The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one is my favorite of the trilogy so far. So many of these epic fantasy books focus on an adventure story about the struggle between good and evil, but this one also focuses heavily on the struggle of life, the fear of death, and how death plays a role in "the balance." It is a unique perspective and maybe a commentary on religion? In Earthsea, there is no magic without death and the afterlife has a noticeable Buddhist influence.

Of course, Earthsea might not have anything to do with Earth, but it's clear that either way, Le Guin makes an argument for the necessity of death. This argument isn't totally developed in the book which is disappointing because modern science is really seeking life-extension technologies and even cures for death (see studies on telomeres, attempts to record human consciousness in computers, along with all of Google's anti-death projects).

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