Fantasy

A Wizard of Earthsea

A Wizard of Earthsea

  • Downloads：3158
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-03 09:53:54
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ursula K. Le Guin
  • ISBN：1473223563
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Summary

Ged， the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea， was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth。

Hungry for power and knowledge， Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world。 This is the 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。

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Reviews

Gary ，

This book was excellent。 It was easy to see one's self in Ged as he was like many of us when we were children， young and curious。 He was always looking to be the best， and that is common among many people。 To watch him discover the negativity of his own arrogance and find himself along the way and path to redemption makes this excellent。 It also has all the high fantasy and fantasy reader could want。 Magic is simultaneously understandable， yet mysterious。 Watching Ged help others along the way w This book was excellent。 It was easy to see one's self in Ged as he was like many of us when we were children， young and curious。 He was always looking to be the best， and that is common among many people。 To watch him discover the negativity of his own arrogance and find himself along the way and path to redemption makes this excellent。 It also has all the high fantasy and fantasy reader could want。 Magic is simultaneously understandable， yet mysterious。 Watching Ged help others along the way was the chef's kiss to this masterpiece。 I have no doubt that this may make for an even better second read later on in life。 。。。more

Thea ，

Ganska svår att hänga med i， jag läste den förra året inte särskilt ihågkommen ska jag säga。 Men perfekt om man gillar att läsa om andra världar och fantasy！

Andrew Blok ，

I love this book。 It feels like a book I could read yearly and find it fresh every time。 I'm guessing some folks might not like the style， but it's such a moving book。After finishing a series of books that feel like they existed for absolutely no reason， it's so refreshing to read something that was purposeful， skillful and engaging。 The story of Ged is what good fantasy should be。 It is real。 It makes you view your own world differently for having spent time traveling Earthsea with Ged。 I love this book。 It feels like a book I could read yearly and find it fresh every time。 I'm guessing some folks might not like the style， but it's such a moving book。After finishing a series of books that feel like they existed for absolutely no reason， it's so refreshing to read something that was purposeful， skillful and engaging。 The story of Ged is what good fantasy should be。 It is real。 It makes you view your own world differently for having spent time traveling Earthsea with Ged。 。。。more

Sarah ，

I found the world and the story intriguing but was not a fan of the style。 In some ways it reminds me of classic fairytales， but it leaves something to be desired in the area of connection to the characters， understanding， empathy， investment。 Mostly it just tells what happens and there's little insight into characters feelings or motivations， almost no warmth or humour， and little dramatic build-up。 It is true that there is a narrative reason for Ged being a bit of a knob - as I put it in my ea I found the world and the story intriguing but was not a fan of the style。 In some ways it reminds me of classic fairytales， but it leaves something to be desired in the area of connection to the characters， understanding， empathy， investment。 Mostly it just tells what happens and there's little insight into characters feelings or motivations， almost no warmth or humour， and little dramatic build-up。 It is true that there is a narrative reason for Ged being a bit of a knob - as I put it in my earlier update - but this reason seems to come from narrative necessity rather than be intrinsic to the character。 I thought the ending was good， and am willing to give the second book a try to see if Le Guin's style grows on me， but perhaps not right away。 A strong three。 。。。more

AJ Kerrigan ，

I have no idea how this book eluded me as a kid。 Reading it feels like righting an old wrong though。 It's a wonderful introduction to the world of Earthsea， and I imagine my child self would have been hooked。Coming in as an adult who has loved many other Ursula Le Guin books， this also felt like part of an ongoing conversation。 Her reflections in the afterword are thoughtful as always， particularly her mingled pride （in stealthily deploying non-white primary characters） and regret （for writing a I have no idea how this book eluded me as a kid。 Reading it feels like righting an old wrong though。 It's a wonderful introduction to the world of Earthsea， and I imagine my child self would have been hooked。Coming in as an adult who has loved many other Ursula Le Guin books， this also felt like part of an ongoing conversation。 Her reflections in the afterword are thoughtful as always， particularly her mingled pride （in stealthily deploying non-white primary characters） and regret （for writing a man's world where women are secondary）。Social/meta-concerns aside， this is a beautiful world full of wonder and I want to spend more time there！ All power is one in source and end， I think。 Years and distances， stars and candles， water and wind and wizardry， the craft in a man's hand and the wisdom in a tree's root: they all arise together。 My name， and yours， and the true name of the sun， or a spring of water， or an unborn child， all are syllables of the great word that is spoken by the shining of the stars。 There is no other power。 No other name。 。。。more

