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Summary: A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA
Review: A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA BOOK IS REALLY INTERESTING. IT IS FULL OF ADVENTURES AND EXITEMENT. THIS BOOK CAN MAKE YOUR IMAGINATION RUN KIND OF WILD. IT IS REALLY EXITING BECAUSE GED IS STRUGGLRILNG ALOT TO GET RID OF THE SADOW THAT HAS BEEN FOLLOWING HIM. DURING THE STORY HE GOES THROUG A REALLY BIG CHANGE IN HIS LIFE. HE BECOMES ONE OF THE GREATEST SORCEROUS IN EARTHSEA. THE SADOW THAT IS FOLOWING HIM AND WANTS TO TAKE HIS POWER AWAY. THIS BOOK IS REALLY COOL TO JUST READ AND HAVE A GOOD AND SAD TIME AT THE SAME TIME.
BY: CLAUDIA U.
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Summary: book is great, but 'ware the "library binding"...
Review: I purchased the library binding as I wanted to give it as a gift in hardcover. Sadly, quality is sinking in this country, bit by bit...the paper is dingy, dim recycled newsprint, almost Soviet in quality, and will probably yellow in a few years. Avoid the library binding. I returned it.The book, of course, is great.
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Summary: The perfect fantasy novel
Review: I've read this book four times--once every decade or so since I was a young teen. Every time I've read it I've been blown away in a different way. When I was thirteen, I was blown away by the thrilling adventure yarn that LeGuin weaves. When I was in my twenties, I was fascinated by the spare, beautiful language and imagery she engages. At thirty, I had just watched Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth, and became fascinated by the way in which LeGuin spins out a tale that follow the structures of the Hero's Journey so perfectly. Now I am amazed by the way in which, with characteristic vision, LeGuin uses a deceptively simple story to delve into some extremely deep philosophical issues. I must be getting old!
This book, the first in the Earthsea series that amazon.com has justly called one of the two most important fanstasy series of the twentieth century (the other being Tolkien's Lord of the Rings), follows the early life of a young sorcerer named Ged. Going by the common name of Sparrowhawk (for in Earthsea, true names have great power), he discovers his own magical ability when he is only a boy. He is trained, first by a local wizard named Ogion the Silent, and then at the great wizard school on the island of Roke. While truly coming into his power there, like another young wizard schoolboy in literature, he gets carried away with his own ability and unleashes something evil into the world. The rest of the novel is spent following Ged's attempts to escape and then to confront this evil--learning its name.
The story is thrilling, the language is beautiful, the structure is mythic and--as with most of LeGuin's writing--the author is grappling with issues far deeper than the typical sword and sorcery novel. What more could one ask for?
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Summary: it was...okay
Review: A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula Le Guin This is a story of a young boy named Sparrowhawk and how he grows into the man (and wizard) that he will become. Sparrowhawk begins as a young goat herder on the island of Gont. He is being trained by a witch there, but when he uses his powers to defend his island from attack, he attracts the notice of a powerful wizard named Ogion. Ogion tells Sparrowhawk that his true name is Ged. (a true name holds great power in Earthsea for it permits the speaker power over the named) and takes him on as an apprentice. Ged learns quickly and is reckless in both his learning of magic as well as his application of magic, and this eventually gets him in trouble. Ged desires more knowledge and goes to the school at Roke. It is here that Ged truly excels, but it is also at Roke that he casts a spell that calls a shade (best description of it without spoiling it) that is much stronger than Ged. This begins the quest portion of the book as Ged both flees from the shade and later confronts it (that's not a spoiler, you had to know it's coming). There is magic use, a really nice fight against dragons, and some adventure. Overall, I wasn't too excited about this book. I know it is a classic in the fantasy field, but it was a little slower and less interesting than I had hoped. It was well written, certainly, but it also lacked a little something to make me want to keep turning the pages. Honestly, I didn't care what happened to Sparrowhawk. And so, I can't really recommend this book.
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Summary: A Good Book
Review: This was an amazing book. It was about an young boy who is just beginning to discover his powers as a wizard. He is sent to a school where he finds many adventures and lots of excitement. Sparrohawk's adventure through his life as a young wizard in this school in a far away land, was both exciting and amusing. I was kept on the edge of my seat, wanting to read more and more. The author is very talented, and quite creative. I only hope that following books in this series are as well written and fun to read as this one was. I will deffinately recomend this book to others.
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Summary: A unique work of fantasy, but not for everyone!
Review: OK, first of all, in my 1st review of this book I gave it only 2 stars and I was complaining about all the geographical info the writer gives the reader and the complicated style. Well, I read the second book of Earthsea, "The Tombs of Atuan", thought it was one of the best works of fantasy I've read (it is more than fantasy, it is a very poetic exploration of the characters) and decided I should re-read "A Wizard of Earthsea". I found myself enjoying it a lot. It is a very complicated tale about limitation and about fighting one's own personal demons.
The cast of characters is deliciously real and every character has many aspects:Ged is torn in two, his bravery and courage is being tested, his honesty and goodness even more so, as he releases a great evil and must fight it with both sides of himself. His teacher is wise and tries to remain as objective as possible, yet he loves his pupil dearly and his icy manners are not as solid as Ged initially thinks. Serret is as beautiful as she is deceiving. Her need to survive in any way possible fuels many events of the book.
