Originally published in 1968, Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea marks the first of the six now beloved Earthsea titles. Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tumultuous tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.

This ebook includes a sample chapter of THE TOMBS OF ATUAN.

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Product details

File Size: 9957 KB
Print Length: 210 pages
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; Reissue edition (September 11, 2012)
Publication Date: September 11, 2012
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B008T9L6AM
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

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Lending: Not Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

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Joseph Finley

Unique in its day and ahead of its time

January 30, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Re-reading this book reminded me of how much it influenced fantasy fiction going forward. Long before Hogwarts, Le Guin gave us the wizarding school of Roke. This was always my favorite part of the story. The novel's protagonist, Ged, becomes a student at Roke under the tutelage of nine master wizards, all of whom may have helped inspire, at least in a faint sense, the professors of Harry Potter's school of wizardry and witchcraft. But that is where the similarities end.

Ged is a flawed hero. Fueled by a rivalry with a fellow student, Ged's pride leads him to show off his power by practicing dark and forbidden magic. He ends up unleashing a shadow, and Ged's quest to ultimately hunt down this demon drives the rest of the novel. In this sense, the story is deeply personal. Even though it covers years of Ged's life, there is nothing epic about this tale. The story concerns Ged, and Ged alone.

In 1968, this story would have seemed vastly different than Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" or the sword and sorcery tales of Poul Anderson and Michael Moorcock. For one, there is nothing European about Earthsea. Rather, the people of its archipelago appear more like one might imagine hailing off the coasts of Africa, India, or Asia. Also, there's nary a sword to be found in "A Wizard of Earthsea." Instead, it's all about wizards, and wizards carry staves.

A story about wizards is naturally all about magic, and Le Guin creates one of the most interesting magic systems ever made, all based on the true name of things. A wizard who knows a thing's true name has power over it, and Le Guin harkens back to that theme throughout her tale. Reading it, I can't help but think it inspired modern fantasy like "The Name of the Wind," which employs a similar magic system.

Despite a few bouts of lengthy exposition, and conflict that waxes and wanes maybe more than it should, I was drawn into a story as if I was reading it for the first time. I wish it had not taken news of Le Guin's passing remind me of these tales, but I'm fortunate it did. "A Wizard of Earthsea" is a true classic, unique in its day and far ahead of its time. For anyone, particularly those who want to explore one of the roots from which modern fantasy was born, I highly recommend it.

25 people found this helpful

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March 7, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I did not know when I started reading that the Earthsea books were written for teenagers. Although the language was paired down, streamlined, the prose did not feel dumbed-down as many YA novels can. It simply moved, effortlessly, forward carrying me along the rise and fall of the story like Ged’s magewind driven boat over the open sea.

I’m disappointed only in myself for waiting so long to read this swift, engaging book.

Le Guin’s world building is nearly as deep as Tolkien’s and leaves the reader wanting to know so much more about Earthsea and its histories, cultures and dragons. I look forward to continuing my journey into this compelling, mysterious world.

9 people found this helpful

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August 18, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

When I decided to read only books written by female authors in 2017, there was only one name that I knew HAD to be on the list: Ursula K. Le Guin. I had never read any of her work, having only recently been introduced to her via a YouTube video in which she spoke about the lack of people of color in works of fantasy. I had never stopped to ponder this issue before, so her conversation inflicted a little self-reflection in me as well as piqued my interest in her work.

The book follows the young boy, Ged, also known as Sparrowhawk. Ged has all the qualities you’d wish in a fantasy lead: he is powerful and brave and good. But he’s also young, at times immature, brash, arrogant, and reckless.

This recklessness inadvertently causes Ged to unleash an evil upon the world, and in true fantasy fashion, he has to be the one to vanquish the evil and make things right again.

There’s not a ton of action in the book. The wizarding school is not as elaborately imagined as that in Harry Potter (though it predates that series by decades), but is interesting nonetheless. What the book does have is strong character growth, and a philosophical edge not usually present in fantasy. It will make you think as well as feel.

I could not fault the writing, but as the book approached its 50th anniversary, it does feel mildly dated. Still, if you want a fantasy that is more introspective than action packed, this is a good choice, and an interesting opening to the series. I will be picking up the second novel to see how it unfolds.

4 out of 5 stars

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BreAnna

Beautiful cover and fun story

April 3, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The main reason it isn't 5 stars is because it's a bit slow in parts, but that's to be expected with epic fantasy. I loved seeing Ged's growth throughout the book. However, I do wish there were more female characters but as Ms. Le Guin pointed out in the afterword, having a few important female characters who weren't all evil or damsels in distress was pretty progressive for the time she wrote the book without being so far that it caused an uproar. I think she could have done more though and I hope in the rest of the series that she did. However I LOVE that she made the bad guys white and the good guys darker skinned. I wish more authors had done that back then.

I will be reading the rest of the series at some point. Also, I love the cover of this edition.

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C. Bostic

I have loved this series since I was in middle school

April 2, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I have loved this series since I was in ninth grade. I reread it every few years and keep hoping for a movie or TV series to do it justice. But alas... Still I highly recommend this book and series. Actually haven't yet read anything Le Guin has written that I didn't like. I see it classified as YA very often. While it is easily comprehended by the younger reader it holds up for the "older" reader, too. Every time I read it there is something I missed last time. Read these books with your children or by yourself. Great fun either way.

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