The Tombs of Atuan

The Second Book of Earthsea

By: Ursula K. Le Guin

Narrated by: Aysha Kala

In this second novel in the Earthsea series, Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, and everything is taken from her - home, family, possessions, even her name. She is now known only as Arha, the Eaten One, and guards the shadowy, labyrinthine Tombs of Atuan.

Then a wizard, Ged Sparrowhawk, comes to steal the tombs' greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. Tenar's duty is to protect the ring, but Ged possesses the light of magic and tales of a world that Tenar has never known. Will Tenar risk everything to escape from the darkness that has become her domain?

©1970 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking." (Neil Gaiman)

"Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it." (David Mitchell)

One of the greatest Fantasy Stories written.

Fantasy lovers must have read/listened to this book series. A typical heroic story of a wizard from young and naive to wise and powerful.

Great how here the series takes a different perspective and tells the story of another character who takes an enormously important role.

Highly recommend this version, the narrator gives the story a wonderful sparkle and interpretation.

Love the story, narrator not so much!

Why oh why give Ged a kind of London accent and the voice of a young adolescent?? No no no, so inappropriate. No dignity and richness of experience and power in the thin voice and so-wrong-for-the-story accent. What a poor choice to give Ged that voice and accent - absolutely nothing in the story justifies it. So dumb. And sad because it completely fails to convey Ged’s power. And though as Tenar and the narrator Aysha Kala is ok, mostly, she’s certainly not great.

Loved it

Great great book in its own right and as part of the Earthsea trilogy.
Much better than I remembered it, the narrator does a fantastic job bringing the main character to life with all her feelings and woes.
Ged is great as well of course, very believable as a real wizard, not all mighty like in other series.
The worl building is great, Earthsea is so believable and real.

Good narration. Even better story.

Wonderful foundational piece of fantasy fiction. Amazingly simple and clear prose, moving themes, and complex characters.

Enjoyable book 2 of series.

The narrator was good for Aha but as the original Male narrator for Ged was not used in this book it never quite felt the same as her female voice couldn’t match the great narrative for Ged as in Book 1. I understand Later books switch back to the original narrator which I look forward to.

I did know this before buying it, and although it would’ve been better with Ged narrated by him it was not ruinous. Still a good story and takes me on towards Book 3.