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The Farthest Shore

The Earthsea Cycle, Book 3

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The Farthest Shore

Written by: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: Rob Inglis
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About this listen

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.

©1972 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)1994 Recorded Books, LLC Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Magic

What the critics say

  • Winner, National Book Award, 1973
All stars
Most Relevant
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.

A Brilliant 'Earthsea' Entry

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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.

First two books were far better

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Earthsea is a great series, and I was hooked the whole way through this book.

Great third installment

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The first two Earthsea books were good, but felt a little incomplete. this was a longer adventure, and an enjoyable one.

feels like a more complete adventure

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