A review by imaginary_space
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"since I was writing about the people, who in most societies have not been given much power - women - it seemed perfectly plausible to place my heroine in a situation that led her to question the nature and value of power itself."

With The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin takes a very different approach from A Wizard of Earthsea, offering a novel that is more atmospheric, more about mood and setting than plot. While this may not appeal to everyone, I absolutely loved it. The book is drenched in an eerie, almost suffocating atmosphere, full of quiet suspense and mystery. The world is no less rich than in the first book, but this time, it’s focused on a single, isolated setting—one that carries an almost tangible weight of history and tradition. I also appreciated how this book takes us to an entirely different part of Earthsea.

"What she had begun to learn was the weight of liberty. Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it."

Where A Wizard of Earthsea was a story of personal growth and self-discovery, The Tombs of Atuan is a story about power—who holds it, who gives it, how it can be taken, and what it even means. It is also a story about the slow, painful journey toward freedom, and the burden that comes with it. Our protagonist Tenar is intentionally passive, a stark contrast to Ged in Wizard. She is introduced as Arha, "The Eaten One," a title that strips her of identity, making her a vessel for something greater than herself. Le Guin has spoken about how, at the time, she couldn't give her female protagonist the same freedoms as a male hero because that wouldn’t have been true to reality. This makes Tenar’s journey all the more compelling.

"I could put a girl at the heart of my story, but I couldn't give her a man's freedom, or chances equal to a man's chances. She couldn't be a hero in the hero-tale sense. Not even in a fantasy? No. Because to me, fantasy isn't wishful thinking, but a way of reflecting, and reflecting on reality."

One of the strongest aspects of this novel is the dynamic between the characters. Le Guin is always masterful at showing rather than telling, and this book is no exception. While Wizard had long stretches of Ged alone, learning through introspection, Tombs teaches us about the world and the intricate power structures of the priesthood through interactions. The relationships between Tenar and those around her—Thar, Kossil, her nameless servant—are fascinating and I had fun always trying to read between the lines. My favorite dynamic was probably between Arha and Thar/Kossil, but I found the most interesting to be between Arha and her servant.
And of course, it was nice to see Ged again. His presence in this story is different—he’s not the young, reckless boy we followed before, but someone calmer and wiser.

The setting itself is one of my favorite aspects. I absolutely loved the eerie, claustrophobic environment of the Tombs, with its sense of thinly veiled hopelessness. One scene that stood out in particular was when Arha entered the Undertomb for the first time. I enjoyed the way Le Guin describes the oppressive darkness, the strange sensations, and Kossil’s unnerving behavior.

Overall, The Tombs of Atuan feels more mature than A Wizard of Earthsea, and maybe that’s why I liked it more. The creeping suspense, the mystery surrounding the Tombs, and the complex power struggles make it a fascinating and rewarding read.

"The Earth is beautiful, and bright, and kindly, but that is not all. The Earth is also terrible, and dark, and cruel. The rabbit shrieks dying in the green meadows. The mountains clench their great hands full of hidden fire. There are sharks in the sea, and there is cruelty in men's eyes. And where men worship these things and abase themselves before them, there evil breeds; there places are made in the world where darkness gathers, places given over wholly to the Ones whom we call Nameless, the ancient and holy Powers of the Earth before the Light, the powers of the dark, of ruin, of madness."