A Wizard of Earthsea
Book - 1968
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9781439526446
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Age
Add Age Suitabilitypink_butterfly_5661 thinks this title is suitable for 8 years and over
blue_butterfly_4102 thinks this title is suitable for 10 years and over
Orange_Horse_142003 thinks this title is suitable for 10 years and over
Summary
Add a SummaryThis is the original boy goes to wizard school. Our young hero Sparrowhawk will let his pride get himself in trouble, and will need to undertake a great journey of self discovery to hopefully get himself out again.
Ged is a prentice wizard who is sent to the isle of Roke to learn his craft with others like him (starts just like Harry Potter). However a spell goes wrong and he is haunted thereafter by his own dark shadow. Ged learns to confront it instead of running, and in doing so he is freed from the evil that tormented him. Loved this book! Very atmospheric and lyrical. There are no armies and bloodshed; the fight is inward instead of against others.
Quotes
Add a Quote". . . knowing his whole true self, cannot be used or possessed by any power other than himself, and whose life therefore is lived for life's sake and never in the service of ruin, or pain, or hatred, or the dark."
Comment
Add a CommentExcellent work of fantasy/fiction. Well paced with good character development. A good read -
First part in the 6-book "Earthsea" cycle. R.I.P. Ursula K. Le Guin.
And Old-school fantasy style series of a wizard and his coming of age adventures and trials. Good read for adolescents getting into YA who enjoy fantasy and dragons.
Much fun, looking forward to the later volumes -
I'm not quite sure why, but I just didn't like A Wizard of Earthsea. I wanted to. I love fantasy! And some of my favorite fantasy authors wrote in the mid-twentieth century. Nevertheless, I just couldn't get into this book. Perhaps it was my expectations (which so often ruin things). I knew the book was highly regarded and that Ursula LeGuin is considered a masterful writer. And yet I STILL did not love this book. I didn't even like it. I guess, in the end, I thought it was really esoteric and, as a result, unrelatable. I just couldn't get into it. For instance, where the heck are the female characters? It was like LeGuin was a man writing in the 14th century, omitting women almost entirely except for ugly references to straying and corrupted sorceresses (Serret at the Court of Terrenon) or extremely brief ones of piffling significance (Yarrow, the young sister of Ged's friend, Vetch). [Later on in the library--I have wikipedia-ed the book and alas! I think I understand my confusion. The book reflects LeGuin's belief in Taoism. While I resonated with elements of the story, I was ultimately flummoxed by her cosmology.]
I don't remember if I read this as a kid or teen but I just read it now at age 27 and really enjoyed it. The story is well-written and the world-building is great. It was a bit slow in the beginning but then got fast-paced with new things happening pretty quickly. I liked the whole idea of the sea with hundreds of islands and boats as the main way to travel. The map is pretty detailed and I kept referencing it. If you like old-school fantasy, you should try this book, although I think anyone would like it. Recommended for teens and adults alike. I am looking forward to reading more about Ged and Earthsea.
An excellent story from an excellent author. I highly recommend this book.
A really enjoyable series!
I love this series! I was looking for a good read and it was recommended from "bestfantasybooks.com." I love the premise of one's true name. After I read this series I made the connection to another fantasy writer -Patrick Rothfuss. I love him but I found that he "adopted" alot of his themes from this author. Ursula LeGuin was way ahead of her time! A must read!
Wonderful read for any age. She is my favourite author.