A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Publisher: Bantam Books (1968)
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Note: Content warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.
Cover Description
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.
TL;DR Review
A Wizard of Earthsea is a classic fantasy novel for a reason. It’s exciting, has great world-building, and teaches a great overarching lesson.
For you if: You are a fantasy fan, and especially if you’re looking for fantasy books by women and / or about people of color.
Full Review
“You thought, as a boy, that a mage is one who can do anything. So I thought, once. So did we all. And the truth is that as a man's real power grows and his knowledge widens, ever the way he can follow grows narrower: until at last he chooses nothing, but does only and wholly what he must do.”
I’ve been meaning to start reading Ursula Le Guin’s books for a long time. How could I call myself a feminist AND one who loves fantasy novels? But worry not, dear friends; I have corrected the situation. And to no one’s surprise, I loved A Wizard of Earthsea.
The book is about a boy named Ged, but he goes by Sparrowhawk because in this world, true names are the source of power. The story starts when he’s just a boy and follows him through adolescence and early adulthood. The thing is, he’s super powerful. But while he’s at school he uses that power too flippantly and accidentally brings a great evil into the world. From then on, it’s his responsibility to fix it.
I loved the writing style in this book, but be prepared for it: It’s written in a true storytelling style, and it almost feels like someone from a fantasy novel (think Aragorn) telling a tale. Once you relax into that, it reads pretty quickly and will keep you hooked.
There’s a writer’s note in the back of the most recent editions of this book by Le Guin where she talks about what she wanted to accomplish when she write it back in the late 1960s. Her editor asked her to write a book for young adults, and at first she was intimidated. But once she warmed up to the idea, she set out to tell a very different story from the ones that were typical at the time (think The Lord of the Rings). This book is not about armies and strong men; it’s about the power that lives in each of us, and the risks that it poses. And it features a non-white character.
She’s the queen, y’all. Read it.
Content Warnings
Animal death
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