Tehanu Earthsea 04

Winner of the 1990 Nebula Award.

In my eyes, Tehanu is the tale of a family being woven together. We are reintroduced to Tenar, and are given a glimpse into what her life has been like since the escape from Atuan. She and Ged become parental figures to a mysterious injured child, and are brought closer together for it. This is a story of all levels of love and hardship that bring communities together during times of chaos. Recommended By Rin S., Powells.com

Years before, they had escaped together from the sinister Tombs of Atuan -- she, an isolated young priestess, he, a powerful wizard. Now she is a farmer's widow, having chosen for herself the simple pleasures of an ordinary life. And he is a broken old man, mourning the powers lost to him not by choice. andlt;BRandgt; A lifetime ago, they helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Now they must join forces again, to help another -- the physically and emotionally scarred child whose own destiny remains to be revealed. andlt;BRandgt; With millions of copies sold, andlt;bandgt;Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycleandlt;/bandgt; has earned a treasured place on the shelves of fantasy lovers everywhere. Complex, innovative, and deeply moral, this quintessential fantasy sequence has been compared with the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and has helped make Le Guin one of the most distinguished fantasy and science fiction writers of all time. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

"A major novel by a major novelist....The astonishing clearsightedness of Tehanu is in its recognition of the necessary and life-giving contributions of female magic — sometimes disguised as domesticity." Robin McKinley, The New York Times Book Review

"A tale with the universality and dignity of legend....Consummately imagined....A grand conclusion to a revered cycle." Kirkus Reviews

"In a tale that takes as its theme the nature of a woman's place and power, the Archmage, Ged, has returned to Gont stripped of his powers. Tenar, the heroine of The Tombs of Atuan and now a widow, is raising a disfigured and abused child who clearly has an unusual destiny in store. A beautiful expression of mature love; a thoughtful, brilliant achievement." Horn Book

"Tenar's struggle to protect and nurture a defenseless child and Ged's slow recovery make painful but thrilling reading. Sharply defined characterizations give rich resonance to Tehanu's themes of aging, feminism, and child abuse as well as its emotional chords of grief and loss. Tehanu is a heartbreaking farewell to a world that is passing, and is full of tantalizing hints of the new world to come. Fans of the Earthsea trilogy will be deeply moved." Publishers Weekly

Ursula K. Le Guin was born in 1929 in Berkeley, California. She has written more than a hundred short stories. Among her honors are a National Book Award, five Hugo and five Nebula awards, the Kafka Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Portland, Oregon.