Each book is different in terms of themes. It's hard to compare them for that reason, and even harder to say if someone will like one but not the other. Just give it a try, read a few pages, check out the free sample.
Ngl I’m in a similar situation to OP and this would be my primary reason for reading the third book.
To someone unenthusiastic about series it’s not a very exciting reason, hence I’ve been in that boat for about a year and a half now
You don't read book 3 to get to 4, you read book 3 because it's a great book with a lot of pathos!
I'm just saying you shouldn't stop at 3 =) I didn't read book 4 until many years after 3 because I was afraid it'd ruin the beautiful image I had of the trilogy- I don't want others to make that mistake!
I seem to be in the minority in this sub as I'm not as enthusiastic about Earthsea as others but for me it was like this (and all of these are of course just personal opinions):
\- Book 1 was OK. Not bad at all, but also not the awesome book others make it out to be. I felt it kind of rushed in some places and IIRC there were one or two events that Le Guin made happen off-screen that I would have liked to see included in the story.
\- Like you, I liked Book 2 much better.
\- Book 3 was more like book 1, I think.
\- Book 4 was a borefest.
I read them a good 20 years ago; the other 2 were just being published but I was unaware of that so I never read them.
I plan to reread the entire saga sometime soon as I now have all the Earthsea material. I suspect that I will be able to relate to *Tehanu* better since one of its main themes is getting old (and as much as I wish it weren't so, I'm getting old(er) myself! 😂). I still don't expect it to become my favorite book.
I should say that I'm primarily a plot reader and that plot probably isn't Le Guin's main focus. Those who are more interested in character development probably have a leg up in terms of enjoyment of Earthsea.
So, while Earthsea isn't the most thrilling series in my book and I found *Tehanu* just plain boring, I'm happy to read it again and am looking forward to the parts that are new to me. And quite frankly, after over two decades, I've probably forgotten so much of the details that the books might be interesting again.
I didn’t care for the first one either. The way it was written felt kinda formal, or archaic, not sure how else to put it. How was the second one different?
I thought the first one was okay. I’d say the first one felt more like an adventure.
The second one doesn’t feel like an adventure. It takes place in a new part of the world and is told from the prospective of a different character. The world building, character growth and character interactions really shine.
The third book is (imo) the lowlight of the series, but it's my favorite series of all time and I think it's a really fun romp. Closer to the first than the second honestly, but a little deeper and darker, and you'll certainly feel the weight of everything a bunch more, which by your very limited description means you might like it more. Then the fourth book is very divisive (slow, deep, and heavy rather than fast, fun, and simply happy) but I think it's absolutely amazing, and the fifth (a story collection) and the sixth are fantastic as well. Basically, the whole second half of the series is better than the whole first half in my opinion, and the second book is the highlight of the first half. But it's definitely up to you.
Each book is different in terms of themes. It's hard to compare them for that reason, and even harder to say if someone will like one but not the other. Just give it a try, read a few pages, check out the free sample.
You better read the third book so you can read the fourth book, dangit
Ngl I’m in a similar situation to OP and this would be my primary reason for reading the third book. To someone unenthusiastic about series it’s not a very exciting reason, hence I’ve been in that boat for about a year and a half now
You don't read book 3 to get to 4, you read book 3 because it's a great book with a lot of pathos! I'm just saying you shouldn't stop at 3 =) I didn't read book 4 until many years after 3 because I was afraid it'd ruin the beautiful image I had of the trilogy- I don't want others to make that mistake!
I seem to be in the minority in this sub as I'm not as enthusiastic about Earthsea as others but for me it was like this (and all of these are of course just personal opinions): \- Book 1 was OK. Not bad at all, but also not the awesome book others make it out to be. I felt it kind of rushed in some places and IIRC there were one or two events that Le Guin made happen off-screen that I would have liked to see included in the story. \- Like you, I liked Book 2 much better. \- Book 3 was more like book 1, I think. \- Book 4 was a borefest. I read them a good 20 years ago; the other 2 were just being published but I was unaware of that so I never read them. I plan to reread the entire saga sometime soon as I now have all the Earthsea material. I suspect that I will be able to relate to *Tehanu* better since one of its main themes is getting old (and as much as I wish it weren't so, I'm getting old(er) myself! 😂). I still don't expect it to become my favorite book. I should say that I'm primarily a plot reader and that plot probably isn't Le Guin's main focus. Those who are more interested in character development probably have a leg up in terms of enjoyment of Earthsea. So, while Earthsea isn't the most thrilling series in my book and I found *Tehanu* just plain boring, I'm happy to read it again and am looking forward to the parts that are new to me. And quite frankly, after over two decades, I've probably forgotten so much of the details that the books might be interesting again.
I didn’t care for the first one either. The way it was written felt kinda formal, or archaic, not sure how else to put it. How was the second one different?
I thought the first one was okay. I’d say the first one felt more like an adventure. The second one doesn’t feel like an adventure. It takes place in a new part of the world and is told from the prospective of a different character. The world building, character growth and character interactions really shine.
The third book is (imo) the lowlight of the series, but it's my favorite series of all time and I think it's a really fun romp. Closer to the first than the second honestly, but a little deeper and darker, and you'll certainly feel the weight of everything a bunch more, which by your very limited description means you might like it more. Then the fourth book is very divisive (slow, deep, and heavy rather than fast, fun, and simply happy) but I think it's absolutely amazing, and the fifth (a story collection) and the sixth are fantastic as well. Basically, the whole second half of the series is better than the whole first half in my opinion, and the second book is the highlight of the first half. But it's definitely up to you.