Vidhi ，

“Only shadow can fight shadow。 Only darkness can defeat the dark。”This novel was a big sad。 A truly disappointing piece of high fantasy。 From small things like not having a map in the beginning of the novel to big ones like just not being an exciting and entertaining work of fiction…this just wasn’t worth reading。 ESP not when you have magnificent authors like Maas and Novik and Bardugo on the scene， this hardly made a dent in comparison。 While the writing itself was fine the plotline was so dul “Only shadow can fight shadow。 Only darkness can defeat the dark。”This novel was a big sad。 A truly disappointing piece of high fantasy。 From small things like not having a map in the beginning of the novel to big ones like just not being an exciting and entertaining work of fiction…this just wasn’t worth reading。 ESP not when you have magnificent authors like Maas and Novik and Bardugo on the scene， this hardly made a dent in comparison。 While the writing itself was fine the plotline was so dull and character development so incredibly morose and climax so underwhelming there was merely just not enough enjoyment in this novel to merit continuing the series。 。。。more

Pamela ，

I try not to give a book a low rating， but two stars on goodreads is supposed to stand for "it was OK。" And that's all this was for me。 I felt the story was told at some remove from me， thus I didn't feel vested in the character。 And there is a line near the end that says， "They went on， and on。" And that's how most of the book felt for me: a nearly endless chase that failed to hold my attention。 I did like the end and the twist， but for a short book， it was a long read。 I try not to give a book a low rating， but two stars on goodreads is supposed to stand for "it was OK。" And that's all this was for me。 I felt the story was told at some remove from me， thus I didn't feel vested in the character。 And there is a line near the end that says， "They went on， and on。" And that's how most of the book felt for me: a nearly endless chase that failed to hold my attention。 I did like the end and the twist， but for a short book， it was a long read。 。。。more

Rachel ，

4。5 stars rounded up。I knew I would love this when it started with a fantasy world map。 A few parts dragged slightly and others felt like they jumped ahead too quickly， but overall it was a fascinating world and good writing。 Different from her SciFi that I've read so far。 4。5 stars rounded up。I knew I would love this when it started with a fantasy world map。 A few parts dragged slightly and others felt like they jumped ahead too quickly， but overall it was a fascinating world and good writing。 Different from her SciFi that I've read so far。 。。。more

Gabriela Francisco ，

"There is a horror follows you。 I will tell you its name。"Utterly devoured Book 1 in a single sitting， on a school night （！！！） because reading it seemed like the most essential thing to do！ Le Guin wrote it for younger audiences， but it certainly did NOT feel nor sound like that to me！ The story made me tear up in some parts！！ A comparison that comes to mind is C。S。 Lewis， such is her grace and command with the pen， and the gravitas of what's at stake （the ruination of a soul and of a world）。 Of "There is a horror follows you。 I will tell you its name。"Utterly devoured Book 1 in a single sitting， on a school night （！！！） because reading it seemed like the most essential thing to do！ Le Guin wrote it for younger audiences， but it certainly did NOT feel nor sound like that to me！ The story made me tear up in some parts！！ A comparison that comes to mind is C。S。 Lewis， such is her grace and command with the pen， and the gravitas of what's at stake （the ruination of a soul and of a world）。 Of course， her poetic style is all her own。 Very few books make me hear a narrator say the words in my head。 This was one of those "play a mental Audible recording" ones where you hit PAUSE and REWIND only about a million times！Le Guin said "In the name is the magic" when she wrote this story of a young mage's education。 To compare it to Harry Potter would do it a disservice。 She herself is the archmage of Earthsea and her words weave the best kind of conjuring spell: A short meditation in terms of page number， that felt like it aged the reader a million years and came away so much wiser！ This is not a book to be taken lightly， despite any impressions the cover may give （Wizards？ A quest？ A dragon？）。 To be honest， it felt like horror to this reader， of the best kind。 And despite the elements of fantasy， the evil is scary because it tells of what humans can bring into the world， so easily。 The hype is more than justified。 Am going to the docks tomorrow at first light to explore the rest of Earthsea。 Look for me in a few years， or better yet， join me and read this book as well！ 。。。more

