Tehanu

What a disappointment! I am a big fan of the first books of the Earthsea Cycle but this one is really different from the rest.

First of all, let me assure you that I like fantasy stories with strong leading female characters. After entering the WoGF challenges, I have discovered so many of them and still counting! And I have always wondered why Le Guin, being a female writer, did not choose a heroine Ged? Obviously promoting either gender was not the point of the first books. I also understand that those books were written in different epoch.

Have you ever wondered what happened to Tenar? Well, this is her story. And it is really dark. Tenar's life has been complicated and tough. She lives alone after her husband's death and also adopts a scarred and broken child. Ged is but an old man, waiting to die. Their relationship is the real gem of the story. Unpretentious and simple, they share conversations of but a few words and try to lean on each other without hurting themselves too much.

The story explores the gender roles in the society. Tenar is not allowed to learn magic, as witches supposedly have a different kind of power and employ it in different ways. But they are not allowed to challenge the power of wizards. This is so in the world of Earthsea but is not less topical today.

It is the real story, about the real people and almost free of magic. It is made of simple every day chores, without grand adventures and that kind of stuff. I get it. It is raw and real. But is it really what we want to read? I was so disappointed, angry even at the characters accepting their fate, succumbing to the routine. The routine already surrounds us every single day. Fantasy books are a way to escape it and feed your imagination. I don't want to read about ordinary people who do nothing to change their lives. I mean, it is not fair. Ged so weakened and reduced.

The first books had plenty of magic, journeys, dragons and so on. But they were also highly allegorical. They were about the life's journey, the choices we make and their consequences, the way of accepting them and what you are. They were about the light and the darkness, and also the in-between. It was poetic, well-written and flawless. Tehanu left a sour taste in my mouth, and deep sadness.