Customer Reviews

Wizard of Earthsea

5 star:		(239)
4 star:		(94)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(30)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

Ursula Le Guin is the daughter of Alfred Kroeber, an anthropologist, and Theodora Kroeber, a psychologist and writer. It's easy and accurate to say that her parents' interests inform her brilliant writing, and that cultural anthrpology and Jungian psychology are at the core of Wizard of Earthsea and its three sequels.

But the book isn't a treatise. It's a wonderful, well-told story of a young man, Ged, coming of age in a world where words can have the power of magic and dragons are as real as earthquakes. There is nothing didactic about this story; Le Guin's writing is compelling and her characters are vivid: Ogion, the Mage of Silence, whose word had stilled an earthquake; Vetch, who helps Ged on a deadly quest for no reason but friendship; Murre, Vetch's sister; Yevaud, the dragon of Pendor; and Skiorh, possessed by a gebbeth.

Earthsea doesn't exist in a vacuum. Le Guin constructs a deep and textured history, and her characters act in ways that are consistent with that world. She manages the trick of writing a mythic tale without falling into the traps and foibles of sounding like you are trying.

The climax is straight from Carl Jung, but you don't need to know Carl Jung from Steve Young to appreciate it.

From time to time, religious groups call for this book to be banned from school libraries, claiming it promotes witchcraft. Nonsense. This is a book every teenager should read. It speaks to self-understanding, nothing more.

And some feminists criticize Le Guin because Ged is a male character. Again, nonsense, Ged is an archetype, and his gender matters not at all.

This is an important book. It's also terrific fun. Highly recommended.

Not only is the "Earthsea" trilogy a wonderful series for adolescents but it also contains profound wisdom for adults seeking their own path to individuation. Rich in timeless myth, the series has the young mage Ged surmount many trials on his way to understanding himself and therein lies the key to his ultimately becomming the Archmage of Roke. Each book in the series has the main story turn on the issue of trust between two people and upon Ged's courage in facing dark issues either within himself or in the enviroment. Ged is a powerful role for young people developing a sense of their inner integrity and for middle-agers every where beginning to deal with their shadow issues. Of course there are plenty of dragons, battles, transformations and journeys which can be enjoyed simply as a good storey, but don't pass up the chance to re-read to catch the deeper meaning. This series is too good to be eclipsed in popularity by LOTR and the Chornicles of Narnia, "Earthsea" stands on its own! If I haven't convinced you, please read the essay by Noel Perrin in his book, "A Child's Delight."

Ursula K. LeGuin's "A Wizard of Earthsea" comes from a different place then the other two fantasists with whom her Earthsea trilogy is so often compared. Tolkein's so-called fantasy was a real attempt to capture what Tolkein believed the languagues lost before the beginnings of early English, while his Oxford colleague wrote his Narnia fantasies from a Christian viewpoint. LeGuin's fantasy novels derive from her background in anthropology and show it in every way.

The story concerns the Wizard Sparrowhawk and his education. Sparrowhawk comes from a desperately poor village in the mountains, from among illiterate peasants (compare to the world of the hobbits, where, though illiterate, there is no squalor) who live with their goats. His home island, Gont, is the birthplace of Goatherds, Pirates, and Wizards, and from an early age Sparrowhawk shows his powers. After saving his village from an invading army, Sparrowhawk is apprenticed to Ogion, the great Mage. There Sparrowhawk begins to learn what Wizards know: the names of all things. He also is drawn to showing off, including calling up the dead.

Too powerful and curious for Ogion, Sparrowhawk goes to the isle of Roke to attend the school there ( Rowling only stole from the best) and finds he's not only the best pupil, but he can make enemies. In a boast, he calls up a spirit and brings out a sort of un-him. The un-him scars Sparrowhawk and kills the school's Archmage who uses his power to try and undo what Sparrowhawk has done.

Ged, Sparrowhawk's true name, must now pursue this unhim while fighting dragons, evil stones, and gibbeths, people the unhim have entered and destroyed.

Finally, Ged turns on his pursuer to fight an epic battle on the unsea and reunite himself.

LeGuin's spare prose is based on folktales, and myths, and Earthsea's theology of balance, true names, and magic is clear: Ged has disturbed the balance, so he must restore it. Like Tolkein's and Lewis' books, there is a sexual innocence here: Ged is a mage first and foremost: he feel attractions, but no lust. Of course, Heros of Myth are too good to be lustful; chastity preserves their power.

Unlike the other fantasies, the Earthsea Trilogy is not England, but an actual mythical place, albeit medieval in a European sense. Ged is no Englishman either, being copper-colored.

The deep understanding of what makes a culture a culture underlies everything LeGuin has written, from "The Dispossed" to "Terhanu." The intelligence behind these books is impressive, neither sentimental nor baroque, almost clinical in its portrayal of an premodern world where magic does work, and where every action has personal consequences and real pain.