Matylda ，

Doceniam， ale jak dla mnie było zbyt mdłe i nijakie。

Eric ，

Wish I read this tale as a lad！

Chelsea ，

I understand she’s self aware about it all but I don’t care。

David S Roberts ，

Supposed to be a kids book， but I really enjoyed it。

Dorota ，

Seems like a typical story about a boy from nowhere becoming the most powerful wizard in the land。 However the way it is written is just masterful。 The way the magic is portrayed， how the boy grows up to the responsibility of magic and how friendship is showed in few on point words。。。 It blew my mind。 One of the best fantasy books out there。

Bighomer ，

Very magical and lovely fantasy。 Le Guin knows how to write a compelling story。This is old school， with a soft magic system， a handful of characters and one big quest。Slight reminiscence with Kingkiller and （maybe） Farseer， though I think this predates both。

Evil Evan ，

This book has got all the juicy fantasy tropes。 The farm boy discovers his super powers with the help of a wise old man。 A wizard school。 Evil demons。 Dragons。 Stuff like that。 Well done though。 I'm guessing these tropes weren't as played out when the book was written like 40，000 years ago。 The plot spans over a couple decades it seems like， but it's still a short book。 Lots of backstory is just told to us straight up without much attempt working the exposition into dialog or anything。 Character This book has got all the juicy fantasy tropes。 The farm boy discovers his super powers with the help of a wise old man。 A wizard school。 Evil demons。 Dragons。 Stuff like that。 Well done though。 I'm guessing these tropes weren't as played out when the book was written like 40，000 years ago。 The plot spans over a couple decades it seems like， but it's still a short book。 Lots of backstory is just told to us straight up without much attempt working the exposition into dialog or anything。 Character work is a bit weak but all the magic and the world of Earthsea is pretty cool。 。。。more

Amber ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If this wasn’t so highly praised I wouldn’t have even bothered to finish it。 Basically an arrogant wizard learns to humble himself while being chased by himself as a shadow。 My review sounds way cooler than the actual stuffy story。

Emma Church ，

It's beautifully written and a great story。 The relationships are well developed and the nature of Earthsea is well communicated。 I was quite gripped nearer the end。 It's beautifully written and a great story。 The relationships are well developed and the nature of Earthsea is well communicated。 I was quite gripped nearer the end。 。。。more

Alice ，

L'inizio di una saga avvincente dal registro semplice e che porta il lettore attraverso le descrizioni dei luoghi e dei fatti a immergersi completamente a Earthsea con tutte le sue isole， le sue differenze， le sue leggende！ Ho adorato leggere delle imprese di Ged， della battaglia personale che deve affrontare durante la narrazione。 Vi è anche un piccolo particolare che ho apprezzato personalmente， una cosa sicuramente superficiale ma che mi fa piacere fare presente: il protagonista e il suo popo L'inizio di una saga avvincente dal registro semplice e che porta il lettore attraverso le descrizioni dei luoghi e dei fatti a immergersi completamente a Earthsea con tutte le sue isole， le sue differenze， le sue leggende！ Ho adorato leggere delle imprese di Ged， della battaglia personale che deve affrontare durante la narrazione。 Vi è anche un piccolo particolare che ho apprezzato personalmente， una cosa sicuramente superficiale ma che mi fa piacere fare presente: il protagonista e il suo popolo non ricordano per nulla dei personaggi nordici come molte seghe fantasy propongono。 Qui si parla di popoli per lo più dalla pelle dei toni d'ebano o di bronzo e solo un popolo possiede la pelle chiara come il latte， un popolo che neppure conosce la lingua dei maghi， un'idea molto gradita che potrebbe essere interpretata come un messaggio di solidarietà e uguaglianza in un mondo dove spesso si notano differenze di trattamento per genere e etnia。 。。。more