It is a story about power: receiving and resisting it.
The book is challenging: as exciting and beautiful as it may be, it sometimes becomes a bit tiring.
But the journey, both for Ged and for the reader, is worthwhile.
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Summary: A suspenseful and spiritual fantasy classic.
Review: Published in 1968, 1971 and 1972, Ursula Le Guin's "Earthsea Trilogy" is widely regarded as a fantasy classic on a level not far from epics like Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and C.S. Lewis' "Narnia Chronicles". The story begins with a young man named Ged, commonly called Sparrowhawk, who receives training to become a wizard. His training in wizardry at the wizard school on the island of Roke begins with the power of illusion. Most magic merely involves the apparent change from one thing to another. But Ged is a brilliant student, and soon progresses to the true magic of changing. "Magic consists in this, the true naming of a thing" - when one knows the true name of an object, one can begin changing things. "Illusion fools the beholder's senses; it makes him see and hear and feel that the thing is changed. But it does not change the thing. To change this rock into a jewel, you must change its true name. And to do that, my son, even to so small a scrap of the world is to change the world." This also applies in the world of men: "Who knows a man's name, holds that man's life in his keeping." But true magic is perilous: it affects the broader world, and can upset the balance of the world "Rain on Roke may be drouth in Osskil." Tempted by pride, hate and revenge over against Jasper, another student wizard, Ged tries calling forth a spirit of the dead and succeeds only in bringing a shadow of evil into the world. LeGuin does not justify Ged's actions, but clearly portays his actions as the result of pride and hate, and resulting in ruin. Like ourselves, Ged is a hero with flaws and must now live with their consequences. In a manner not unlike a dark horror novel, this evil shadow now hunts Ged, and his quest is to hunt it in order to remove it from his world. It's a gripping story, almost too dark at times, at least for young children. But unlike some other popular fantasy novels, the magic here bears a close connection to the occult. In Le Guin's world, a wizard is a respected adviser who plays a role similar to a religious leader in our world today. His spiritual role includes aspects that are being popularized under the name of Wicca and similar pagan religions. It's obvious that Le Guin's magic is pure fantasy, but the way it is worked out seems to closely resemble contemporary paganism, and this made me somewhat uncomfortable and question the suitability of this series for young children. Unlike the Harry Potter series, this fantasy is much more serious (like Robert Jordan's World of Time there are also influences of Taoism) and never trite. Like the Taoist yin-yang, Ged is driven by both evil and good desires; even the concept of the shadow has overtones of Jungian philosophy - modern readers have seen the book as model of Jungian psychology. But this aside, there's no question about how gripping Le Guin's plot is, and how vivid her world. It's no wonder this book won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in 1969, and Le Guin has proven herself by winning several Hugo and Nebula awards with other titles. I look forward to reading the rest of the series! -GODLY GADFLY
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Summary: A majestic work of fantasy fiction.
Review: The Earthsea series, of which this book is the first part, is a majestic work of fantasy fiction. The flowing beauty of the world, the clear simplicity of the storytelling, and the mystery and depth and wisdom of some of the passages makes these books a pleasure to read and reread. Along with J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth and C.S. Lewis' Narnia, Ursela Le Guin's world of Earthsea is one of the most wonderful places to visit in the genre of fantasy.
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Summary: Stick with Harry Potter
Review: When I first heard about Harry Potter, I immediately thought that the plot was expropriated from the Earthsea Trilogy (as it was called back then0> I was bored to tears by Earthsea and so resisted Harry Potter until I read book one. LeGin on her best day couldn't hold a candle to J.K. Rowling. Save your money and your time and read the Harry Potter books.
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Summary: A very different type of book
Review: THE STORY: is about a reckless, awkward boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a wizard's apprentice after the wizard reveals Sparrowhawk's true name. The boy comes to realize that his fate may be far more important than he ever dreamed possible. Readers will witness Sparrowhawk's moving rite of passage--when he discovers his true name and becomes a young man. Great challenges await Sparrowhawk, including an almost deadly battle with a sinister creature, a monster that may be his own shadow. MY FEEDBACK:
1) This book isn't for everyone. The majority of the book is complete narration and very, very little dialogue. Some might find this borning and be tempted to skip to the next piece of dialogue. If you do, you'll miss 90% of the story. 2) I had no expectations going into this book except that it is highlye praised by the majority. Even with the long narrations it somehow captured my attention and held it there. Seeing the transformation of the teenager Ged through the story was the core of the book. Teenagers may relate and thus enjoy the story further. 3) Ged against a bunch of dragons. Way cool! Need I say anymore. 4) I agree with other reviews that Ged is really the only character we get to love and care about (Vetch is also likeable). Ged is the only character the author spends time on getting into the persona and motivations of. The postivie note is Ged as a single character does carry the story well. 5) I like how the world is made up of hundreds of little island townships vs. a large continent here or there. This added some nice man vs. nature conflict, as the battle with the wind and sea are a constant thing in this world. OVERALL: Very quick and enjoyable read. You will not waste your time getting your hands on this because you'll know real quick if the narration style of writing is boring for you or not. I enjoyed it so well, that I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
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