The Farthest Shore
core novel 1972 Earthsea Cycle
Record
| First published | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.13 (130,868 ratings, collected 2026-09-11) |
| Page count | 259 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780689300547 |
Synopsis
The Farthest Shore follows Archmage Ged, now the most powerful wizard in Earthsea, as he investigates a mysterious crisis spreading across the archipelago in which magic itself is losing its power: spells fail, songs and names are being forgotten, and people and animals alike are sickening or falling into apathy and madness. Accompanied by Arren, a young prince from the island of Enlad who has come to Roke seeking help, Ged sets out from the school of wizards and travels southward across a series of increasingly troubled islands, seeking the source of the calamity. As their journey takes them further from the ordered world of Roke and deeper into unfamiliar waters, Ged relies on Arren's loyalty and courage while trying to determine what force could be unraveling the very balance of magic and death that holds Earthsea together.
Where it sits
- Universe: Earthsea Cycle
- Series: Earthsea Cycle core; position 3 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Awards (verified)
- National Book Award (Children's Books), 1973: won
Notes
- From the series record (Earthsea Cycle): Six-book cycle (5 novels + 1 collection), 1968-2001.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Earthsea Cycle: position 3 of 6: previous The Tombs of Atuan (1971) · next Tehanu (1990)
Sources
← Earthsea Cycle dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.