragons, causing a diverse collection of characters to investigate. I show more liked that among these is not Ged, who remains sidelined, and how Alder (a gentle village sorcerer) and Seserakh (a princess sent from the Kargish lands) played significant roles. I just thought that as it played out, the story was too repetitive in filling us in on the ancient history of the different races in Earthsea, as well as the references to the previous books. The actual plot was just a little too skeletal for me. True devotees will probably still love it though, and it’s probably must read if you’ve read the first five books already.
Quote, on dying:
“’I think,’ Tehanu said in her soft, strange voice, ‘that when I die, I can breathe back the breath that made me live. I can give back to the world all that I didn’t do. All that I might have been and couldn’t be. All the choices that I didn’t make. All the things I lost and spent and wasted. I can give them back to the world. To the lives that haven’t been lived yet. That will be my gift back to the world that gave me the life I did live, the love I loved, the breath I breathed.’” show less
I loved the premise, that a disturbance has been caused because of that, which is apparent in dreams and the menacing behavior of dragons, causing a diverse collection of characters to investigate. I show more liked that among these is not Ged, who remains sidelined, and how Alder (a gentle village sorcerer) and Seserakh (a princess sent from the Kargish lands) played significant roles. I just thought that as it played out, the story was too repetitive in filling us in on the ancient history of the different races in Earthsea, as well as the references to the previous books. The actual plot was just a little too skeletal for me. True devotees will probably still love it though, and it’s probably must read if you’ve read the first five books already.
Quote, on dying:
“’I think,’ Tehanu said in her soft, strange voice, ‘that when I die, I can breathe back the breath that made me live. I can give back to the world all that I didn’t do. All that I might have been and couldn’t be. All the choices that I didn’t make. All the things I lost and spent and wasted. I can give them back to the world. To the lives that haven’t been lived yet. That will be my gift back to the world that gave me the life I did live, the love I loved, the breath I breathed.’” show less
I have a lot of time for LeGuin’s writing, although I can’t say I’ve enjoyed everything she’s written. I knew The Other Wind was a sequel of sorts to the Earthsea quartet, and I do think those books are very good. Nonetheless, my expectations for The Other Wind were middling, perhaps because I was under the impression it was YA. True, the Earthsea books were published for many years in the UK by Puffin, the children’s imprint of Penguin; but I’ve never really thought of them as YA. The Other Wind is set late in the lives of Ged and Tenar, Ged has long since retired as Arch-mage and no longer has any magic powers. He is visited by Alder, a village magician who has been dreaming about meeting his much-loved late wife at the show more wall between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Ged advises Alder to consult with Tenar, and their daughter Tehanu, currently on Havnor, advising King Lebannen on recent incursions by dragons. It turns out the dragons are upset because the humans of the archipelago do ont return to the world on dying, but instead gather in the land of the dead. Dragons are apparently trans-dimensional. And all those dead folk are cluttering up their private dimension. It’s a completely new view of the afterlife as presented in the Earthsea quartet, and yet it doesn’t contradict it. There’s a wonderfully elegiac, and yet matter-of-fact, tone to the prose, and a beautifully-drawn cast, from Alder through Tehanu to King Lebannen… but especially the princess from the Kargad Empire who has been sent to Havnor to marry the king. It feels like damning the book with faint praise, especially since the last LeGuin collection I read was a bit dull, but The Other Wind is a thoroughly charming novel. I loved it. It made me want to reread the Earthsea quartet, it made me want to read more LeGuin. Recommended. show less
LeGuin's final entry in the EarthSea cycle is essential in that it revisits and reinterprets the world-building behind The Farthest Shore, which was the original final entry, and brings back for a final bow most of the main characters from the previous books. It is however mostly people talking and suffers from a surprising lack of urgency, given that this is Earthsea's biggest crisis. Jo Walton managed to make "people mostly talking" exciting in her Thessaly trilogy, but for me the conversations in The Other Windw just rehashed events and previously expressed ideas.
Recommended because it's LeGuin, so the characters are strong and well-developed, and it does close things out, but it's not LeGuiin in top form.
Recommended because it's LeGuin, so the characters are strong and well-developed, and it does close things out, but it's not LeGuiin in top form.
As final stories go, this was a damn good one. In keeping with the tone of the series, this book isn’t an action-packed fantasy adventure. It’s a story about the characters and their lives – both familiar and new. It’s about how the use of magic and the relationship between humans and dragons has changed over the years. It’s a story about the balance between the living and the dead, and the small group who wishes to restore that balance.
I loved being back with Ged, Tenar, Tehanu, and even king Lebannen. We also meet Alder and revisit Irian, from the short Dragonfly. I loved seeing how the events of all the stories shaped the characters we’ve known through several books, as well as the world and the magic in it.
The end was a show more little less exciting than I’d hoped. I had to read a few scenes a second time because I was like, “Was that it?” But if it had been a showy ending, it wouldn’t have fit with the tone of the series.
I also enjoyed that not everything was tied up in a neat little bow. Obviously, this is the last Earthsea novel we’ll get, but LeGuin intended for it to be the last. I like that there are some lingering questions and the possibility of other stories, even though LeGuin isn’t around to right them. The end struck the right balance for me between resolution and open-ended. show less
I loved being back with Ged, Tenar, Tehanu, and even king Lebannen. We also meet Alder and revisit Irian, from the short Dragonfly. I loved seeing how the events of all the stories shaped the characters we’ve known through several books, as well as the world and the magic in it.
The end was a show more little less exciting than I’d hoped. I had to read a few scenes a second time because I was like, “Was that it?” But if it had been a showy ending, it wouldn’t have fit with the tone of the series.
