Preview of The Farthest Shore Summary:

In The Farthest Shore, the last novel in Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy, the mythical world of Earthsea is threatened with annihilation. All the arts and crafts of human life are slipping into decay; people are losing the will to live and to create. Foremost among the eroding powers is the master power of magic.

The arch-mage of the school of wizards, Ged, sets out with Arren, a young prince destined to rule Earthsea, to discover what is happening to their world and prevent its destruction. They eventually discover that the cause of the "unmaking" of their world is the wizard Cob, whose fear of death is so strong that he would destroy Earthsea to preserve his own life. On their search, they encounter pirates, prophets, and dragons.

Le Guin has created a double adventure story centered on the problem of death. While the magician Ged and Prince Arren...