Listened to the audiobook with Jenny Sterlin – well-read.

Usually I am a big fan of shorter form fiction: I love shorter stories that focus on ideas, on showing different sides of a character, or that really build a world.

I think Tales from Earthsea tries to be the latter – the final ‘story’ in the book is even a very explicit reference section on the history and cultures of Earthsea. But perhaps somewhat surprisingly, while I enjoyed Tales from Earthsea fine, I don’t think it added that much to the worldbuilding Le Guin already did in the previous instalments of the series.

I got the feeling that Tales from Earthsea was three or four Earthsea-novels condensed into one book, just with the stories told in fewer words. Usually I am a big fan of efficiently telling stories. In this case, however, I felt like some tales would have benefited from just a little more time to let the characters grow on me. As it was, the stories moved just a little too quickly for me to ever really be invested the way I was in, for example, Tehanu.

I think this is telling on what makes The Earthsea Cycle great for me: it is the characters in emotionally moving stories against a backdrop of interesting but ultimately very simple worldbuilding that draws me in, not the depth or details of Earthsea itself.

Having said all that, Tales from Earthsea does include a number of moving stories and learning about the history of the school of magic on Roke island is lovely. The collection of stories also continues the feminist theme that Le Guin put at the heart of Tehanu.

The honest truth is that while Tales from Earthsea is a fine book, it felt a bit like a stepping stone between Tehanu and the The Other Wind for me, a quick stop in between the rest of The Earthsea Cycle that Le Guin almost seems to have written for herself more than for the reader.

Still, armed with the knowledge that I have now, I am more than curious to dig into the final instalment of the Cycle, and learn about the final episode in Ged’s and Tenar’s life!