I also enjoyed that not everything was tied up in a neat little bow. Obviously, this is the last Earthsea novel we’ll get, but LeGuin intended for it to be the last. I like that there are some lingering questions and the possibility of other stories, even though LeGuin isn’t around to right them. The end struck the right balance for me between resolution and open-ended. show less
The Other Wind closes out the Earthsea cycle perfectly, in the way that one of the wizards at describes his life as "learning to choose when their are no alternatives."
Decades after the events of Tehanu, the world is at peace, but on the cusp of some dramatic change. Dragons have been seen flying in the west, threatening human islands. The Kargs have overthrown their God-Kings and returned to a conventional warlord, who may seek peace. Lebennen is a good king, yet without wife and heir. And a sorcerer, a common mender called Alder, journeys to Gont to seek Ged's advice on the topic of his troubling dreams.
Alder dreams about his dead wife, which is common enough, but he dreams of seeing her at the wall that separates the land of the show more living from the land of the dead. He dreams that she touched him. And since then, every night the dead appear and ask him to free them, with what consequence he does not know.
The plot ambles around Earthsea, mostly around Alder and Tenar, who has been asked for advice by King Lebennen on the myriad shadows falling over his kingdom. The tone is cozy, like a favorite pair of slippers. These characters are old friends and though we feel the chill winds of change, there is a fundamental agreement to accept it.
The end of the book lurches very suddenly towards unravelling the grand mysteries of the setting: magic, dragons, true names, and crimes so old they have almost passed out of myth. The pacing is uneven, but the ride is stately, thoughtful, heartbreaking. show less
Decades after the events of Tehanu, the world is at peace, but on the cusp of some dramatic change. Dragons have been seen flying in the west, threatening human islands. The Kargs have overthrown their God-Kings and returned to a conventional warlord, who may seek peace. Lebennen is a good king, yet without wife and heir. And a sorcerer, a common mender called Alder, journeys to Gont to seek Ged's advice on the topic of his troubling dreams.
Alder dreams about his dead wife, which is common enough, but he dreams of seeing her at the wall that separates the land of the show more living from the land of the dead. He dreams that she touched him. And since then, every night the dead appear and ask him to free them, with what consequence he does not know.
The plot ambles around Earthsea, mostly around Alder and Tenar, who has been asked for advice by King Lebennen on the myriad shadows falling over his kingdom. The tone is cozy, like a favorite pair of slippers. These characters are old friends and though we feel the chill winds of change, there is a fundamental agreement to accept it.
The end of the book lurches very suddenly towards unravelling the grand mysteries of the setting: magic, dragons, true names, and crimes so old they have almost passed out of myth. The pacing is uneven, but the ride is stately, thoughtful, heartbreaking. show less
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But there is more to The Other Wind than that: Le Guin's consistency now becomes revealed as a kind of destiny, a drive towards democracy if you like, an implicit impatience with the highfalutin genealogies such bogus mythologies are compelled to recite. Marvellously, the book contains humour, which is otherwise a kind of universal acid to children's fable: if it is funny, it corrodes show more everything it touches. Here it actually works. And the real magic now is the magic of writing. show less
added by melmore
Love, too, is much more central and important than in the other Earthsea books. The loss that all lovers face, even when they are completely constant and loving, is one of the aching subjects here. In the first few pages of the novel, Ged feels “a sadness at the very heart of things,” and in fact essential loss, essential grief is the main thing that “The Other Wind” is about.... How show more to address that sadness is this novel’s question show less
added by melmore
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Author Information
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Ursula K. Le Guin was born Ursula Kroeber in Berkeley, California on October 21, 1929. She received a bachelor's degree from Radcliffe College in 1951 and a master's degree in romance literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance from Columbia University in 1952. She won a Fulbright fellowship in 1953 to study in Paris, where she met and married show more Charles Le Guin. Her first science-fiction novel, Rocannon's World, was published in 1966. Her other books included the Earthsea series, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia, The Lathe of Heaven, Four Ways to Forgiveness, and The Telling. A Wizard of Earthsea received an American Library Association Notable Book citation, a Horn Book Honor List citation, and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1979. She received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2014. She also received the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award. She also wrote books of poetry, short stories collections, collections of essays, children's books, a guide for writers, and volumes of translation including the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu and selected poems by Gabriela Mistral. She died on January 22, 2018 at the age of 88. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Other Wind
- Original title
- The Other Wind
- Alternate titles*
- Der andere Wind
- Original publication date
- 2001-09
- People/Characters
- Ged (Sparrowhawk); Tenar; Therru (Tehanu); Arren (Lebannen); Alder; Irian (show all 8); Princess Seserakh; Azver (the Master Patterner)
- Important places
- Gont; Roke; Havnor
- Epigraph
- Farther west than west
beyond the land
my people are dancing
on the other wind.
- The Song of the Woman of Kemay - First words
- Sails long and white as swan's wings carried the ship Farflyer through summer air down the bay from the Armed Cliffs toward Gont Port.
- Quotations
- "I think," Tehanu said in her soft, strange voice, "that when I die, I can breathe back the breath that made me live. I can give back to the world all that I didn't do. All that I might have been and couldn't be. All the choi... (show all)ces I didn't make. All the things I lost and spent and wasted. I can give them back to the world. To the lives that haven't been lived yet. That will be my gift back to the world that gave me the life I did live, the love I loved, the breath I breathed."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Not yet," he said.
- Blurbers
- Gaiman, Neil
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.087661
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
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- Fiction and Literature, Fantasy, Teen
- DDC/MDS
- 813.087661 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English By type Genre fiction Adventure fiction Speculative fiction Fantasy High fantasy
- LCC
- PS3562 .E42 .O84 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 1961-
- BISAC
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