The Tombs of Atuan
When young Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, everything is taken away – her home, family, possessions, even her name. For she is now Arha, the Eaten One, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan.
While she is learning her way through the dark labyrinth, a young wizard, Ged, comes to steal the Tombs' greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. But Ged also brings with him the light of magic, and together, he and Tenar must escape from the darkness that has become her domain.
National Book Award Nominee for Children's Books (1972); Newbery Honor (1972); Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee (1972)
About the Earthsea Series
Books in series order
- 1.A Wizard of Earthsea(1968)
- 2.The Tombs of Atuan(1970)
- 3.The Farthest Shore(1972)
- 4.Tehanu(1990)
- 5.The Other Wind(2001)
- 6.Tales from Earthsea(2001)
Reading age: 10+ years
This series should be read in order.
A mystical fantasy saga in the tradition of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, the Earthsea novels follow the fortunes of the wizard Ged from his childhood to an age where magic is giving way to evil.
As a child, Ged is but a goatherd on the island of Gont when he comes by his strange powers over nature. Sent to the School of Wizards on Roke, he learns the true way of magic and proves himself a powerful magician. And it is as the Archmage Sparrowhawk that he helps the High Priestess Tenar escape the labyrinth of darkness. But over the years, Ged witnesses true magic and the ancient ways submit to the forces of evil and death. Will he too succumb, or can he hold them back?
Fans of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series will find much to admire in this complex and captivating predecessor.