The stories in the fifth book of the Earthsea cycle take us back into the world introduced in the previous four volumes.
The first story is set several hundred years before A Wizard of Earthsea, at the time when the School of Wizards on Roke was founded.
We then learn the story of an aspiring young mage who falls in love. Will he accept the loveless life required of a wizard, or follow his heart?
Another tale tells of the wizards who taught Ogion, Ged’s master, showing how humility and restraint can even stand against an earthquake.
Next, a mysterious healer is called to confront an epidemic in an isolated village. The journey concludes with a story that effectively serves as an epilogue to the fourth volume, Tehanu.
The collection ends with an overview of Earthsea’s history, its peoples, languages, literature, and magic.
Anyone who has loved the world created by the great writer Ursula K. Le Guin will want to read this, quite literally, magical collection of stories.
