Rating: 
Summary: A reference Book for Life's Dark Moments?
Review: A lot of people (usually the sort of techies that read sci-fi to jerk-off over descriptions of gadgets-mankind-has-never-seen-before) totally mis-understand this book. A lot of very young children who are asked to read under the misconception that it is for them, get confused. You'll find reviews from both sorts on this web-page.The reason is that this is an allegory of emotional life. Ged is a fallible hero who has done something wrong and goes out to try and redeem himself. It's about adolescence and discovering your power and how to apply it to society. It's full of little gems of wisdom like the Arch-mage who dies quietly,going slowly down the road to the land of the Dead, as one who is familiar with that road. Wise men have faced death and have come to understand it. People who have not lived do not understand this book. It is not really fantasy at all, but about a human being's emotional life. Not surprisingly it does not appeal to those who do not know how to live. Unlike the simplicistic (racist, class conscious) plot of Tolkien, this book actually gives you something lasting to apply to life. And don't be put off-it does have odd moments of supreme drama. It develops at the pace that life develops for most of us fast and exciting at puberty / adolescence, quieter echoes later on. And it manages all this in a tiny slim paperback. Tell that to Tolkien. The film-maker Powell/ Pressburger of A Matter of Life & Death fame (another superbly crafted allegory) wanted to make the film. Maybe this detail will afford an inroad to understanding to all those techies who couldn't find a logical, step by step plot that poked two fingers up their nostrils and dragged them thru the book? This review is of the first book only.
Rating:
Summary: Not the simplest of books....
Review: Before I go into details, a simple statment. I ranked the book a five. It deserves it. Phenominal book, phenominal story.
Here we go, the strengths: She is a phenominal righter and is able to entrapt the reader in the story. As I read, the personal conflicts and complexity of her charecters was amazing. You get to feel for their strugle and understand it intametely. This is a classic book, the writing reads like it.
My only criticism is simple, I wanted more. The writer has a wonderful ability to describe the surroundings and situations, but I felt wanting to know more about the character and the situation. Sometimes, it felt like the story jumped from one point to another without a clear connection. These criticisms are worthless, i assure you. It is an awesome book, worth reading. My criticism stems from wanting to know more about the world. Which is a reflection of the authors writing and storytelling ability.
Rating:
Summary: Simple, but not
Review: Before I start, I should explain what I mean by high fantasy. High fantasy is (to me) a writing style that does not concern itself with the mundane details. Good is good and evil is evil. People don't worry about where the next meal comes from, and death and disease are not immediate, except as the story needs them. That being said, in some ways, A Wizard of Earthsea is a very simple book. It's straight high fantasy, and it's a coming of age story about confronting your inner demons, and the price paid for the sin of pride. And in an age where staggering complexity seems to be the norm, with plot twists and complex hurried action, sometimes it is good to sit and read a simple story, well told. Perhaps it's a personal thing of mine. So many people feel that it is necessary to do something new and exciting, the novel seems to exist to be novel and nothing else. I find great pleasure in seeing people do the simple things well. It's a lot harder than you think. Witness how few do it well. The fact that Earthsea is a seemingly simple novel, but complete in its simplicity makes it a classic in the field. Other novels build on the base, or change it, but this is a book you must read to understand the root of how high fantasy is written.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I know it's listed under "young adult," but this is a book anyone can enjoy. The characters are unforgetable and full of personality, and the story sucks you right in from the very beginning.
...and if you're convinced the book is anything like the lousy SciFi movie version, shame on you. If you watched that tripe, please do yourself a favor and read the book... don't worry, the story & plot haven't been ruined for you.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable book for you to be swept away in fantasy!
Review: I love the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series and this book seemed to have a mixture of them both. If you love to read of magic, adventure, mystery and triumph you will like (maybe even love) this book. I can't wait to start reading the Book 2 in the cycle!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I picked up this book when I had nothing else to read. My mom had read it ages ago,when she was really into fantasy and reccomended it to me. I could not put it down.It was complex,magical,and at many points exciting.Le Guin developed and amazing culture ,yet she did not go too far ,like other authors (David Eddings). I adored how Le Guin put an anti-racist thing in,very slyly.The Kargs ,had pale skin,and a good deal of Earthsea didn't(the Kargs are "evil").This book made simple classes of wizardry ,which in most books would be amazingly boring,was extremely interesting.Most of the boring parts were when the character was bored,not when you for some reason were supposed to be interested. I have to say ,besides Ged,my favorite character was the otak.So cute ,yet so loyal.Le Guin can make little things wonderful. Alright,I suppose I'll need to go to the plot now.Ged ,a young sheephearder on the island called Gont,discovers that he is a wizard.He is sent to the Isle of Roke to train.Soon he becomes powerful,but while trying to summon a dead spirit ,he unleashes a shadow upon Earthsea.That Shadow is after him.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthwhile, but could have been much better.
