The Farthest Shore (Earthsea, Volume 3)

by Ursula K. Le Guin

mass market paperback, 197 pages

English language

Published Nov. 3, 1980 by Bantam.

ISBN:: 978-0-553-13766-8
OCLC Number:: 475764302

(148 reviews)

A young prince joins forces with a master wizard on a journey to discover a cause and remedy for the loss of magic in Earthsea. Darkness Threatens to overtake Earthsea. As the world and its wizards are losing their magic, Ged -- powerful Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord -- embarks on a sailing journey with highborn young prince, Arren. They travel far beyond the realm of death to discover the cause of these evil disturbances and to restore magic to a land desperately thirsty for it.

41 editions

Peter reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

So Arren spoke, fiercely and with command. He had been overawed and frightened too much, he had been filled up with fear, and he had got sick of it and would not have it anymore. He was angry with the dragon for its brute strength and size, its unjust advantage. He had seen death, he had tasted death, and no threat had power over him.

The story starts slowly but soon turns into what is absolutely the most philosophically rich entry in the Earthsea series so far (as I read them in order), beautifully written in Ursula Le Guin's unrivaled eloquence. Every page contains a passage that in most books would be one of the most insightful quotes. The trials I am personally facing right now made the hero's journey in this book speak to my core on a level that I have not experienced before. Neil Gaiman got it …

So Arren spoke, fiercely and with command. He had been overawed and frightened too much, he had been filled up with fear, and he had got sick of it and would not have it anymore. He was angry with the dragon for its brute strength and size, its unjust advantage. He had seen death, he had tasted death, and no threat had power over him.

janson reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

So sparing with every word choice, yet soaring in the depths of world and emotion. Le Guin is a master.

Zéro Janvier reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

The Farthest Shore

4 stars

"The Farthest Shore" est le troisième tome du cycle Earthsea d'Ursula K. Le Guin, également connu en français sous le nom de cycle de Terremer.

On y retrouve à nouveau Ged, le héros du premier tome et personnage secondaire du deuxième, désormais vieillissant et Archimage. Il est cette fois accompagné dans sa quête par Arren, un jeune prince. Leur but ? Découvrir pourquoi la magie disparait peu à peu des îles d’Earthsea.

Leur voyage les mènera dans le sud et l’ouest de l’archipel, à la rencontre de peuples que nous n’avions pas encore eu l’occasion de découvrir jusque là. Personnellement, j’ai une tendresse particulière pour le peuple des mers. On retrouve également avec plaisir des dragons, souvent cités mais rarement aperçus dans les romans précédents, hormis une scène marquante du premier.

A travers les aventures du vieux mage et de son jeune compagnon, Ursula K. Le Guin nous parle de …

"The Farthest Shore" est le troisième tome du cycle Earthsea d'Ursula K. Le Guin, également connu en français sous le nom de cycle de Terremer.

A travers les aventures du vieux mage et de son jeune compagnon, Ursula K. Le Guin nous parle de la mort et du rapport des êtres humains à cette issue qui peut être terrifiante et malgré tout inévitable. Encore une fois, le récit peut sembler très classique mais révèle une réelle profondeur au lecteur prêt à l’accueillir. Le tout dans un style fin et poétique auquel l’autrice nous avait déjà habitué dans les deux premiers tomes.

Ce roman met fin à la trilogie originale d’Earthsea, publiée au tournant des années 1960 et 1970. Je vais désormais poursuivre mon voyage dans l’archipel avec les trois tomes suivants, publiés dans les années 1990 et 2000.

V171 reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I actually found this to be the weakest book of the trilogy. For the first two books, while I didn't love the flowery, yet dry writing style, I found the story to be interesting and cohesive for each. This one I found to be quite disjointed and poorly paced. I didn't really end up loving the characters, and I found the climax to be extremely underwhelming.

As for the series as a whole.. listen, I didn't walk into this expecting to love it. I love Le Guin as an author, primarily from her science fiction works (more specifically her Hainish Cycle books). I find her commentary to be expertly crafted and timeless. She is always just so correct about everything, and it is even more impressive to think that she was writing these extremely popular yet controversial books in the 1970's. She's an icon. Which is why I wanted to read these books, to really get a sense of her progression as an author. I wanted to see how her writing style evolved and improved, and I certainly got to see that.

