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The Farthest Shore
- The Earthsea Cycle, Book 3
- Narrated by: Rob Inglis
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
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A Wizard of Earthsea
- The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1
- Written by: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Rob Inglis
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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When Sparrowhawk casts a spell that saves his village from destruction at the hands of the invading Kargs, Ogion, the Mage of Re Albi, encourages the boy to apprentice himself in the art of wizardry. So, at the age of 13, the boy receives his true name - Ged - and gives himself over to the gentle tutelage of the Master Ogion. But impatient with the slowness of his studies and infatuated with glory, Ged embarks for the Island of Roke, where the highest arts of wizardry are taught.
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Wish there had been more
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It's the eve of the 22nd century: a world where the dearly departed send postcards back from Heaven and evangelicals make scientific breakthroughs by speaking in tongues; where genetically engineered vampires solve problems intractable to baseline humans. And it's all under surveillance by an alien presence. Daniel Bruks is a field biologist in a world where biology has turned computational.
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Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, Red Mars is the first book in Kim Stanley Robinson's best-selling trilogy. Red Mars is praised by scientists for its detailed visions of future technology. It is also hailed by authors and critics for its vivid characters and dramatic conflicts.
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On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.
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A Wizard of Earthsea
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Sparrowhawk casts a spell that saves his village from destruction at the hands of the invading Kargs, Ogion, the Mage of Re Albi, encourages the boy to apprentice himself in the art of wizardry. So, at the age of 13, the boy receives his true name - Ged - and gives himself over to the gentle tutelage of the Master Ogion. But impatient with the slowness of his studies and infatuated with glory, Ged embarks for the Island of Roke, where the highest arts of wizardry are taught.
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Wish there had been more
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Echopraxia
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It's the eve of the 22nd century: a world where the dearly departed send postcards back from Heaven and evangelicals make scientific breakthroughs by speaking in tongues; where genetically engineered vampires solve problems intractable to baseline humans. And it's all under surveillance by an alien presence. Daniel Bruks is a field biologist in a world where biology has turned computational.
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Absolutely Wild!
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Overall
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Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, Red Mars is the first book in Kim Stanley Robinson's best-selling trilogy. Red Mars is praised by scientists for its detailed visions of future technology. It is also hailed by authors and critics for its vivid characters and dramatic conflicts.
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Not for me
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When a storm reveals a mysterious cave behind a waterfall, the young mystic’s apprentice and her wolf investigate. Inside, she discovers a secret place containing a pile of human bones and the young girl makes what could be a fatal mistake. In this Legends of the First Empire prequel, we witness the events that helped shape the woman who would one day become Suri the Mystic, the first Rhune Artist, and a hero to a generation
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Simmons is a complete hack
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The Great Game between Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia was fought across desolate terrain from the Caucasus to China, over the lonely passes of the Parmirs and Karakorams, in the blazing Kerman and Helmund deserts, and through the caravan towns of the old Silk Road - both powers scrambling to control access to the riches of India and the East. When play first began, the frontiers of Russia and British India lay 2000 miles apart; by the end, this distance had shrunk to 20 miles at some points.
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if only history is taught like this in school
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Publisher's Summary
Return to Earthsea with Ged, the brash young wizard who survived the enchanted labyrinth of The Tombs of Atuan. In the third episode of this brilliant fantasy saga, a much older Ged sets off on a harrowing quest for the source of a terrible darkness that is taking the magic out of Earthsea.
What the critics say
- Winner, National Book Award, 1973
What listeners say about The Farthest Shore
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Langer MD
- 2021-06-19
A Brilliant 'Earthsea' Entry
This episode in the 'Original' Earthsea Trilogy follows a more conventional quest format: Sparrowhawk enlists the young Prince Arren on a mission to discover why magic, wisdom, and empathy are leaving the world. Some well-loved aspects of the first two books are preserved (incorporating a rich Fantasy setting - islands and archipelagos populated with unique cultures, dragons, gods & evil forces; and a "coming-of-age" paradigm - exploring the maturing of a young character struggling with responsibilities), but this book also offers a simple, classic plot: find the source of evil and stop it.
