The Farthest Shore

What Hacker News says

1. fmajidAug 2023
   I’d say The Farthest Shore is not a “children’s book” either, nor arguably The Tombs of Atuan.
   thread
2. 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.

   Show morethread
3. er4hnAug 2022
   “When I was young, I had to choose between the life of being and the life of doing. And I leapt at the latter like a trout to a fly. But each deed you do, each act, binds you to itself and to its consequences, and makes you act again and yet again. Then very seldom do you come upon a space, a time like this, between act and act, when you may stop and simply be. Or wonder who, after all, you are.”

   ― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore

   Show morethread
4. da4c30ffApr 2021
   I don't have an ADHD diagnosis but clearly have some of the typical symptoms.

   My brain is constantly in an obsessive state, meaning that I get an obsession about something and my brain just focuses on that single topic for some variable amount of time (days, weeks, months) until I get a new obsession. I'm quite unable to think (or do) anything else during that time.

   Last November I experienced something that I have not experienced before. My mind was at peace. I had no obsession for at least two weeks. It felt amazing, I was so content.

   I started to read Wizard of Earthsea, which I finished few days later. Then I read Tombs of Atuan in a few days as well. I read The Farthest Shore about halfway before my brain rebooted into its usual obsessive state. This was the most I'd read in almost 10 years!

   I wish I could experience that peace of mind once again.

   Show morethread
5. PostPostDec 2018
   Sorry for the wall of text.

   1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)

   2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)

   3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)

   4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)

   5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days

   6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics

   7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)

   8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)

   9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)

   10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)

   11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)

   12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)

   13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)

   14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space, the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)

   15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)

   16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)

   17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, Ivory Tower philosophizing)

   18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)

   19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)

   20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)

   21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)

   22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)

   23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)

   24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)

   25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on "hackernews")

   26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)

   27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)

   28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)

   29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)

   30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)

   31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)

   32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)

   33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)

   34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)

   35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)

   36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)

   37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)

   38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)

   39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)

   40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)

   41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)

   42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)

   43. Blind Spot

   44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)

   45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)

   46. Zero to One

   47. You'll grow out of it

   48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)

   49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's early days)

   50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)

   51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)

   52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)

   Show morethread
6. zarkov99Jan 2018
   Definitely up there with Tolkien and much better than RR Martin.

   “When I was young, I had to choose between the life of being and the life of doing. And I leapt at the latter like a trout to a fly. But each deed you do, each act, binds you to itself and to its consequences, and makes you act again and yet again. Then very seldom do you come upon a space, a time like this, between act and act, when you may stop and simply be. Or wonder who, after all, you are.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore

   Show morethread