Earthsea Series #3

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Darkness Threatens to overtake Earthsea. As the world and its wizards are losing their magic, Ged -- powerful Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord -- embarks on a sailing journey with highborn young prince, Arren. They travel far beyond the realm of death to discover the cause of these evil disturbances and to restore magic to a land desperately thirsty for it.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS

International Bookray along with books 1 and 2 in the Earthsea Cycle

Members:

1. kz4ufo (USA-Ship Us/Canada)
   
2. BigrTex (Texas, USA- Ship US only)
   
3. KarenZero (New York, USA - Ship US/Canada)
   
4. lilygirl (USA - Ship US only)
   
5. Luintaurien (USA - Ship Int)<---- Being Read by
   
6. asterw (Greece - Ship Int)
   
7. Maristy (Mora, Sweden - Prefers to ship within Europe)
   
8. billhookbabe (UK - Ship Int.)
   
9. Charlieboots76 (Bournemouth, Dorset UK - Ship Int, surface)
   
10. Melanie2474(Narrabundah, Australia - Ship Australia Only)
    
11. stetar (Australia - Ship Int)
    
12. (Kolkata, West Bengal India - Prefers to ship within India but will ship Int.)
    
13. Flagund (Israel) - No Int ship

Bookray instructions (Copied from catsalive):

As this is a set of 3 books keep them all together and ship as a set during the bookray. Each book is under 200 pages.

1. SIGN UP for this bookray by sending me a Private Message. Order of participants will be juggled between geography, date of request and shipping limitations. Late additions may be added to the end of the list.
2. When the person before you on the list finishes reading the books, they will send you a Private Message for your postal address. If your bookring pile is just too big or no longer wish to read them, let them (and me!) know and I will move you down/off the list.
3. WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE BOOKS please make a journal entry for each book so everyone knows it has safely arrived. Bookrays should NOT be stressful, take your time and enjoy the book. Just make sure it gets mailed on to the next person.
4. WHEN YOU FINISH EACH BOOK, make another journal entry telling us what you thought - did you like it? Did you think it was well-written?
5. CONTINUE THE BOOKRAY by sending a Private Message to the person after you on the bookray list and request their postal address. Please check back here for the latest distribution list. If the person doesn't respond within 7-10 days (use your judgement), please PM the next person, and then me, so I can update the bookray list.
6. END OF THE RAY, The last person on the ray could try and continue the ray or just give/mail the book to someone else who might like to read it, an RABCK perhaps, look at cliff1976.com wish list web site or release it into the wild.

A note about shipping:

As this is a bookray and the book will not return to me it does not matter how long it takes this book to make its way from person to person. So I would insist that when shipping this book please use the most inexpensive shipping method available to you, ESPECIALLY when shipping this book internationally.

In the mail to kz4ufo, first leg of its bookray journey

I am thrilled to start on the first book of this series tonight. Thank you so much for starting this Book Ray, efs300!

The ideal place to read a book in south Florida.

Finished Book #3 late this morning. Overall, a wonderful trilogy to read!

Thanks again for starting this Book Ray, efs300!

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing off to the next person in the Ray via Media Mail w/Delivery Confirmation. Thank you so much for starting this Book Ray, efs300!

These books arrived yesterday. I've started reading A Wizard of Earthsea already, and will provide journal entries for each as I finish them.

This was where the story was headed. A beautiful conclusion to the trilogy. Looking back, we needed something between book 1 and book 3. Today that could have been 2 or 3 books or just one long novel with 4-5 sections; At the time this was written it was a trilogy. However, I still don't think the middle book was right. It should also have been an adventure of Ged from Ged's viewpoint, instead of trying to do a trilogy of coming-of-age stories with Ged included in them all.

I enjoyed not only the return to Ged's viewpoint, but the return to adventure and travel, hints of foresight, magic, balance and dragons. I also enjoyed some of the philosophical ideas that were presented in this novel. In my first journal entry for A Wizard of Earthsea, I included a quote that I received from a mailing list,

"You thought, as a boy, that a mage is one who can do anything. So I thought, once. So did we all. And the truth is that as a man's real power grows and his knowledge widens, ever the way he can follow grows narrower: until at least he chooses nothing, but does only and wholly what he must do."

In this book, LeGuin returns to these ideas and her idea of balance in ways that make me want to reread this book with a highlighter.

My copy of The Last Unicorn ranks it with The Hobbit, this trilogy, and the Narnia books as 'true classics of fantasy'. In my opinion this book puts this trilogy ahead of the first two and even with Narnia for being beautiful, readable, classics of the genre.

Thank you very much efs300 for organizing this bookray. I have KarenZero's address, and will be sending them off tomorrow morning.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to KarenZero, next in line.

Enjoy!

Will read ASAP!

Finished the final book in the series! I enjoyed this one, but I do think I most enjoyed the first book in the series, followed by the second, and then this one in third place. I am interested in hearing what other people think!

I am so glad to have read these books. Thanks, efs300, for sharing!

I now have lilygirl's address so I will be sending them on to her today.

10/05/05: swamped at work so I haven't been able to send them off, but I set aside time for the post office tomorrow. My apologies again for having these so long!

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to lilygirl. Thanks for sharing the books efs300!!

Received them today & and will start reading at work tonight!

Got it today. Thank you. Will read and pass on ASAP.