Book 3 of the Terramar fantasy series unites life and death – 04/24/2023 – Darwin and God

From time to time I smuggle fantasy literature themes here for the blog, as you may remember, thanks to the area’s interface with mythology and history of religions. It is with great joy that I do this once again to speak about “The Last Bank”, a book that is the original conclusion of the Terramar (or Earthsea, in English) trilogy, by the late American author Ursula K. Le Guin. The book is on pre-order and hits bookstores on May 8th.

I say “original conclusion” because the stories of Terramar, a wonderful archipelago-world created by Le Guin in the 1960s, restarted after the apparent closure of “The Last Bank”. There were still three more volumes, one of them corresponding to a collection of short stories. But even so, volume 3 is one of the high points of the saga, which I already presented in a report for this Sheet.

Le Guin is unique, very difficult to classify, despite the fantasy label. In addition to being basically incapable of writing a single ugly sentence – it’s a pleasure to go through each paragraph of her narratives, with so much care poured into the text -, her set of influences is also usually unique.

The Earthsea characters live in what could be described as a Bronze Age world that doesn’t look much like Europe or the Near East as we know it. There are practically no gods on the islands that make up the world of Terramar, but the cultures created by it are permeated by a profound and impersonal religiosity at the same time, certainly a tribute to Taoism and Buddhism.

Described in a few words, the basic plot of the third book may seem cliché: the great wizard Hawkeye and the young prince Arren unite to face a threat that is devastating the very nature of reality. The core of the threat, however, shows how delicately Le Guin works his mythical and religious themes. It is the uncontainable desire to defeat death that produces the cosmic imbalance that the duo of heroes must face. The result is one of the most beautiful spiritual battles in the history of fantastic literature, centered precisely on the importance of the balance between life and death. And, of course, there are dragons — which are much more than just fire-breathing winged monsters.

One last great attraction that shouldn’t be overlooked: the delicate illustrations by Charles Vess, better known among us for the fairy tale “Stardust”, a collaboration between him and the British artist Neil Gaiman.

The Last Margem

Author Ursula K. Le Guin

Translation Heci Regina Candiani

Publishing company white hill

How much BRL 74.90;224 pages.

Assessment *****

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