I first read this book two years ago when i was 22 and away on holiday with my fiance. It is one of his favourite books, and he has read the whole series time and again. I enjoy reading all types of literature, although science-fiction and fantasy books are my favourite. I have always favoured sci-fi, especially Asimov and Clarke, and my fiance fantasy, particularly Tolkien and Le Guin. This book, along with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, have made me as passionate about fantasy as sci-fi.

The book works on many levels, as a good story, as escapism, as a gateway to an incredible fantasy land, and as something far deeper. The story is thought-provoking and compelling, rich and meaningful. The book examines how we consider ourselves and the world around us. What is our real self ? What are we capable of ? How do our actions influence the world around us ? How do the names that we apply to objects affect how we view and understand them ?

A brilliant book that i would recommend to anyone of any age. I think its ridiculous that great literature such as this, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, C.S. Lewis, and so on get classified as "childrens books". They are books for everyone with imagination, who enjoys good story-telling, and interesting and unusual characters. They are tales which leave strong images for years after reading, which make you want to go back to read again and again, which offer something new each time they are read, which make you want to tell other people about them, which enthrall and inspire you, which leave you with plenty to think and talk about, and which push back the boundaries of your thoughts and imagination.

Ursula Le Guin made fantasy history with "A Wizard of Earthsea," a spare but strangely entrancing story about a young wizard coming of age. Despite a rather distant writing style, Le Guin's story is still a classic that is generally put on the same shelf as Lewis and Tolkien.

Ged was born in a village in Earthsea -- a grouping of many, many small islands -- in Gont. The boy soon shows signs of great power, the ability to call animals and to laugh even when his tongue has been bound by a spell. A mage named Ogion apprentices Ged--who is known as Sparrowhawk, as knowledge of his true name would give anyone power over him. But Ogion's discipline and lessons are full of silence and self-examination, something which soon sends Ged to the school for mages in Roke.

A rival finally mocks Ged into a magical duel, and a monstrous creature made of shadow attacks Ged, nearly killing him. But upon the completion of his studies, the now-wiser wizard sets off to an island to seek the Dragon of Pendor. As the shadow closes in on Ged and his life becomes increasingly imperiled, he must discern what -- and who -- it is, to make himself truly whole.

Le Guin's book has a lot of things in it that tend to annoy readers -- several years are skipped in a few pages, and little of Ged's thoughts and emotions aside from "Ged felt this" and "Ged thought that" are revealed. But the spare mythic style and quiet philosophical bent add an extra dimension to a straightforward fantasy story.

Le Guin's story spans several years in Ged's life, taking him from a little boy in a dirty village to a powerful and respected mage. But she also spins in Eastern philosophy, in the form of the "shadow" that stalks Ged for many years -- in some ways, the final explanation for what the shadow is seems fitting.

Ged has the makings of a classic hero: he is talented and initially hot-headed, but through his misfortunes is tempered into a more selfless, albeit scarred person (both physically and emotionally). Most of the supporting characters don't appear long enough to get much development, although Ged's buddy Vetch comes across as a sweetheart.

Ursula Le Guin's "Wizard of Earthsea" is a memorable story about a boy becoming a man, and a man coming to terms with himself. A unique story, and one worthy of being called a classic.

I'm writing this review because JK Rowling's books about the Hogwarts School of Magic reminded me of this, one of the few perfect novels I've ever read.

It's not a light-hearted fairy tale, though it is "high fantasy." It's the story of Ged, from his childhood discovery of his wonderful yet terrible magical powers; to his education at the School of Wizardry on Roke Knoll. There he makes a misstep; overstepping his powers, he accidentally lets loose an evil creature from a shadow world. His self-imposed exile, journeys, and eventual maturation and triumph are written with a deft flair for the beauty and wonder of magic; yet Ms. LeGuin is even more masterful in depicting Ged's character: the young high achiever who must finally make his peace with his inner demons.

As a child, I loved it for the idea of a school of magic. I grew older, reread it during a dark teenage time, and cried when Ged finally confronted his inner shadow creature. Later, studying anatomy in medical school, I recalled Ged's long days in the Namer's high tower, learning the true names of things; and bent cheerfully to my task.

It still bears re-reading to this day. Readers who enjoy Tolkien, JK Rowling, or Alice Miller's "Drama of the Gifted Child" ought particularly to read it; and readers who didn't like "The Left Hand of Darkness" or "The Dispossessed" should give Ms. LeGuin another try, in this, her finest work. . It is one of my favorite novels and I recommend it to you wholeheartedly.

When I was about 7, my uncle gave the Earthsea Trilogy to my mother (a reading teacher) for her students to read. I remember reading a couple of chapters of one of them (Tombs of Atuan, I think) and finding it very exciting and mysterious, but also a little hard to understand (probably because I was starting in the middle of the series and because I was 7). Since then, I have often wanted to read the trilogy, but I had difficulty finding the books, which were out of print for most of the 1980s. I also was a little turned off because many people classify the trilogy as "young adult fiction," probably because they are relatively short.

