Tombs of Atuan

Tombs of Atuan
by Ursula LaGuin

So, I had heard of the earthsea series and decided that I wanted to read some for myself. I grabbed a few and tried to figure out the chronology, but with very little luck. Tombs of Atuan, which I thought was the first, turned out to be the second and there was a lot of confusing things in it, that would have been clearer had I read A Wizard of Earthsea first.

The style was clear and consice, though a bit older styled than other books. Still, the settings and charcters were described very well and the author's ability with words was definetly not lacking. However, even though style was well crafted, it was teh plot itself which was a bit unsettling.
Style: 4 out of 5 stars

There is a lot of whichcraft, neopaganistic themes, and satanic rituals that are perfomered by teh main character throughout the story. The emphesis is on darkness and evil, and teh ancient powers of the eath. However, this is also a redemption story. The whole point is that a girl who was raised in all this evil, meets a man who comes from the light and lights up the dark places, both literally and psychologicaly, and her having to decide which path she will follow.
Plot: 3 out of 5 stars

A warning to the reader though, the end is not satisfying at all. It ends well, but its not really the end. The main character comes back in the fourth book as an important charcter again. However, this is still too dark to be considered a childrens book, or even a middle school age book. In the end, I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Its okay, but I wouldn't recomend it.

Oh, and a minor sidenote, I went and read the next book, The Farthest Shore. It was, in style and plot good, but in content it was terrible. Especially if your a Christian that believes: communicating with the spirits of the dead, homosexuality, and drug use, are all wrong.

Until my next review/ chapter post/ poem thingy/ history lesson/ whatever.

JdeM