Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: With a limitation of five stars maximum, I cannot possibly give this story all the credit it diserves.I am a dedicated fanatic of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" which I devoured nearly four years ago in third grade. So far, I've seen nothing but the Harry Potter series come even close to those three marvelous books and "The Hobbit." I was very pleasantly surprised upon readin this book. LeGuin starts by introducing the child Duny, called Sparrowhawk, who has some very remarkable abilities. When Duny is given his true name, Ged, by Ogion the mage, he becomes his prentice, and is eager to learn the ways of magic. Eventually, he comes to Roke, and becomes a student in a school for magic. He befriends a kindly boy called Vetch, but also makes a great enemy -- Jasper. Ged, proud and thirsting for power, attempts to outdo his rival by attempting a very dangerous piece of magic...raising a spirit from the dead. In doing so, he accidentally unleashes a deadly and mysterious shadow into the world. Although he is nearly killed during his first encounter with it, Ged knows it is up to him alone to destroy the unnamed evil he has leashed upon the world. This first book of Earthsea is about Ged's passage from boyhood into adulthood, his mastery of magic, and the journey he undertook to restore Equilibrium to Earthsea.
Rating:
Summary: Renewed to reading
Review: It's been months since I've read a book. I'm a college student who has been juggling school, full-time work, a frequently updated web site, and attempts at having a life--and with sleep, that doesn't allow great amounts of time for pleasure reading. This book, however, has taught me that this time, somehow, must be set aside. This Earthsea that Ursula Le Guin has created easily kept me glued to the book for hours on end and prompted me, within fifteen minutes after finishing, to order the second in the Earthsea series. Fans of Tolkien, tales of the middle ages, or the magic of the power of everything, this is a book for you.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars aren't enough
Review: I read the series for the first time when I was about 12, and have gravitated towards it every couple of years since then to re-read. I just can't help myself. This isn't typical kids' stuff, it's brilliant writing. I recently started to re-read a Stephen Donaldson book that I remember liking as a teenager 15 years ago and was amazed at how poor the writing was--bad grammar, convoluted sentences and inept metaphors. I immediately reached for A Wizard of Earthsea, fearing I'd similarly misremembered its greatness--I had not. It was as great as ever. I lost sleep three nights running and now I have to wait another couple of years!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I started reading this 2 years ago and got bored. But I needed a good book to write a report on 2 months ago and found this book in my room. I read the first chapter and right off the bat I coludn't put the book down. The way the book was written, what words LeGuin used was what kept me hooked. The storyline was awesome, how everything came together was perfect. I give this book 11 out of 10 and highly suggest you read it, if you already have read it again!
Rating: 
Summary: Not convinced yet.
Review: This is the first volume in the Earthsea quartet (followed by The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore and Tehanu). After his mother's death, young Ged gets to live with his father, a smith, and his aunt the village witch, who teaches him some minor spells, such as commanding to animals, until one day he uses this magic to save the village from barbaric invaders. Impressed by the boy's potential powers, the mage Ogion takes him as apprentice. But as the days go by, Ged becomes bored and when the choice is offered him, he decides to go to the wizards school of Roke. There he meets with two other scholars: Vetch who'll soon become his friend, and the arrogant Jasper who always looks down on him, and who'll become his rival. And after several months spent in the school, with hatred steadily growing between them, Ged one day challenges Jasper in a magic duel. And as Ged, in a surge of immoderate pride, is trying to wake the dead, he accidentally unleashes an evil shadow, also almost managing to get himself killed in the process. The story goes on to describe Ged perpetual flight from his shadow. Ursula LeGuin's style is elaborate and poetic, but maybe a little bit too much, too old-fashioned, for my liking. As a result, the novel somehow failed to fascinate me, and in the end I realized I didn't care much about what happened to the characters. I'll read the rest of the quartet anyway, in hope it gets more gripping.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and beautiful
Review: This is one of these rare books that, while being simple in plot and restrained in style, somehow resonate in a profound and moving manner. "Wistful" is probably the most fitting word I would use to describe what I felt after having read this. This is one of the most beautifully written books I have read.
Rating:
Summary: A Non-Stop Adventure
Review: I picked this book up to do a stupid book report on, but after the first chapter I couldn't even stop reading it. This book was so well written I had to read the other 3! I am currently reading Tehanu and am going to buy tales of earthsea soon. The books in this series are by far the most intelligent and well written books I have ever read! 05-23-01
Rating: 
Summary: A good start - but the best comes later
Review: The Earthsea series is one of the greatest works of high fantasy, and A Wizard of Esrthsea is a good start to the series. But it's also my least favorite book of the series. Not that there's anything wrong with it - it just doesn't pull me in like the next three books do.
Rating:
Summary: My review:
Review: this story is about a mage-wizard named ged, and (throughout the whole of the earthsea trilogy) becomes a great mage. Early in his life, a spell is cast upon him which sends a creature of darkness to haunt him and hunt him down. can he survive long enough to name the great creature so he can destroy it? Want to know how it ends? you'll just have to read it! The Earthsea collection consists of: A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu
Rating:
Summary: Otak charmer
Review: It's interesting that Le Guin is now returning to Earthsea, first with her new collection of stories, apparently to be followed with another novel. It is telling that she has created a marvelous invention -- despite all promises, even she can't help returning to the scene. It starts off well. A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA is an intense starting point. It describes a harsh realm, where, even with the aid of everpresent magic, life is tough, and survival is eked out. From here, Le Guin launches her fable of Ged, the Sparrowhawk, an intensely talented but brash young man. The consequences of his pride are unleashed in dramatic fashion, and ultimately he must confront the dark forces of life. There is nothing glib, and dark surprises abound. Le Guin moves the story along at a reasonable pace, with a disappointingly (but probably necessarily) compact conclusion. Highly recommended.
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