I just finished a Wizard of Earthsea and I was surprised to find that it was one of the best fantasy book that I have ever read. Le Guin's narrative style in this book (which differs greatly from "Left Hand of Darkness" and its progeny--a style that I found to be a little plodding and self-indulgent) is very lean, almost minimalist. In this respect it reminds me of Michael Moorcock's Elric series. Unlike Moorcock, however, Le Guin conveys a rich emotional life for her characters. (This is not a criticism of Morcock, I think that he intentionally meant for the characters to remain somewhat distant and enigmatic--making them more like characters of myth and legend).

The back of the edition that I read claims that Le Guin has dethroned Tolkien as the ruler of epic fantasy. I wouldn't go that far. But she certainly deserves share the upper eschelon of fantasy writers with Tolkien and a very few other authors.

It is an insult to the genius of this book to try to describe it in layman's terms. Words just don't do justice. Le Guin always proves that she has a unique outlook on the world, and the Earthsea books are no exception.

The Wizard of Earthsea is the first part of a series of (now) four books. This part details the origins and youth of Ged - a boy from a backwater village in the great archipelago world of Earthsea. With a magical feat that saves his entire community from barbaric invaders, he shows himself to be greatly proficient in the Art. He is apprenticed to a sorceror (who nevertheless hides under the guise of a simple healer), and makes his way to the Academy on the Island of Roke. There, out of his great pride, he unleashes a shadow-thing in a contest of forbidden magics. Injured, scarred both physically and mentally, he now must flee the thing he brought into this world - or confront it.

One of the most surprising and masterful twists is the terse, epic writing: Le Guin does not spend time to write whole descriptive paragraphs; she sets the scenes with broad strokes of a few sentences, focusing on the most important events. This book is very quick reading.

Ged is an inspiring character. He can be crudely compared to Ender from Orson Scott Card's writings, or perhaps Taran from Lloyd Alexander's, in that he wields great power, by which he is burdened. The reader quickly becomes attached to his grim, brooding persona, as his quest takes him through the world. Ged is also a powerful role-model: he must acknowledge his undeniable talent and shed his fears of losing control of his powers.

The Wizard of Earthsea is undoubtedly a classic, a powerful work of high fantasy and spiritual development.

Le Guin enjoys no press, no fanfare, no fan clubs. She has no movies (until now the mini-series), no trading card games, no computer games. Her writing is not flamboyant: it is thoughtful, considered, and quiet. Her books are generally short and are closer to novelettes. Yet she remains as one of the principle authors of the fantasy genre and her work survives. It will outlive, we suspect, a great deal of those novels that enjoy such extraordinary popularity today. JK Rowlings is the Frank Baum (Wizard of Oz) of our generation. Le Guin is the CS Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) of our generation. The distinction is in decibels and the scope. Earthsea, we believe, is one of those rare series of books that will quietly fill every library of every parent who has a child who loves to read. Incidentally, we feel that the later books Tehanu and The Other Wind detract from the series rather than add to it (as is the case with many sequels). Those later books are better avoided.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS:

As we mentioned, the series is aimed at grade levels somewhere around 5th to 9th. These are a series of books that are invaluable for this age group. It is mythology--both relevant and exciting--that teaches us not didactically how to live but shows us what it means to be alive. Many critics have said many different things about her books but the (overused) phrase "deeply human" seems just about right. These are books that--if the reader can meet the level that Le Guin sets in--will be revered for many, many years. People who have enjoyed Ender's Game, Tales of the Otori, and The Chronicles of Prydain will find these books very special.

WHO SHOULD PASS:

As we often say about books that are especially good, this is a novel of introspection. There is a bit of death but you won't see blood sprayed across the page. There are no great battles, sieges, or other events of great war. There is no overt sex. The magic is not "Terry Magic" (that is, Terry Goodkind or Terry Brooks type that shoots forth as fire, lightning, and death in the air) but rather a magic of language, of truth, of world harmony. To use a video game analogy, don't start playing Myst expecting to have whatever enjoyment you get out of playing Grand Theft Auto.

READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM

Le Guin's works, in my opinion, may very well top even The Lord of the Rings in their greatness (although the next 10,000 Tolkien fans who read this review will probably jump on me and rip me to shreds for saying so).

A Wizard of Earthsea is quite an incredible work of high fantasy. It's a classic tale of wizardry and magic, but with twists along the way.

A Wizard of Earthsea is the story of the Archmage and Dragonlord Ged. Long before Ged had become Archamge and Dragonlord, he was known as Sparrowhawk, an intelligent, but reckless youth, power-hungry and lacking in wisdom.

Ged begins learning simple magic from a local witch before being apprenticed to Ogion, a quiet mage from the other side of the island on which he lives. After spending several years with Ogion, he travels to Roke, to attend the school for wizards.

However, he soon becomes rivals with a fellow student. One night, intent on putting his rival to shame and establishing himself as the superior magic-user, Ged accidently lets loose a shadow on all Earthsea. For the rest of his life, it will follow him, hunting him down trying to kill him and posses his flesh so it can gain form and substance with which to wreck havoc upon all of Earthsea. In order to prevent this, Ged must confront and defeat this evil, but the quest cannot be accomplished easily, but Ged must try, at risk of his life so that he can save his soul.