Review: The Tombs of Atuan

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin is a high fantasy novel that's not my usual genre. That being said, I didn't mind it.

Le Guin's novel is part of a series called The Earthsea Cycle. I'd be willing to read the other books in the series as this one wasn't too shabby.

The story takes place in Atuan, where the main character, Tenar, has been selected as a baby to be the next High Priestess of the Tombs. Following a ritual as old as time, she is stripped of her name, and the life she could have had as she was born the night the former priestess passed, a sort of reincarnation, or rebirth. She then becomes known as Arha, or the Eaten One. Bestowed upon her is the duty to be the guardian of the tombs of Atuan, the highest duty there is.

Into her teens years, while passing through her undertomb domain, a place where darkness reigns supreme, she sees that someone is breaking protocol, and has lit up part of the cavern. This leads to Tenar discovering a Mage named Ged, and together, they find the greatest treasure ever lost: the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. Tenar discovers that there is a life outside of darkness, where she doesn't have to be a slave to the tombs.

The Tombs of Atuan is a young adult novel that was mandatory reading for my Children's Lit course, and though it had an air of simplicity about it, it was engaging and kept my interest. I finished it within a matter of hours (spread out over two days), but then, it was only 180 pages long.

If high fantasy is your genre, you'd likely enjoy this book.