The second installment of the Earthsea series, I enjoyed this book about as much as A Wizard of Earthsea. Le Guin puts a lot of effort into fleshing out the world of Earthsea, but unlike other fantasy worlds, she’s doing it through the eyes of her characters rather than through exposition or lore dumps.

Ged, the protagonist of book one, and Arha, the protagonist of this book, grew up in completely different circumstances. They see the same world and same events through their own differing and often conflicting perspectives. While it may sound disorienting, the overall world feels even more coherent and real for it.