To answer questions about
Tehanu,
please sign up.
Rupert
No.
It is book four in a series, and it very definitely does build on the others.
This book would be a spoiler for the other three in a serious way
It is book four in a series, and it very definitely does build on the others.
This book would be a spoiler for the other three in a serious way
Neil Murray
I just started reading it myself, not knowing it was part of a series till I just checked here, so, yes, I don't think it would do any harm to read this first. No big spoilers are apparent (at least I don't think so), and it scans as a stand alone just fine.
Verity Ritchie
I would read Tombs of Atuan first, then Tehanu. The rest can be skipped, though they also add a lot to Tehanu's mythology if you want it.
Lauren Wilson
I can see this has already been answered, but I would say no, don't read this first. Both main characters have their character arcs in the 3 previous books, and the book picks up where the 3rd book ended. This book builds on those others, and will not mean nearly as much without the context of the other books.
Dan'l
This is absolutely not the place to begin. That said, if you start here and are left wondering what it's about, you really will need to go back to learn who Ged and Tenar are, in A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan, and then read The Farthest Shore to learn what Ged has done with the power he had.
And then, to learn why things in Earthsea are as they are and not otherwise, follow up with Tales of Earthsea. What becomes of Therru - and Tenar, and Ged, and all the Archipelago and the Reaches and the Kargad Lands, one can finish with The Other Wind.
But Tehanu is by far the hardest, least comforting, most disturbing book in all the Earthsea cycle. and I find it as difficult to imagine as a stand-alone as the second act of a three-act play.
And then, to learn why things in Earthsea are as they are and not otherwise, follow up with Tales of Earthsea. What becomes of Therru - and Tenar, and Ged, and all the Archipelago and the Reaches and the Kargad Lands, one can finish with The Other Wind.
But Tehanu is by far the hardest, least comforting, most disturbing book in all the Earthsea cycle. and I find it as difficult to imagine as a stand-alone as the second act of a three-act play.
Colin Lamont
Please don't skip tombs of atuan.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more