I read and reviewed each of the three volumes collected here separately, so this is basically just for my own records. The rating is an average of the individual ratings. The Tombs of Atuan, the second book in the series, got five stars from me. I think it's outstanding. I've read it a number of times, and each time it's as effective as the last. And how much do I love Le Guin's use of brevity, both in her uncluttered prose and in the length of her novels? If only more fantasy writers took her approach...

On the other hand, both A Wizard of Earthsea and The Farthest Shore only got three stars each from me. While I can admire the prose and the setting, Ged bores me to death and always has done. I cannot, and have never, warmed to him or even to Arren. I just don't give a damn about what happens to either of them, and that is a problem. In fact I'd go as far as to say that one of the great achievements of Tombs is that Tenar manages to make Ged a tiny bit more interesting than usual, and that is frankly a heroic effort on her part.