Tales from Earthsea

What Hacker News says

1. bluquarkMay 2021
   I found the sudden transition to a pessimistic, depressing tone in Earthsea #4 hard to swallow as well. The criticism of the wizards' arrogance in #4 was indeed overdue but the whiplash was too intense for me.

   I strongly recommend #5 (Tales from Earthsea) though, it integrates the new ideas of #4 but more in tune with the original atmosphere of the world. And the plot doesn't depend on having read any of the previous books.

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2. kejApr 2024
   You may already know this, but just in case, Tehanu is no longer the last Earthsea book. It is followed by the collection Tales From Earthsea and then The Other Wind.
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3. MrJohzApr 2024
   I know about Tales From Earthsea but decided I didn't need to read additional sort stories set in the same world. I didn't know about The Other Wind, thanks for letting me know!
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4. kejApr 2024
   The stories in Tales From Earthsea are a lot closer to Tehanu than they are to the earlier books, for what that's worth. I get it if they're just not your thing, though; life is short and there's only so much time to read.
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5. creerAug 2023
   I loved these books precisely because they were a refreshing look at fantasy. But yes that makes them completely different reading and there's no problem with not liking them. They are not about plot, they are about the emotions of the characters and the mood of the landscape. And I find these extremely emotional to read because of how much they engage us into the emotions and surroundings of the characters. Also really, the mage has found a direction where not doing anything or much is the way. That doesn't help on plot :-) I loved that the books powerfully evoke the emotions of stages of life:

   A Wizard of Earthsea, the young wizard

   The Tombs of Atuan, the adventure (not about the adventure but about the wizard)

   The Farthest Shore, mage at the end of failing magic

   Tehanu, retirement, ex-wizard, reconciliation

   Tales from Earthsea, short stories of wizards in the field

   The Other Wind, more retirement, old wizards, settling accounts

   And considering how long apart they are written, I marvel at how well they keep to this effort on emotion and mood.

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6. kjellJan 2018
   Tales from Earthsea gives a lot of context to the realm and introduces an important character in the plot of The Other Wind. I took it to be the fifth book in the series with TOW #6.
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