Chris Sudall ，

I read this at school and remember loving the map in it， however， I have no recall of the book at all。 Whether this was because I didn't read it （a possibility since I didn't even read the O level texts for my exams） or just because my memory is pants I don't know。One thing is sure， I don't think it's a great book for kids and it didn't inspire a love of fantasy in me。 The Hobbit was the book that achieved that。Whilst a good book， it has a certain slowness at times and a feeling that nothing is I read this at school and remember loving the map in it， however， I have no recall of the book at all。 Whether this was because I didn't read it （a possibility since I didn't even read the O level texts for my exams） or just because my memory is pants I don't know。One thing is sure， I don't think it's a great book for kids and it didn't inspire a love of fantasy in me。 The Hobbit was the book that achieved that。Whilst a good book， it has a certain slowness at times and a feeling that nothing is much is happening。 Even when things are happening they are often described in a way that I was not entirely sure what did happen。I enjoyed the travels across the archipelago and Ged's development （although his time at Wizard School is a bit painful） but overall I would say I felt a mild disappointment at times and most notably at the conclusion。I've got the next four though， so I will meet Ged again。。。。。 。。。more

Kristina Marie ，

1。5。 The story goes a lot of places way too fast。 It feels almost like an abridged version of a series but without any character development。

Dylan Beadle ，

My first foray into Le Guin's work， I really enjoyed A Wizard of Earthsea！ The fantasy world Ursala built feels fresh and I thoroughly enjoyed the ways in which she sets the scene。 Made me want to learn seaspells and whip around the archipelago on a little raft My first foray into Le Guin's work， I really enjoyed A Wizard of Earthsea！ The fantasy world Ursala built feels fresh and I thoroughly enjoyed the ways in which she sets the scene。 Made me want to learn seaspells and whip around the archipelago on a little raft 。。。more

Emma ，

I picked up a used copy of this in a second-hand shop and I'm so that glad I did。 Ursula K Le Guin is a tremendously talented writer - I'm shocked that there aren't a hundred different special editions of this gem of a book。 The language is lyrical and thoughtful without becoming too whimsical or hard to read。 The story has a great pace and although there is never a dull moment the critical points in the story still bear plenty of weight。 I think this would be an excellent book to read aloud， an I picked up a used copy of this in a second-hand shop and I'm so that glad I did。 Ursula K Le Guin is a tremendously talented writer - I'm shocked that there aren't a hundred different special editions of this gem of a book。 The language is lyrical and thoughtful without becoming too whimsical or hard to read。 The story has a great pace and although there is never a dull moment the critical points in the story still bear plenty of weight。 I think this would be an excellent book to read aloud， and I expect that I'll want to reread this several more times。 。。。more

