It's fascinating to see the follow-up to A Wizard of Earthsea tackle so many opposite topics and themes as compared to the first--instead of sweeping adventure, the majority of action takes place in one setting, instead of a boy being humbled and coming to terms with who he really is, a girl who has always known who she is has to break free of those same assumptions--and yet still comes to the same conclusions about the light in the human spirit overcoming all odds, sooner or later.