Earthsea miniseiries! - never read the books

[Mystery Man]

I've been a fantasy/science fiction fan since well, forever. But for some reason I've never read the Earthsea series.
I'm looking forward to the mini series though. Should I read the books before hand? Anyone else excited to sea this coming up on TV?

 

[Desdichado]

For whatever reason I've never read them either. I picked them up once in high school, and oddly enough I just couldn't get past the first few pages; then they were due again at the library and that was that.

And back then, I read pretty much everything that was in front of me.

I still have this nagging feel that I've been missing something, though.

 

[Umbran]

I read them a very long time ago. Long enough that though I liked them then, perhaps my tastes have changed...

In general, I find that if you haven't read a book, and a movie or TV series comes out, it is best to wait until after I've seen the movie to read the book. Rarely are media adaptations as good as the original, so you don't get disappointed. And you get to step up in quality from the TV or movie to the book.

 

[Wombat]

I'm an Ursula LeGuin junky

I loved the Earthsea books (although it took me a while to warm to Tombs of Atuan). I love most of her sci fi books (though oddly not The Dispossessed, which won several awards).

My suggestion? If you haven't read the books yet, just watch the miniseries. Afterwards read the books, if you liked the series. Reading the books this close to watching the miniseries will probably lead to disappointment, on one side or the other. So give the show a try. What have you got to lose?

 

[Joshua Randall]

If you do read the books, look for the original published versions. I've heard that LeGuin went back later and retro-fitted some militant feminist crap into Earthsea, which sounds dreadful.

 

[Mystery Man]

I too feel that I may have missed out. But back when I first started reading fantasy scifi female writers were strange to me. I couldn't imagine them being any good. Wierd. Broke out of that several years ago but just never got around to her.

I will see the show before reading now.

Militant feminist crap?

 

[Wombat]

If you do read the books, look for the original published versions. I've heard that LeGuin went back later and retro-fitted some militant feminist crap into Earthsea, which sounds dreadful.

The three original books are unchanged.

Later books have a slightly more feminist tone, but, compared to some of the other junk out there, I'll stick to Le Guin

 

[Olive]

I'd respond Joshua, but I'd be being political... sufice to say, if you have a political opinion, this board isn't the place to share it. After all, some of us might be millitant feminists.

Anyway, as Wombat says, the books are unchanged. Tenahu, the book you're probably referig to, has a more feminist tne, but that's not the problem. The problem is that it's not very good. The Other Wind, which comes afterards, is excellent, but would make no sense if you haven't read Tenahu. So read them both, as it's worth it to get to the Other Wind.

If you you want a feel for the setting without ruining the series, maybe read the recent short story collection called, I think, Tales of Eathsea. Soem of it won't make a heap of sense as it involves characters from the series, but mostly it will and they are truly excellent.

 

[kingamy]

I've always felt that there was something wrong with me: I didn't enjoy Earthsea all that much.

I read them because I knew I *had* to (how could I call myself a fan if I didn't read all the Masters?), but didn't like them. I re-read them several years later, assuming that I was in a foul mood or ill or something. Still didn't like them.

kingamy

 

[The Serge]

Yeah... I read the original trilogy about seven years ago or so. Like someone else said, it's a "classic" among fantasy fans, so I think of it as an almost must read in the "canon" of fantastic, speculative fiction. The first and third books of the triology are the best, IMO. However, if you're expecting something "huge" and "epic," you probably won't find it in these books.