This one took me a lot longer to finish than the first two books of the series. I had forgotten that I don't like the central conflict/villain in this one quite as much. Le Guin's conception of the world of the dead is very grim, and I don't like dwelling on it. But this book also has one of my absolute favorite Earthsea passages, which is when Sparrowhawk and Arren spend time with a group of people who live year round on rafts, following the seasonal migration of whales. They celebrate the Long Dance as guests of these people and it's a beautiful and magical interlude in their often stressful journey.