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 … 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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A classic for a reason.
Ever since the passing of Ursula, K. Le Guin, I’ve wanted to go and check out the work I’ve missed from her (which is a lot of it). I decided to start with A Wizard of Earthsea. It’s the first of many dives into her catalog that I’ll be undertaking.
This story feels like a halfway point between the seminal work of Tolkien and the modern phenomena …
This was one of the first fantasy books I’ve ever read, given to me by the same dear person who introduced me to The Hobbit. It was one of my childhood’s favourite books, and is probably one of my all-time favourites. I’ve re-read it recently, to see how it stacks up against the changing times.
*** What to expect
The novel was originally …
Le Guin’s original series, be sure to read all the books, including the last one she wrote to understand the full scope of the work.
I usually like hard science-fiction more than fantasy, but I certainly can make exception. Ursula Le Guin has a gift to make her fantasy stories so structured and realistic, though with so much humanity, that they can dispute it to any SciFi. But the Earthsea series, of which this is the first book, is not a work that one reviews, and I will not. …
Mature fantasy by one of my favorite authors, cross between Harry Potter and Eragon sotires, written in a more literary style. PG-13, no R rated scenes.
Brilliant fantasy. The first of The Wizard of Earrhesa trilogy. Originally written for teens these books have wide appeal for all ages. I cannot recommend this trio strongly enough.
This book is one of my favorite books of all time, and is the gateway to a series that is very unique, profound, and wise. I cannot really say enough about it. Just read it for yourself, I promise it is worth the time!
Classic youth- fantasy. Fast-paced, great characters, with enough enigma to leave room for greater story development. Written when authors knew that a story is supposed to say something.
I loved this book when I read it the first time. Now that I’m reading it again with my daughter, I love it even more.
After many decades, i decided to re-read some Ursula Leguin. What a great author, what an interesting world. I had to get the next book as soon as i’d finished. Magic!
Any fantasy reader (or writer for that matter) that has only cut their teeth on Tolkien, Salvatore, or other classic European fantasy series desperately needs A Wizard of Earthsea in their life. While its influence can be felt everywhere in the fantasy genre, it takes reading the original to really understand that the disparate elements looted by …
The world of Earthsea is wonderful, Magickal, and worth as many visits as a comfortable chair, a cuppa, and the kids away from the house ( or read aloud to the kids, they will thank you for it) will permit. Do this often.
The Wizard of Earthsea series is one of the few I have read multiple times. It’s so rich and I get something new out of them in every reading. I was delighted that LeGuin added additional books to this series later in her writing career. The imagery of the sea and mysterious island shores is perfect to read against a backdrop of ocean surf on the …
I am generally the type of reader who needs to like the main character in order to continue reading a book. If I think they are a jerk, I usually put the book down and do not come back to it. This book is the exception to that rule. When the story begins, Ged is hardly someone I would want to be friends with, but Le Guin does such a good job of …
I read this when I was a young boy and in hindsight I think it was far better than it was ever given credit for. Although made into various cartoons and miniseries, if it has never been adapted to the main stream, big screens of Hollywood that might only be because of the overwhelming modern popularity of others like Harry Potter ? As an ancient …
An enjoyable quick fantasy read. This book covers the maturation story of a wizard from a small town.
Sometimes you can listen to an author explain what made them write a novel and it changes your mind about reading that book. This was the case for A Wizard of Earthsea, the first book of Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Leguin. I recently watched the documentary called The Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin on Amazon Prime. It covered Le Guin’s career and …
I remember that this book was recommended to me many years ago, before I really read much high fantasy. Now that I’ve been getting more into it, and it was on sale in Audible, I decided to give it another try, particularly when I read the synopsis that a wizard’s pride was his downfall. That seemed like a unique twist.
I actually was pretty into …
This YA coming of age fantasy was cutting edge for its day, featuring unusual characters and topography. Reckless Sparrowhawk, or Ged, releases a darkness that haunts and hunts him to the ends of the earth. Along the way Ged grows to appreciate his humble beginnings and develops patient maturity and courage to face the darkness. Narrator, Rob …