The Plot of The Other Wind-The Dead and the Living, the Dragons and the Humans.

             Le Guin's greatest work is undoubtedly her Earthsea Cycle. The last book of the Earthsea Cycle is entitled The Other Wind. The Other Wind tells the tale of Alder, an ordinary conjurer of the land who specializes in fixing the broken pots and repairing the fence lines of Earthsea. When Alder's wife, Lily, dies and he cannot mend his beloved spouse's health or, ultimately her life, he begins to dream of the wall between the land of the living and the land of the dead being dismantled. He both hopes and fears this means the dead will invade Earthsea, as their spirits beg Alder to 'set us free.' Thus, the book, although a work of science fiction set in land where magicians are as common as electricians and plumbers, they are still concerned with such ordinary aspects of life as death, life, and grief, and how these aspects of individual life are mirrored in larger societal conflicts. "If there were a central metaphor to describe Le Guin's life and work, it might be the interplay of individual and society." (Sanders, entry on "Ursula Le Guin," The St. James' Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, 2002).

             As the narrative of The Other Sea progresses, the reader is introduced one of the great heroes of Earthsea, named Ged, once Archmage of Earthsea. He sends the troubled Alder to King Lebannen. The protagonists also learn that dragons of Earthsea, which for centuries have kept their promise to abide in their western lands, have suddenly begun moving east, burning farms and cropland. Alder and King Lebannen learn they must join with one of the women burned by these attacks, a wizard of forbidden lore, and a being that is woman and dragon both to save Earthsea in a spirit of mutual cooperation. .

             From leading restful, almost ordinary lives, the King and Alder are thrust into conflict that tears them apart, inside and out. The conflict of the book addresses their relationships with the dead, as well as living beings with one another and the natural environment.