Maria ，

It took a while for me to really sink my teeth into this one。 The style is different than what I'm used to， and in the beginning the matter-of-fact prose felt a little dry and detached for my tastes。 But I just had to keep at it and the more I read， the more I came to feel for this world and the main character。 It was only after Ged summons his shadow during the festival on Roke that I really became engaged; so much so that I finished the entire second half of the novel in one night。 It's curren It took a while for me to really sink my teeth into this one。 The style is different than what I'm used to， and in the beginning the matter-of-fact prose felt a little dry and detached for my tastes。 But I just had to keep at it and the more I read， the more I came to feel for this world and the main character。 It was only after Ged summons his shadow during the festival on Roke that I really became engaged; so much so that I finished the entire second half of the novel in one night。 It's currently 1:30 am and I've just read the final paragraph。 I can't wait to pick up the next in the series。LeGuin did something here that I'm not sure I can fully explain， but just know that it affected me。 Several parts made me cry， almost all of which had to do with the idea of love and belonging in a community or the idea of needing to chase that scares you。 Ahhhh it's too late for me to be coherent， let alone eloquent about what this book made me feel。 But it made me feel a lot。 。。。more

Dominika ，

DNF 30%

Natalie Guillet ，

Incredible writing and a wonderful journey， couldn't put the book down。 Incredible writing and a wonderful journey， couldn't put the book down。 。。。more

Renee Friedrich ，

Very visually descriptive。 Follows the path of a young mages training and his travels through the world he lives in。Great teen novel。

Jillian ，

I enjoyed this more than I expected！ Sometimes it seems like the more I read fantasy， the more I realize I don't really like fantasy， but prefer folktales， fairy tales， myths， and Tolkien。 Adding a dragon to a plot does not automatically pique my interest， so I picked up this book with some ambivalence。 This is my first book by LeGuin， though I know she's a popular writer。 I would have preferred a little bit more character development， but as I was engaged rather quickly， I suppose it doesn't ma I enjoyed this more than I expected！ Sometimes it seems like the more I read fantasy， the more I realize I don't really like fantasy， but prefer folktales， fairy tales， myths， and Tolkien。 Adding a dragon to a plot does not automatically pique my interest， so I picked up this book with some ambivalence。 This is my first book by LeGuin， though I know she's a popular writer。 I would have preferred a little bit more character development， but as I was engaged rather quickly， I suppose it doesn't matter。 There were a few things that seemed to be common tropes， but considering how early this was published， she is one of the sources， not an imitator。 The concepts of names， their significance， and their use in magic is perfect。 There's plenty to chew on there。 。。。more

Ben Truong ，

A Wizard of Earthsea is the first book in Earthsea Cycle written by Ursula K。 Le Guin。 It follows a young boy named Ged and his personal journey of learning magic and chasing a shadow creature he inadvertently released， and ultimately himself。The story is set in the fictional archipelago of Earthsea and centers on a young mage named Dunny （later Ged）， born in a village on the island of Gont。 He displays great power while still a boy and joins the school of wizardry， where his prickly nature driv A Wizard of Earthsea is the first book in Earthsea Cycle written by Ursula K。 Le Guin。 It follows a young boy named Ged and his personal journey of learning magic and chasing a shadow creature he inadvertently released， and ultimately himself。The story is set in the fictional archipelago of Earthsea and centers on a young mage named Dunny （later Ged）， born in a village on the island of Gont。 He displays great power while still a boy and joins the school of wizardry， where his prickly nature drives him into conflict with one of his fellows。 During a magical duel， Ged's spell goes awry and releases a shadow creature that attacks him and the rest of the novel follows his journey as he seeks to be free of the creature。A Wizard of Earthsea is written extremely well – it is far from perfect， but comes magically close。 The narrative is a wonderful bildungsroman of Ged – the copper skinned protagonist， as it explores Ged's process of learning to cope with power and come to terms with death。 Le Guin has created a wonderful archipelago world with a very balance magical system。 The magic system is closely tied to the idea that language and names have power to affect the material world and alter this balance。 The structure of the narrative is similar to that of a traditional epic with some subversion that makes it rather unique。All in all， A Wizard of Earthsea is written extremely well and is a wonderful beginning to what would hopefully be a wonderful series， which I plan to continue in the very near future。 。。。more

Tina Silveira ，

3。5*

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Wizard of Earthsea

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Wizard of Earthsea&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Wizard of Earthsea&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0