Casey lent me Ursula K LeGuin’s Tehanu, one of the books from The Earthsea Trilogy-turned-cycle. I’ve always been attracted to science fiction, but rarely fantasy (although they both fall under the clumsy term “speculative fiction”). However, the Earthsea Trilogy engaged me the whole way through.
Tehanu was written many years after the original trilogy, and is a very different type of book. Where the other books tell of adventures, Tehanu is much more reflective and conversational on the world the characters inhabit. Still fantastic, but fantastic in the way that the real world is already fantastic.
The world of Earthsea is infused with the power of words; it’s appropriate that while reading I recorded words that I didn’t know how to use well. (For example, I understand the word “ire”, but wouldn’t use it myself because I know there was more of an implication than just “anger”.) Below are the words and definitions, mostly as a reference for myself, but maybe you’d like one as well.
Definitions from Princeton Wordnet (I think)
ire
anger: a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
wrath: belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong (personified as one of the deadly sins)
Usage: “the witch accepted her due with unending ire”
wheedle
influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
usage: “a wheedling kindness”
gnomic
relating to or containing gnomes
This definition is a little disappointing. I thought it would be more explicitly about the earth rather than just about gnomes.
sagacity
the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations
exigency
a pressing or urgent situation
Usage: “the indifference of a man towards the exigencies that rule a woman”
larder
a supply of food especially for a household
Usage: “living off his larder”
calumny
noun: a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone’s words or actions
Usage: “casting calumny and lies”
candor
fairness: ability to make judgments free from discrimination or dishonesty
rebuke
an act or expression of criticism and censure
auspice
a favorable omen
Usage: “and it sounds as if all auspices and events were fortunate”
diffident
showing modest reserve
Usage: “he said it in a diffident way”