Tehanu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
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| Author | Ursula K. Le Guin |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Earthsea |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Atheneum Books |
| Released | 1990 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-689-31595-3 |
| Preceded by | The Farthest Shore |
| Followed by | Tales from Earthsea |
Tehanu was the fourth of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1990.
[edit] Plot summary
Tehanu is set almost immediately after the conclusion of The Farthest Shore but was written many years later. It centers around the adoption of the were-dragon Tehanu by the ex-priestess Tenar, who after her arrival on Gont married a farmer called Flint. Flint and Tenar had two children, Apple and Spark, who in this book have become adults. Tenar is quite lonely and as uncertain of her own identity as ever. She adopts Tehanu after the child is injured by fire. Later, Ged the Archmage arrives on the island, his knowledge of Wizardry defunct. He joins the community of Gontish villagers and ultimately marries Tenar.
Le Guin's interest in and awareness of gender issues has grown in the intervening years, as can be seen in her book Always Coming Home. Tehanu revisits the world of Earthsea with this more mature sensibility and explores questions such as why women can't be wizards, why some men think they are superior to women, and what happens to heroes after their quests are over. A further theme in Tehanu is Ged's transition from a man of 'doing' and action, to a man of generally passive 'being'. Magic has a much smaller role in this book than in the previous ones.
Tenar, the heroine of The Tombs of Atuan, is a major character in Tehanu, as is Ged, the hero of A Wizard of Earthsea.
The style of Tehanu is the sparser, more poetic style of Le Guin's later writing, and the book may be more difficult than the first three Earthsea books for younger readers.
Tehanu was originally subtitled The Last Book of Earthsea, but Le Guin has admitted that she was premature in making that claim, and has continued the series in Tales from Earthsea and The Other Wind.
[edit] External links
- Earthsea series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
| Preceded by The Healer's War by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough |
Nebula Award for Best Novel 1990 |
Succeeded by Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick |
