A Wizard of Earthsea
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- Create Date：2022-01-20 09:52:09
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ursula K. Le Guin
- ISBN：0141354917
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Summary
The first book of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is a tale of wizards， dragons and terrifying shadows。
The island of Gont is a land famous for wizards。 Of these， some say the greatest - and surely the greatest voyager - is the man called Sparrowhawk。 As a reckless， awkward boy， he discovered the great power that was in him - with terrifying consequences。 Tempted by pride to try spells beyond his means， Sparrowhawk lets loose an evil shadow-beast in his land。 Only he can destroy it， and the quest leads him to the farthest corner of Earthsea。
The island of Gont is a land famous for wizards。 Of these， some say the greatest - and surely the greatest voyager - is the man called Sparrowhawk。 As a reckless， awkward boy， he discovered the great power that was in him - with terrifying consequences。 Tempted by pride to try spells beyond his means， Sparrowhawk lets loose an evil shadow-beast in his land。 Only he can destroy it， and the quest leads him to the farthest corner of Earthsea。
Reviews
Steve
，
This is an absolutely thrilling read。 Not only is this is this a great introduction to the world of Earthsea，but the messages delivered are well made and thought provoking。 The book introduces lovable characters and offers the intense action scenes I've ever read。 Le Guin did a fantastic job in almost all aspects， and the earthsea cycles just continues to get better from there。 This is an absolutely thrilling read。 Not only is this is this a great introduction to the world of Earthsea，but the messages delivered are well made and thought provoking。 The book introduces lovable characters and offers the intense action scenes I've ever read。 Le Guin did a fantastic job in almost all aspects， and the earthsea cycles just continues to get better from there。 。。。more
Brad Coleman
，
Un Mago de Terramar es una muy buena novela de fantasía， elegante， muy bien escrita， con un tono próximo al de Tolkien， aunque quizás no al mismo nivel。 Es mi primer libro de la autora， así que tendré que leer más para poder juzgar adecuadamente， pero mi impresión es la de un tipo de fantasía superior a la mayoría de la fantasía moderna， pero inferior a las grandes obras， como El Señor de los Anillos， Juego de Tronos， El Nombre del Viento， y sí， también Harry Potter。 Sé que mucha gente considera Un Mago de Terramar es una muy buena novela de fantasía， elegante， muy bien escrita， con un tono próximo al de Tolkien， aunque quizás no al mismo nivel。 Es mi primer libro de la autora， así que tendré que leer más para poder juzgar adecuadamente， pero mi impresión es la de un tipo de fantasía superior a la mayoría de la fantasía moderna， pero inferior a las grandes obras， como El Señor de los Anillos， Juego de Tronos， El Nombre del Viento， y sí， también Harry Potter。 Sé que mucha gente considera que la saga de Harry Potter está sobrevalorada， pero creo que no han comprendido la completitud de esta obra que， pese a ser menos sofisticada， encierra todo los elementos de la ficción con absoluta perfección。 También sé que mucha gente alaba a Ursula K。 Le Guin por la forma en que introduce mitología y tonos reflexivos en su obra。 Esto es precisamente lo que hace a esta novela superior a la mayoría， pero no considero que la profundidad de dichos elementos sea tan elevada como para darle un puesto en el podio de la fantasía literaria。 No pretendo desmerecer la obra， realmente me ha gustado muchísimo， pero he visto que alguna gente le otorga un valor que me parece exagerado。 Con eso y con todo， estoy deseando leer más historias de la autora， y también estoy más que dispuesto a cambiar de opinión。 。。。more
Dan Ochoa
，
4。5 estrellas。 Me llevo una grata sorpresa de mi primera lectura de esta gran autora y se llego a comprender por qué es fuente de inspiración para nuevos autores de fantasía （Rothfuss por ejemplo）。 Con un cierre de libro impresionante， se nos cuenta la vida de Gavilán， un estudiante de Mago y sus primeras hazañas en su vida。 Al ser un inicio de saga puede resultar lento en el primer tercio de la lectura aunque resulta bastante entretenido。 Un obligado para los fanáticos de la fantasia épica。
Wally
，
Not as good as I remembered from reading as a kid but still very good
Irene
，
I don't think Le Guin's fiction is for me。 This was a great book and tremendously imaginative， but for some reason I can't quite put my finger on， I wasn't particularly immersed in the story。 I'm aware this is entirely an issue with me as a reader， which is why I'm giving it 4 stars。 Maybe I'm just in a weird mood and this was the wrong time to read this。 The narration style made me feel kept at a distance and there was barely any downtime。 This is a very fast-paced book， and the parts I tend to I don't think Le Guin's fiction is for me。 This was a great book and tremendously imaginative， but for some reason I can't quite put my finger on， I wasn't particularly immersed in the story。 I'm aware this is entirely an issue with me as a reader， which is why I'm giving it 4 stars。 Maybe I'm just in a weird mood and this was the wrong time to read this。 The narration style made me feel kept at a distance and there was barely any downtime。 This is a very fast-paced book， and the parts I tend to enjoy the most are the quiet moments of intimacy between characters。 There are a few of those， but the moments in which the characters are together never last long enough for me to develop any attachment to them。 If you like adventure books with a lot of magic and action， you may love this， but I couldn't。 I'm actually a bit upset because from the interviews with Le Guin I've seen， she was a formidable woman and I really wanted to like her writing。 I enjoyed The Lathe of Heaven but DNFd The Left Hand of Darkness， so there may be other books of hers I'd like， but I think for now I may direct my attention towards her essays。 。。。more
Marianne van Aperen
，
Hoewel ik een paar dingen erg waardeer aan de werelden die Ursula K le Guin verzint （de landschappen， de bijzondere eigen natuurwetten， de mensen （waarvan bijna iedereen van kleur is））， stellen de verhalen die zich er afspelen me erg teleur。 En nog meer dan dat stoorde ik me er aan hoe er nooit een belangrijke， sympathieke rol voor een vrouwelijk personage was weggelegd。 De twee paar vrouwelijke personages blijken vals， onkundig of ongeïnteresseerd。 Ze worden bovendien omschreven als onaantrekke Hoewel ik een paar dingen erg waardeer aan de werelden die Ursula K le Guin verzint （de landschappen， de bijzondere eigen natuurwetten， de mensen （waarvan bijna iedereen van kleur is））， stellen de verhalen die zich er afspelen me erg teleur。 En nog meer dan dat stoorde ik me er aan hoe er nooit een belangrijke， sympathieke rol voor een vrouwelijk personage was weggelegd。 De twee paar vrouwelijke personages blijken vals， onkundig of ongeïnteresseerd。 Ze worden bovendien omschreven als onaantrekkelijk， minder slim en ze krijgen niet veel meer te doen dan een handwerkje of het bereiden van de lunch voor de held。 Toegegeven， het verhaal is meer dan 50 jaar oud， maar toch had ik iets meer van een jaren ‘70 boek verwacht。 。。。more
David Sellers
，
3。5 stars。 Strong start that kinda faded as it went on。 Still easy to see why this became a classic - it's short， accessible， and fun。 3。5 stars。 Strong start that kinda faded as it went on。 Still easy to see why this became a classic - it's short， accessible， and fun。 。。。more
Bongani Sonti
，
It's poetic how this book reads and as such when you start you dont want to end without finishing in the fear that if you stop you'll lose the tone。 I thoroughly enjoyed it。 Ursula is a mage with words， this is a series I'm gonna mos def enjoy digging in to。 It's poetic how this book reads and as such when you start you dont want to end without finishing in the fear that if you stop you'll lose the tone。 I thoroughly enjoyed it。 Ursula is a mage with words， this is a series I'm gonna mos def enjoy digging in to。 。。。more
Krisha
，
This book just felt like a classic to me， I don't know why。 This was definitely not my type， tbh， it had no excitement and adventure in it。 I just read this book because it was lying around with me。 Though I would recommend this for a fun and casual read This book just felt like a classic to me， I don't know why。 This was definitely not my type， tbh， it had no excitement and adventure in it。 I just read this book because it was lying around with me。 Though I would recommend this for a fun and casual read 。。。more
Philip Mastandrea
，
A very nice story about a wizard。 That is basically all I have to say about it。 I enjoyed it。 I may pick up some more stories in the series。 I will likely try some other Le Guin。
Matt
，
it is impossible for this bitch to miss
Boris
，
pretty mediocre Lots of islands。 Lots of ocean。 Lots of made up words。 Not much reward for all the slog。I’ve read much better fantasy books than this one。This is the third book in my 2022 high school recommendations from friends。
Beth
，
So glad to have （finally） entered Le Guin’s world。
Sarah
，
My dad has been pestering me to read this book for years now and I’m glad I finally did。 I really connected with this story。 The books that I’ve been loving lately aren’t just told well， they’ve been relatable and validating。 The Wizard of Earthsea was a haunting and thrilling tale of a wizard’s lonely journey。 Le Guin created a balanced protagonist in Ged。 I found myself empathizing with him every step of the way。 There’s no doubt， Le Guin is a masterful storyteller。
Paul Bartlett
，
I had strange experience with this one。 On one hand I loved the writing style and the author’s way with words。 On the other hand， the story didn’t quite grab me as I was expecting it to。 I will continue with the next stories in the series and hope the story improves。
Justin
，
I loved how beautiful and poetic the writing was。 Really enjoyed the story too！ 4。5/5 stars
ERHAN TOKER
，
Genç bir adamın gururu， egosu ve öfkesi yani gençliği， hayatı boyunca onu takip eden bir karabasana dönüşür。 Bir gün karar verip bunlarla yüzleşme yolculuğuna çıkar。 Bütün bu öyküyü fantastik bir biçimde bir büyücünün yolculuğu olarak okudum。 Nefis。
Lily
，
Aunque muy bien escrito， con una prosa elegante y a ratos incluso poetica， no pude emocionarme o sonreir o llorar o nada。 Me parecio repetitivo， a ratos aburrido y no he logrado conectar con Ged。 Le dare una oportubidad al 2 libro de Historias de Terramar， veremis que tal。
Hannah
，
Exactly what I was craving in this moment。 I need more stories of people grappling with the nature of power and self。 I read an interview with Peter S。 Beagle where he says Ursula K LeGuin is the “master of us all”。 Damn right。 I loved this so much， and I’m really excited to continue the series！！
Becca
，
When I read this series as a kid， I went through with a notebook and copied out all of the words of power， and spent recess shouting commands at the wind。 （I was a tremendously well adjusted and popular child。）Rereading this as an adult was wonderful。 The world glints darkly， creaks with leather， chills with fog， salt spray bleach driftwood， massive dragons creak。 It's just gorgeous。And this is a story I think of again and again when I consider what non-Christian fantasy storytelling can be。 Eve When I read this series as a kid， I went through with a notebook and copied out all of the words of power， and spent recess shouting commands at the wind。 （I was a tremendously well adjusted and popular child。）Rereading this as an adult was wonderful。 The world glints darkly， creaks with leather， chills with fog， salt spray bleach driftwood， massive dragons creak。 It's just gorgeous。And this is a story I think of again and again when I consider what non-Christian fantasy storytelling can be。 Even if authors don't consciously dip their worldbuilding in the blood of the lamb， they still believe in right and wrong， good and evil， saints and sinners， apostates and devils， repentant pilgrims。 The conflict of good vs。 evil transcends the self-- in fact it demands self-sacrifice。This book asks a different set of questions。 There's still harm and healing， and the potential for good and evil impact。 But the central conflict is not about ultimate good vanquishing ultimate evil。 This was the first exposure I had to zen thought， ages before I knew what that was。 It's the kind of story that continues to feed me through the decades。 Good old Ursula。 。。。more
Dimisaurus
，
Don't think I will be continuing with this one， and I'm amazed I can be so bored over something that receives praise upon praise， from， moreover， an author I really respect。 But character is everything to me， and this novel fails at just that。 Don't think I will be continuing with this one， and I'm amazed I can be so bored over something that receives praise upon praise， from， moreover， an author I really respect。 But character is everything to me， and this novel fails at just that。 。。。more
George Prew
，
Beautifully-constructed， emotive， evocative， brilliant fantasy。 As always， Le Guin treats world， characters， and story with equal care and loving detail， creating one of the richest fantasy worlds I have ever read。 So rich that this is the first book in a long time which I have had to put down multiple times because just a couple of pages are a satisfying helping。 Absolutely loved it！
Russell James
，
Puts JK Rowling to shame on so many levels。
Abigail
，
This is the story of a boy with too much ambition。In his quest to learn magic， Ged takes things one step too far。 To one up a classmate at their magic academy， Ged summons a being of great darkness。 This darkness knows his true name and wants to destroy him。 From then， Ged must face the darkness and his own fears。 This is a pretty standard fantasy book。 It was a bit darker than I expected from a children's book， but still appropriate。 For me it was a light， quick， and enjoyable read。 This is the story of a boy with too much ambition。In his quest to learn magic， Ged takes things one step too far。 To one up a classmate at their magic academy， Ged summons a being of great darkness。 This darkness knows his true name and wants to destroy him。 From then， Ged must face the darkness and his own fears。 This is a pretty standard fantasy book。 It was a bit darker than I expected from a children's book， but still appropriate。 For me it was a light， quick， and enjoyable read。 。。。more
Ana
，
Buf。 Yo llegue con ganas a este libro。 Fantasía， clásico。。。 Aún no he podido acabar El señor de los anillos por su densidad。 Pero El ojo del mundo pude terminarlo sin problemas。 Así que pensé que estaba preparada。 Craso error。Lo cierto es que comencé el libro pensando "esto es algo que podría leerle a mis hijos"， bastante contenta。 Pero conforme avanzaba， esa sensación se iba perdiendo。 No llega a 200 páginas， y nunca antes me había costado tanto terminar un libro así。 La narración se hace pesad Buf。 Yo llegue con ganas a este libro。 Fantasía， clásico。。。 Aún no he podido acabar El señor de los anillos por su densidad。 Pero El ojo del mundo pude terminarlo sin problemas。 Así que pensé que estaba preparada。 Craso error。Lo cierto es que comencé el libro pensando "esto es algo que podría leerle a mis hijos"， bastante contenta。 Pero conforme avanzaba， esa sensación se iba perdiendo。 No llega a 200 páginas， y nunca antes me había costado tanto terminar un libro así。 La narración se hace pesada en un punto， con demasiadas pausas para explicar no ya el aspecto de las cosas， sino las sensaciones que genera， lo cual es poético， pero en un libro tan corto que se use de manera tan reiterativa， cansa。Luego está el tema de que con el protagonista no llegas a conectar del todo。 Cuando el tema de la sombra piensas "mira， igual aquí repunta"， pero nada más lejos de la realidad， se queda todo en agua de borrajas， y lo peor， con un final que deja una resolución muy del estilo de "lo hizo un mago"， en este caso， para mal。 。。。more