Ursula K. LeGuin paces that plot nicely, displays unsurpassed imagination, and is a genuine wordsmith - not a single word is misplaced. Based on the subject matter, this book is clearly aimed at a teenaged audience, but regardless of where you're coming from, this qualifies as legitimate "Literature".
Rob Inglis reads this tale superbly. His tone, timbre, and cadence are incredible and his resonant voice makes the listener feel as though a favorite uncle is reading a bedtime story. Furthermore, Inglis' voice-acting skills are particularly notable in this book - every one of dozens of characters is instantly recognizable and brought to life. His pacing is a little slow, but it's not an overwhelming problem.. I sped the recording to 1.10X to good effect. Inglis is correctly celebrated as one of the best narrators in the business.
This is the strongest of the Earthsea cycle so far. The writing from Ursula LeGuin is beautiful, the performance from Rob Inglis is peerless, and the attention to quality standards is meticulous (it's comfortable to listen to this audiobook for hours on end). Although reading the other books in the series might help enrich the experience, this entry also has significant standalone merit (you don’t absolutely need to read the other books to enjoy this one). Taken altogether, I rate 'The Farthest Shore' 9.5 stars out of 10.
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- Jaelan
- 2020-03-10
Great third installment
Earthsea is a great series, and I was hooked the whole way through this book.
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- Nathan
- 2019-08-07
First two books were far better
Still a great book but compared to the previous two I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much and it failed to hold my attention as well. Still a good book if you enjoy "The Earthsea Cycle" though.
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- Shesophist
- 2019-05-30
feels like a more complete adventure
The first two Earthsea books were good, but felt a little incomplete. this was a longer adventure, and an enjoyable one.
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- Nothing really matters
- 2016-07-22
Best. Fantasy. Series. Ever.
Superb.
I binge-listened to all the Earthsea books on Audible. They’re that good.
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10 people found this helpful
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- giralffe
- 2018-06-12
Finale but not final
I definitely recommend reading this series as a whole, and in order. This book is far more satisfying when you've read the previous two and understand how everything -- and magic, in particular -- works in the world of Earthsea. Even though the overarching plot is about magic, nearly all the details and characters are non-magical, which somehow drew me in more. The story brought a few things full-circle, left minor things unresolved, and did a wonderful job of giving a resolution without a concrete conclusion. I felt I could daydream all day about what happened to the people of Earthsea after I was done reading, which is the best way to end a book.
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4 people found this helpful
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- G. Parish
- 2018-03-13
A slow tragedy, but well told
This book is written to a slow, almost glacial pace. It seems oddly realistic and is quite good at drawing the reader in, but eventually even the most patient reader will get bored. Having said all of that, it ends well if in a bit of tragedy. I'm left hoping that the story of Ged does not end so, especially considering his noble sacrifice.
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- Uther
- 2017-03-04
The most poignantly esoteric of fantasy writers, sailing with the full force of the mage-winds of Earthsea!
This is a wonderful work of fantasy writing by an author who has influenced many other writers in the genre, such as Terry Pratchett. This book has some wonderful esoteric passages and weaves together plots from the previous stories. The narrator, who also did the unabridged recordings of JRR Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, is the perfect choice to do this book justice - if only Rob Inglis could have been persuaded to all the books in the Earthsea Cycle!
#MythologyInspired #Fables #Inspiring #Magical #Earthsea #tagsgiving #sweepstakes
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4 people found this helpful
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- Punkrockin4220
- 2016-07-28
Hard At First. You Won't Regret It
Any additional comments?
Right off the bat I thought to myself. Did I just make a big mistake? I loved Robert Inglis in the Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit so I purchased all three Earthsea books in a row and figured they would have to be good because the Narrator was good. I was a little confused at first but she has a unique writing style that will grow on you. This is one of those books that you really can't casually listen too. You really have to pay attention otherwise you are going to be lost. After finishing all the books I purchased the last two she wrote in this series. The Other Wind and The Last Book of Earthsea. There's just something magical about this place and her writing style and the characters. I would def give it a shot but expect a more serious book rather than some laughs like Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings even. I'd still highly recommend it and don't regret listening to it.