The Earthsea books are quintessential classic fantasy. Largely inaccessible, dense writing without a lot of character voice. But at least they're very short. The did what they sought to do. I'm actually really looking forward to picking up the next book, Tehanu, as it was published much later when I believe Le Guin really solidified her writing style. Here's hoping!

Shiyana reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The best in the series so far. There was such a beauty and tenderness tot he relationships and it felt liek I was learning valuable life lessons in a non-preachy way. I don't know how else to explain this, but I think this is one of those books that changes your life for the better, including broadening and deepening compassion and perspective on life. I am a better person for reading this.

loppear reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 3)' on Goodreads

4 stars

The world-at-risk arc continues now to conflict over appearing vs doing, fearing to act and fearing death.

lijadora reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Where the previous installments were easy reads I had a little more difficulty parsing this one. It can have been my mood, but I didn't find the story as compelling.

Still a decently entertaining read, though.

arkadione reviewed The farthest shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea cycle -- bk. 3)

Review of 'The farthest shore' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

blog.arkadi.one/the-farthest-shore-by-ursula-k

CuriousLibrarian reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I loved this book, the series and Sparrowhawk. These books are gems. I’ll definitely reread.

Nikko reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A great thematic exploration of mortality, capitalism, and coming of age, Le Guin once again at her best.

Kattas reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I think I liked this novel more than Tombs of Atuan, but again the ending feels almost anticlimactic. Maybe I've just been spoiled for fantasy that is not about action by writers like Jim Butcher and Seanan McGuire. Le Guin writes metaphors more than stories; everything has a meaning. It makes the stories progress more like philosophical arguments at times, which certainly does not diminish my appreciation, but it certainly forces me to read slowly, and with less enthusiasm than I tend to approach most fantasy/SF.

franksbooks reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Oh Ye who think you know people, Read and learn. 😍

Sharyl reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Great story, and particularly liked the ending.

Steen Christiansen reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The third in the series returns to focus more on Sparrowhawk but focalized through a young nobleman rather than Sparrowhawk himself. As such, it is interesting to see yet another perspective on Sparrowhawk. More dedicated, more driven, and yet bigger stakes makes The Farthest Shore a surreal experience at times. The force of the novel comes in the way we finally learn more about the dragons of Earthsea. As always, Le Guin's tale is one of ambition driven too far.

Azuaron reviewed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #3)

Review of 'The Farthest Shore' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I have a confession to make: I've never been able to get into Le Guin's books. I've read The Left Hand of Darkness and the Earthsea trilogy, and there's something to the voice that I find dry and intolerable, like an anthropologist clinically describing observed events. Under this voice, even the most exciting scene is relayed in the monotonous drone of a professor lecturing ungrateful freshman. The Farthest Shore has the additional problem of the apparent main character, Arren, having little-to-no agency for 95% of the book, the plot being driven by Ged and the Other.

Which is a shame, because, otherwise, these books are amazing.

Outside of Doctor Who, it's difficult to find stories where violence does not solve all of your problems. I just reviewed Wolves of the Calla, solution: gunslinger violence. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, solution: violence against androids, then feel bad about it. The Slow Regard of Silent Things, solution: make soap (this might be one of the reasons why I liked this book as well). Cloud Atlas, solution: violence of every genre. Star Wars, solution: lightsaber violence.

You get the picture.

In The Farthest Shore, violence is never the ultimate the solution. Sacrifice, life, balance, mercy, wisdom, these are the answers. Some quick violence in the service of protection may be necessary, but never as punishment or revenge, and always as a small piece of a greater solution. When I think of books I want my daughter to read as she grows up, Le Guin's sit far ahead of King's, or even Sanderson's (who's been my favorite author for a long while now). I just wish I could get into them myself.

One might argue that, ultimately, in Return of the Jedi the solution was mercy, given that Luke won by showing mercy to Vader, but one would be forgetting that this mercy was not the final solution; Vader throwing the Emperor down a conveniently placed reactor shaft holds that honor. And Lando blowing up the Death Star. And Han blowing up the shield generator. And Admiral Akbar fighting off the Imperial navy. And, ultimately, you have to consider the Endor holocaust. My point is, the solution was violence on a massive scale, likely killing billions living on the Death Star alone.