Gollancz The Tombs of Atuan: The Second Book of Earthsea

　「ゲド戦記」の第2話。第1話はSparrowhawk、Gedのè¦-点から書かれていたが、ã"の物語の主役は、アチュアンのå¢"ã‚'守るpriestess、Arha（本å½"の名前はTenar）というå°'女。彼女は、The　Nameless　Onesというé-‡ã®åŠ›ã«ä»•ãˆã¦ã€äººç"Ÿã‚'過ã"ã-てきた。自分の本å½"の名前も捨て、地下のå...‰ã®å...¨ããªã„é-‡ã®ä¸-界が彼女の領域だった。そã"に隠されていた、ErrethーAkbeの指輪ã‚'ç›-みに、Gedがやってくる。（だから、Gedが登å 'するまでだいぶかかる。）彼女は、Gedã‚'ä¾µå...¥è€...とã-て殺さなくてはならないのだが、Gedが運ã‚"でき「å...‰ã€ã‚'忘れる事ができない。　å...‰ã¨é-‡ã®å¯¾æ±ºã¨ã„う構造は、第ï¼'話のゲドの影との戦いと根本的に通じている。今回のGedは、落着いた、賢い、知恵に溢れたwizardという感じで、1話のちょっとwildで、å¥"æ"¾ãªã¨ã"ろがあったGedとはéš!!åˆ†é•ã†ã‚ˆã†ã«æ€ã‚ã‚ŒãŸã€‚　感動的なのは、真実に目ã‚'é-‰ã-された魂はé-‡ã‚‚å...‰ã‚'信じず、å...‰ã‚'知っているものだã'がé-‡ã‚'恐れ、その力ã‚'知っている、というとã"ろ。「沈黙の中に言è'‰ã‚りき」という言è'‰ã«ã‚るように、2つの相反する、対立するものã‚'Gedのように知り尽くã-たものだã'が、勝利ã‚'å¾-られるという点は、ã"のEarthseaの物語の中の最も重要なメッセージだと思う。　Earthseaの物語の最も大きなé­...力は、そのé"徳的メッセージのわかりやすさゆえのスケールの大きさだと思うが、今回もそれが存分に楽ã-める。

Product review, not a book review! This was new to me - I knew Gollancz had collaborated with the late Sir Terry Pratchett to produce affordable hardbacks of the Discworld novels. This appears to be a continuation of the same format with Ursula K Le Guins Earthsea cycle - certainly they don't look out of place side by side on the shelf.Just a minor niggle - I ordered all four of the Earthsea quartet in this format, of these all came with easy-peel price stickers on the reverse, apart from The Toms of Atuan, whose sticker was not easy peel, leaving a sticky residue that wasn't easy to remove (any chemical that removes glue will also remove dye from the absorbant cloth cover) - this is the best I could do removing it. I really don't understand why Gollancz thought it would be a good idea to apply stickers to a cloth cover.

One of the best books ever written on this or any genre. Gentle, simple and deep. Life transforming.

In a genre dominated by 800+ page tomes, this book was a refreshing and delightful read. Ursula Le Guin is a master of flowing, lyrical prose. The book is relatively brief, but chock full of all the elements that are required for a great fantasy story. She accomplishes this feat by keeping things simple and uncluttered. She doesn't need an appendix to list all the characters and their relation to one another. Her world is well-realized, her characters well-fleshed out, and the story captures you from the first pages. Take a break from the massive tales of Jordan and Martin et al. (not that there's anything wrong with them) and read an author whose writing is as magical as her story.

An excellent read - great fun, and for the genre an exciting and compelling story. Le Guin is clearly channeling Tolkien and Lewis (these books were written in the '60s), and lays much of the groundwork for current writers like Nix and Rowling. She also expertly matches a vaguely mythical subtext with juicy cliffhangers and some nice set pieces (underground labyrinths etc.).A great holiday read. And not a wand in sight (thank goodness - if any of the characters had uttered those fateful words "Wands out!" I'd have thrown the book out the window).