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4 people found this helpful
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- J. Angel
- 2020-05-26
Earthsea, minus the charm of the first two volumes
I'm surprised to say that I did not really enjoy this volume of Earthsea. The book is dark, the characters fairly two dimensional, the antagonist vague and non-menacing, and the pace rather plodding until the very end.
There are some very dark themes in this book, having to do with the acceptance of death, that didn't resonate with me. Also, the story is about the loss of magic in the world. I don't know why, but this particular trope has never been my favorite kind of story. I love Fantasy, and I love magic, and I'm not much interested in a story where the magic is going away. I know it contrasts well with the usual setting by removing the fantastic and all that, but I've always found it a dreary trope.
To add to the dreariness, this story really drags along at a snails pace for the majority of the book. What I really want is a story from the perspective of Ged, who is the most interesting character in Earthsea. But like the Tombs of Atuan, we see Ged through the eyes of a different character. In this case, the new character of Arren, who falls hopelessly in love with Ged at first site (it's never made clear if this is sexual attraction or just worshipful adoration, which I think should have been addressed one way or another). For me Arrens' alternating worship / distrust of Ged doesn't make for very interesting character interactions, especially since Ged is sullen and grumpy for most of the book. There's just too much angst and mistrust in this volume. It didn't feel like Earthsea to me, and I believe it's because it lacked "charm". The first two Earthsea books were charming, while this book was bleak and almost depressing.
There were some fun moments to break up the slog. The community of rafters was interesting, and we get to see way more dragons in this volume, though they are toward the end. I did like the ending as well. The last few chapters got really interesting. Just not interesting enough to justify all the long boring chapters about sailing and ruminations on death and the nature of evil.
The prose is was as great as always, but great prose does not an entertaining story make. In this case, I found myself forcing myself to read on just to "get it over with". I'll be continuing to the next volume, Tehanu, because I know many people say it's the best book of the series, but this volume did shake my faith in the author a bit.
As always, Rob Inglis was an excellent narrator.
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- E. G. Merrill
- 2019-07-03
beautiful, profound, poetic prose, timeless wisdom
beautiful, profound, poetic prose, timeless wisdom, heart wisdom, ancient lore, fantastic alternate universe, dragons n mages n apprentices and heirs to great responsibility
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- Amazon Customer
- 2016-11-04
I see why it's a classic
Such an excellent story with very human characters and set in a fascinating world, all narrated spectacularly.
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- D
- 2011-12-19
Lovely voice
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This is my first audiobook: I bought it by accident! But a real treat in the evening to listen quietly with my eyes closed and imagine the magical world. I read the 1st book (also terrific) but this was so relaxing, even better than watching TV ( although it will take some doing to convince my husband!).
Which character – as performed by Rob Inglis – was your favorite?
Mr Inglis did all of the characters quite well-- he has a beautiful voice--but I imagined Sparrowhawk a bit younger ( but the sexiness was in there!)
Any additional comments?
Very nice experience for my first audiobook!
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Story

- Jefferson
- 2022-08-09
A Perfect Conclusion to a Great Trilogy
The concluding book of Ursula K. Le Guin’s first Earthsea Trilogy, The Farthest Shore (1972), begins with Arren, son of the prince of Enlad, gone to Roke, Isle of the Wise, there to get counsel at the famous School for Wizards for the troubles in his home island: magic is dying, joy fading, luck failing, and disease spreading. Arren is a boy not quite yet a man, not exactly a pampered prince, but thus far in his life a facile player of games. But Arren’s name means sword, and he’s descended from the legendary Morred and Elfarran, and when he meets the middle-aged Archmage Ged, the most powerful man in Earthsea, he takes “the first step out of childhood… without looking before or behind, without caution, and with nothing held in reserve,” falling in (hero-worship) love with the Archmage. And when, “awkward, radiant, obedient,” he offers his service to Ged, we sense that some important destiny has been set in motion for the long-kingless archipelago.
