The Tombs of Atuan

1 About this book

The Tombs of Atuan is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in the Winter 1970 issue of Worlds of Fantasy magazine, and published as a book by Atheneum Books in 1971. It is the second book in the Earthsea series after A Wizard of Earthsea (1969). The Tombs of Atuan was a Newbery Honor Book in 1972.

Set in the fictional world of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan follows the story of Tenar, a young girl born in the Kargish empire, who is taken while still a child to be the high priestess to the "Nameless Ones" at the Tombs of Atuan. Her existence at the Tombs is a lonely one, deepened by the isolation of being the highest ranking priestess. Her world is disrupted by the arrival of Ged, the protagonist of A Wizard of Earthsea, who seeks to steal the half of a talisman that is buried in the treasury of the Tombs. Tenar traps him in the labyrinth under the Tombs, but she then rebels against her teaching and keeps him alive.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: fantasy, adventure, and magic.

• Magic
• Magic in fiction
• Fantasy
• Adventure
• Science fiction
• Wizards
• Children's stories
• Wizards in fiction