Review: I read "A Wizard of Earthsea" about twenty or twenty-five years ago and had completely forgot the tale. However, last week I was in search for something to read, and pulled this paperback off my bookshelf. So here is my fresh perspective having just completed this story moments ago: Note: there are some plot spoilers in my review. First, I could not believe the amount of narrative LeGuin used in this book. She writes about lot of things rather than shows the reader how it has happened (or is happening) as the story unfolds. Now, to be fair, LeGuin does this with very beautiful and poetic language, of which I was able to appreciate and admire, but it is narrative just the same. If you cannot stand this style, I expect you will have a hard time with this book. The first chapter goes contains (mostly) fifteen pages of exposition, and breaks into short dialogue less than 20 times. The narrative usually stays out of the thoughts of the characters and remains rather distant. Many of the remaining chapters follow this model. I can understand that LeGuin was attempting to generate a feeling of ancient lore, since use of her wonderful narrative voice adds to that overall effect, but it make this book read less like a novel and much more like a short section of Tolkien's Silmarillion; a book that was never intended to be read as a novel but more as a history of ancient lore in a style that resembles parts of the Bible. The narrator's voice also avoids deep characterization - seldom do we fully appreciate the thoughts and the full motivations of most of the people that inhabit Earthsea. Due to this style, the only chapters that were very interesting and entertaining to me were Chapters Two through Four - the part of the story in which Ged becomes apprentice to the Mage Ogion and later leaves him to train on the island of Roke in a school for Wizards. In these chapters there is quite a bit of dialogue and interesting interplay between characters. Particularly, there is an intense and interesting wizardly rivalry between Ged (a poor boy raised in poverty) and an older student named Jasper (raised in privilege and wealth) [1]. It is from this contest of wills that brings forth the evil shadow that occupies Ged for the remaining chapters of the novel. It is too bad that LeGuin completely drops this Ged-Jasper conflict utterly once the shadow is let loose on the world, as this was one of the best parts of the story. There is what should have been an interesting "side trip" in chapter six and seven. LeGuin has Ged venture to a land called Osskil in search of a way to defeat his enemy. Again, here are two more chapters of the story that had great potential, conflict, and mystery that ends abruptly for Ged, who flees without fully understanding what has happened or what powers have contrived to entrap him. The reader may also be likewise disappointed as LeGuin writes the set up very well, and the mystery of the stone is well presented, but the sudden flight ruins the suspense. Ged and the reader do not learn enough through this encounter. Did Ged's shadow drive him to Osskil or did the spirit in the stone pull him there? Did the shadow serve the stone or are they the same; are they part of the same darkness? How and why did this happen? Unfortunately, Ged makes a couple of assumptions ex-post-facto, but it is not satisfying or critical to the plot. The remaining chapters describe conflict, between Ged and the evil shadow released (or created?) by Ged's foolish one-upmanship of Jasper at the wizard school. Long before the end of the book it is quite clear as to how, exactly, Ged would manage to defeat this thing. The reader also will likely understand exactly what the shadow represents as well -again this realization will likely happen before the final chapter. Overall, I think this book is entertaining enough for those that are not put-off by such a narrative style, but it certainly pales in comparison to Tolkien, of which it is constantly compared. There is no valid comparison in A Wizard of Earthsea the rich characterization and sheer storytelling ability contained within The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. As I said earlier, if this work is fairly compared to a style of Tolkien, then it must be compared only to a chapter or section the massive Silmarillion: a collection of unfinished writings and narrative history.
Rating:
Summary: Well written story for all ages
Review: If you have seen the SciFi channel miniseries and were even moderatly intriged this book is a must read. A comming of age story that can be enjoyed equally by adults and younger readers alike.
Rating:
Summary: The Legends of Earthsea rules!
Review: It has been years since I finished reading the science fiction book "The Legends of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin. There is nothing at all to complain about when describing this book. If I can remember it from 3 years ago and be able to discuss it today, then that proves it's a good book in my opinion. It is my most favorite book of all time up to date.
"The legends of Earthsea" is about a young boy named Ged who lives in a small village on the isle of Gont. Ged does not like his lifestyle on the island at all, because all he does is help his father smith. Ged knows that his abilities far exceed that of a mere smither, because he continuously has visions. These visions show a girl in a dark labyrinth, and she is running away. Ged has no idea what this means, but he knows that he has special abilities.
Ogion, a wizard that resides on Gont, advises Ged that maybe he should go to the isle of Roke. Roke has a school for people with wizard-like abilities, and only accepts those who have specially written recommendations from Arch Maguses. When Ged gets there, he becomes quick friends with Veg, a student who has enrolled there. However, he is also challenged, challenged to a duel in wizardry, by Jasper. In this challenge, Jasper says that Ged could never summon a spirit if his life depended on it. However, his life would have been much better off he did not summon one. Ged summons a dark spirit and releases it into the world.
Throughout the book, Veg and Ged seek the demon, flee from the demon, and seek it again. Ged knows that the only way to defeat Debith is to confront it and speak its true name.
The story line of this story is good because it always leads you along on the hunt. It's a story that takes you with Ged on his journey to defeat the Debith, and as he does this, he learns many lessons and skills along the way. From sailing across many oceans, to evading the wrath of dragons, Ged travels all over earthsea for the answer he needs to defeat this evil he has released.
I would recommend this book to everybody because this is not a boring book at all! Also, read the entire trilogy, because it gets better after the first book, much better.
Rating: 
Summary: The old authors are still the best
Review: Modern fantasy writers should take a day and reread Mrs. Le Guin's novel with the hopes of gaining perspective on what makes a good fantasy novel. In about 30% of the length of most new novels, the author builds a world rich in detail and history, and still manages to keep the story driven by the characters, and not by the world itself.
The central character goes through a six-year span of his life in this book, from the age of his naming to when he's nineteen and a full-fledged wizard. During that time he studies and grows and faces his most inner demons. The author fleshes out that inner turmoil that every teenager goes through and turns it into a great adventure of self-discovery. This would have made an even more fantastic read when I was in high school.
The book is definitely a fantasy, but in the classic sense. Magic and such is not he backbone of this book. It is more of a backdrop.
I recommend this book to all adults and young adults who have 5-6 hours to immerse themselves in a world of fantasy adventure and friendship.
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