Because the disturbing situation on Arren’s home island has been occurring throughout Earthsea, Ged decides to take the youth on a voyage to seek the cause of the draining of the magic from life and world. Told from the point of view of Arren (as A Wizard of Earthsea is told from that of Ged and The Tombs of Atuan from that of Tenar), The Farthest Shore becomes an increasingly metaphysical sea-road story, as Ged and Arren visit a series of islands (including a trade island, a craft island, a hostile island, a raft island, and a remote island) in their attempt to locate the source of what’s wrong with Earthsea.
For the reader, Arren is a perfect travel companion for Ged, being eager, brave, and ignorant--providing opportunities for the older man to dispense Le Guin’s gnomic wisdom, about balance and imbalance, being and doing, life and death, good and evil, nature and humanity, and more, as in the following exchange:
“Nature is not unnatural. This is not a righting of the balance but an upsetting of it. There is only one creature who can do that.”
“A man,” Arren said, tentative.
“We men.”
“How?”
“By an unmeasured desire for life.”
“For life? But it isn’t wrong to want to live?”
“No. But when we crave power over life—endless wealth, unassailable safety, immortality—then desire becomes greed. And if knowledge allies itself to that greed, then comes evil. Then the balance of the world is swayed, and ruin weighs heavy in the scale.”
Such stern lessons wax poetic and bracing:
“To refuse death is to refuse life”
“Lebannen, this is. And thou art. There is no safety, and there is no end. The word must be heard in silence; there must be darkness to see the stars. The dance is always danced above the hollow place, above the terrible abyss.’”
“That there is only one power that is real and worth the having. And that is the power, not to take, but to accept.”
And Arren learns: “I have given my love to what is worthy of love. Is that not the kingdom and the unperishing spring?”
The pair’s journey is not easy. There are dangers: slavers, madmen, drugs, dragons, and above all, the tall man in Arren’s dreams, the king of shadows, the great enemy standing in the dark and beckoning with a pearl of light. There are devastating developments, as when Arren becomes estranged from Ged, or when Ged realizes that something he did when younger is responsible for the current draining of magic and life from Earthsea. Set in the dry land across the wall, the last chapters comprise a harrowing sequence. Arren poignantly becomes the leader and Ged the follower: “I use your love as a man burns a candle, to light his way. And we must go on.” The climactic “boss” confrontation is less surprising than that in A Wizard of Earthsea but is just as sublime and more shocking in its ramifications (developed in Tehanu: The Fourth Book of Earthsea).
As the first novel in the trilogy is about accepting our light and dark parts so that we may mature and live good lives, and the second is about choosing the light and life rather than the dark and death, this third one is about being fully aware of life and death and accepting both. Moreover, because the releasing of Ged’s shadow into Earthsea in A Wizard of Earthsea and the opening of the hole in Earthsea in The Farthest Shore both derive from Ged’s having acted in anger and vanity, the third novel bookends the first, and by extending the effects of such ill actions from Ged’s self to his world, it perfectly concludes the original trilogy, which as a whole expresses the idea that our actions influence our lives and world in unexpected ways.
Despite being a quest novel, The Farthest Shore demonstrates that being is superior to doing and that even young people—who have much to do and must learn from their mistakes and should achieve big things—should understand that fully aware being is the “greater kingdom.” Or “Dragons do not do. They are.” The book also says that life is wonderful because it ends, that the price we pay for life is death, “That selfhood which is our torment, and our treasure, and our humanity, does not endure. It changes; it is gone, a wave on the sea,” and that we have sufficient immortality in being part of the natural cycles of the world.
The audiobook reader, Rob Inglis, is prime, but I can’t help but feel that he’s reading The Lord of the Rings, with, for instance, Ged talking like Gandalf, and I wish that they’d found an equally fine American reader for the book, like George Guidall or Jonathan Davis.
Like all of the Earthsea books, this one is marked by concise, vivid, poetic prose, with each word and each sentence being just right, like this:
“The living splendor that was revealed about them in the silent, desolate land, as if by a power of enchantment surpassing any other, in every blade of the wind-bowed grass, every shadow, every stone. So when one stands in a cherished place for the last time before a voyage without return, he sees it all whole, and real, and dear, as he has never seen it before and never will see it again.”
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