Lynnette
，
I liked this story， and it was neat to have the hero and most characters as people of color， especially knowing when this was written。 Some of the story felt rushed and some felt much too drawn out。 So I was left filling in gaps where I thought I didn't have enough background， or I was left hurrying through to get to some action。 I still loved Ged's adventure。 And I always love a firm and loyal friend， like Vetch。Her Afterword that was included was so enjoyable to read！ I liked this story， and it was neat to have the hero and most characters as people of color， especially knowing when this was written。 Some of the story felt rushed and some felt much too drawn out。 So I was left filling in gaps where I thought I didn't have enough background， or I was left hurrying through to get to some action。 I still loved Ged's adventure。 And I always love a firm and loyal friend， like Vetch。Her Afterword that was included was so enjoyable to read！ 。。。more
Joanna
，
There is something so special about the series。 This is the re-read for me （although the first time read in English）。 But it takes skill to make you want to read slower so you can enjoy the book for longer。（And it also took a lot of skill to make me interested in reading -anything- when I was in high school）
Hassan
，
My only experience with Earthsea was the Ghibli movie adaptation。 I was pleasantly surprised to see that， despite being over 50 years old， A Wizard of Earthsea disregarded several of the fantasy norms that Tolkien had set over a decade prior。 Perhaps my favorite element is that Le Guin decided to put the setting of the entire story on an archipelago rather than some Western European fantasy ideal that we are so accustomed to seeing。 There is a heavy emphasis on the ocean and on sailing。 Mages pl My only experience with Earthsea was the Ghibli movie adaptation。 I was pleasantly surprised to see that， despite being over 50 years old， A Wizard of Earthsea disregarded several of the fantasy norms that Tolkien had set over a decade prior。 Perhaps my favorite element is that Le Guin decided to put the setting of the entire story on an archipelago rather than some Western European fantasy ideal that we are so accustomed to seeing。 There is a heavy emphasis on the ocean and on sailing。 Mages play the central role of this story， and their magic system is quite unique。 Most of the characters are people of color， though white people do still exist as Viking stand-ins in the east。 Overall， I give the worldbuilding of Earthsea a 5/5。 However， there are a few reasons why I have downgraded my overall review to 4/5。 For one， my publication contained a map that was of very poor quality。 Oftentimes in the story characters will reference some event or famous person， but without an index of what these events/people are， they become little more than fluff on the page。 I think the author could at least have provided brief information in the form of footnotes or something。 Maybe newer publications do this。 Finally， I'm confused about why Le Guin decided to include casual sexism in this book。 It did nothing to server the plot or any character arc。 Why did she make it that only men could be great and powerful mages， and women were referred to （in a derogatory way） as witches？ In an interview with Le Guin on the Guardian， she reveals that， “from my own cultural upbringing， I couldn’t go down deep and come up with a woman wizard。” "She had been 'a woman pretending to think like a man' and that her much-loved Earthsea books 'are a total complete bust' as feminist literature。" 。。。more
Hya
，
A delightfully dark fantasy read about a young man who embarks on a journey of magic and sometimes despair。Some of the characters are richly complex。 I found the main character Ged an interesting one to grapple with emotionally， as there is growth over his journey。 Meaningful growth， that evolves the reader's understanding of the character and feeling rinsed but buoyant by the end of the book。I appreciate that it was unique for its time and has stood the test of time。 I would highly recommend it A delightfully dark fantasy read about a young man who embarks on a journey of magic and sometimes despair。Some of the characters are richly complex。 I found the main character Ged an interesting one to grapple with emotionally， as there is growth over his journey。 Meaningful growth， that evolves the reader's understanding of the character and feeling rinsed but buoyant by the end of the book。I appreciate that it was unique for its time and has stood the test of time。 I would highly recommend it to young adults interested in fantasy。 。。。more
Gabrielle Durrett
，
There was a lot of traveling。 Otherwise， it was great！
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