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The Complete Earthsea Series & The Left Hand of Darkness cover art

The Complete Earthsea Series & The Left Hand of Darkness

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: full cast, Toby Jones, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Lesley Sharp, Adjoa Andoh, Noma Dumezweni, Robert Glenister, James McArdle, Sam Dale
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Summary

The dazzling BBC Radio adaptations of Ursula K. Le Guin's famous fantasy saga and her groundbreaking science fiction masterpiece - plus bonus material.

Ursula K. Le Guin was one of the most revered and influential writers of the 20th century. Her Earthsea books have sold millions of copies and been translated into numerous languages, while her trailblazing novel The Left Hand of Darkness was a landmark in feminist science fiction and ranks among the greatest SF novels of all time. This BBC collection brings together the magical radio retellings of both these seminal classics.

Set on an immense archipelago where magic is a part of life, Earthsea tells the stories of Ged, a young, reckless wizard, and Tenar, taken from her home as a child to become Arha, guardian priestess of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. Meeting for the first time deep within the tombs, their destinies become intertwined, and they unite to bring peace to their troubled world. Years later, their paths have diverged - but when Ged returns to Tenar's island on a dragon's back, they are caught up in an epic battle for the future of Earthsea itself. Starring James McArdle, Shaun Dooley and Robert Glenister as Ged, and Aysha Kala, Vineeta Rishi and Nina Wadia as Tenar with Toby Jones and Noma Dumezweni.

The Left Hand of Darkness takes place on an alien world in the grip of an Ice Age. Genly Ai has been sent from Earth on a mission to persuade Gethen to join a planetary union, the Ekumen. But his task is fraught with difficulty. For this is a world whose people have no fixed gender, and Genly's encounters with the natives are marked by mutual incomprehension and mistrust. In coming to terms with their otherness and their sameness Genly must let go of his fixed ideas about identity and embark on a dangerous journey across the snow plains with his only ally, First Minister Estraven. The stakes are high to save a world from war. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith stars as Genly, with Lesley Sharp as Estraven.

Also included Ursula Le Guin at 85, in which novelist Naomi Alderman interviews Le Guin, with contributions from Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell and Karen Joy Fowler.

Production credits:

Written by Ursula K.Le Guin. Adapted by Judith Adams.

Earthsea

Ged - James McArdle/Shaun Dooley/Robert Glenister, Tenar - Aysha Kala/Vineeta Rishi/Nina Wadia, Young Ged - Kasper Hilton-Hille, Young Tenar - Nishi Malde, Ogion - Paul Hilton/Michael Bertenshaw, Manan - Zubin Varla, Cob - Toby Jones, Nilgu - Noma Dumezweni

Other cast: Souad Faress, David Hounslow, Adam Thomas-Wright, Mark Edel-Hunt, Jessica Turner, Lucy Hutchinson, Stephen Critchlow, Sam Dale, Ayesha Antoine, Richard Linnell, Jack Kane, David Acton, Chris Pavlo, Will Featherstone, Jude Akudwudike, Laura Elphinstone, Rosie Boore, Elizabeth Counsell, John Lightbody, Ryan Early, Stephen Hogan, Sean Murray, Emma Handy, Lauren Cornelius, Kerry Gooderson, Ryan Whittle, Steven Robertson, Joseph Ayre, Narinder Samra, Tom Vanson, Sabrina Sandhu.

Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko. Original music by Jon Nicholls. Sound design by Caleb Knightley.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 27th April-5th May 2015 (Series 1), 15th-22nd October 2018 (Series 2).

The Left Hand of Darkness

Genly Ai - Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Estraven - Lesley Sharp, Argaven - Toby Jones

Other cast: Louise Brealey, Noma Dumezweni, Ruth Gemmell, Adjoa Andoh, Stephen Critchlow, David Acton, David Hounslow, Rhiannon Neads, Sam Dale, Ayesha Antoine.

Directed by Allegra McIlroy. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12-19 April 2015 

Ursula Le Guin at 85

Presented by Naomi Alderman. With Ursula K. Le Guin, David Mitchell, Neil Gaiman and Karen Joy Fowler. Reader: Ayesha Antoine.

Produced by Allegra McIlroy. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9th April 2015.

©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

What listeners say about The Complete Earthsea Series & The Left Hand of Darkness

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    4 out of 5 stars

Adaptation is a travesty...

The way in which these novels have been adapted drains all meaning out of the narrative. I am a great fan of the Earth sea books, but they need to be presented as they were written, not have two stories chopped up and merged. Shockingly bad adaptation of excellent material

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12 people found this helpful

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A big disappointment

I never read the original books but they are a favourite of my daughter and they are an acknowledged classic of the fantasy genre. I was very disappointed with this adaptation, I didn't warm to the characters and the story didn't engage me it was all a bit flat. I guess that trying to fit it into the the half hour radio adaptation format meant too much was missed out. I couldn't even listen to the left hand of darkness it was so poor.

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7 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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This is not the Earthsea Series

Be warned this is not some incredible bargain. I repeat it is not the complete Earthsea Series but rather some hodgepodge reimagining of the Earthsea novels, constructed by mashing together various bits from each novel. Very angry and disappointed that I wasted my monthly credit on this. You have been warned!

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5 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing adaptation

This is a highly abridged adaptation that misses so much of the story that in parts it almost doesn’t make sense. It’s ok as a stand alone production. But not if you want to hear the full Earthsea story. Wish could refund it!

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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I really wanted to love it, but I cant

if you have never read the books multiple times since childhood, then this is a good flavour of the universe, but the jumping backwards and forwards, the butchering or omissions of entire sections I remember just doesn't work. The voice acting and production are good and the music is excellent, but for me this damages the Earthsea world in a way I doubt Ursula Le Guin would have appreciated.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Didn't grab me.

I felt it was abridged to the point of being little more than a summary of a good story. I gave up after chapter 3.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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more of a radio play than an audio book.

great audio play but was hoping for more of a direct reading of the book so feel I missed some of the nuances. enjoyed the interview at the end

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Ruins some of the best storytelling

these are awkwardly framed annotated messes of Le Guins work and not at all what I wanted.

The interview with Ursula is entertaining, Left Hand is clunky but serviceable and Earthsea is here as well. If I'd got to this fast enough to return it I would and instead get the far better unabridged AWizard of Earthsea but unless you want a well acted horrible mess of the Earthsea Tales I would go for the unabridged recordings and let the original writing shine

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Beautifully performed

The audiobooks for Earthsea I tried but found the narration not very compelling. I love this. It's wonderful.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A Welcome story

You really feel the story, I will go on to read more of her work.

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