The Bones of the Earth

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Hugo nominated "The Bones of the Earth" is a tale of the relationship between apprentice and teacher, and of ultimate sacrifice. Set in Le Guin's beloved Earthsea universe. In the story, a profound relationship develops between apprentice Silence and his wizard teacher, Dulse. In Silence's thoughts, Dulse discovers more about himself. Readers hungry for tales of great wizards and the return of Le Guin's characters will find satisfaction in this work. [This work is part of a print collection.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Science Fiction, High Fantasy, Classics, Science Fiction Fantasy

Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2003

About the author

Ursula K. Le Guin published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. She lived in Portland, Oregon.

She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.

Reviews

[Mary Katerine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so sad and for what 😭😭😭

[Lila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems Goodreads didn't save some of my reviews, so I'll keep this here as a reminder next time I'm reading this (as I tend to re-read religiously).

[Ruri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Narrates the story of Ogion and his teacher...I don't know why it wasn't so important to me. It's well-written of course, but as regards content, I find The Finder and Darkrose and Diamon much more interesting.

[Ricardo Carvalho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosto de como a Ursula aborda a magia: de forma extremamente prática, com palavras e ritos que podem ser conjurados, mesmo que sejam ritos ocultos, antigos e obscuros. Tolkien não tem essa abordagem, pois quando ele fala dos feitiços dos magos, usa palavras como "ele fez feitiços e encantarias para proteger os baús." A abordagem da Ursula faz a magia parecer muito mais sensível.

[Omar Amat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short story, it works as an upgrade on a previous short story, one can tell this was written much later in Le Guins life, she packs a lot for such a short story.

[Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Included in Tales from Earthsea this Hugo Nominated story is about Silence (Ogion) and his master, Dulse, whom he helps to deal with an earthquake. Dulse is a very interesting character. Powerful, rebellious and cranky in equal measure. Probably the last wizard to have learned "complete" magic, as it turns out he's not just Roke trained, but was also taught other arts by Ard, his master who happens to be female. The climax of the story is moving and majestic, and is then inter-cut with little observations (the chickens) that make you feel how much his little house is actually a Home.

[Jesse Field · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wizard battle, included in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteenth Annual Collection. I just don't see the appeal of the genre; interesting that so much fantasy is a fail with me. Further analysis needed.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very short story captured my imagination. I thought it was wonderful!

[Tabish Khan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short story of a wizard apprentice and his master. Read this before diving into the Earthsea books themselves and it's a warm up. A decent read that has me interested in the wider world now.

[Astrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Etain · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite story from tales of earhsea so far. The deep dark "Unknown" of women's magic is the most costly and powerful of them all

[Rahel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? I love the little house in Re Albi with all my heart, so I was very happy to be able to revisit it once more. It was very nice to hear a bit about Ogion's past and to know that even in Earthsea, people get annoyed if they suddenly have to install wooden floors.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like all other Le Guin, this was a fantastic book. I've loved her Earthsea series, and this fits very well in it, while telling a story from a slightly different perspective. As in all other Le Guin as well, the deep aspects of human relationships are explored here, as well as a unique and powerful take on the connection between person and nature. This short story wouldn't make as much sense if you haven't read any of the other Earthsea stories, but I think it's rich and valuable even on its own.

[Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Listening is a rare gift, and men will have their heroes."