A Wizard of Earthsea

Rating:
Summary: Top Notch Fantasy, And A Whole Lot More
Review: Among other things, I am a great fan of fantasy, and among my favorite books are those in the Dragonlance series, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and various other Middle Earth tales, and other such books. This book, A Wizard of Earthsea, however, stands apart from the rest, and by far outshines all those save, perhaps, Tolkien's, compared to which it is on an at least equal footing.

Perhaps most importantly, this by no means should be considered merely a "young adult" book, or even a simple "adventure/fantasy" book. This a tale which explores some rather deep aspects of the human psyche, and when read closely is not a work to be taken lightly, much as Tolkien's works explore deep aspects of spirituality.

Set in a fantasy world that seems to resemble more the ancient world of the Hebrews, Hittites, and other such peoples than the more common medievalesque setting, Le Guin uses a style reminiscent in tone and atmosphere of the Viking Sagas to tell the tale of Sparrowhawk, or Ged as his "true" name is (in this book words have substantial power, as people of many ancient civilizations believed - in this case in particular, your true name is the word that allows others to have power over you). Specifically, this tale covers the parts of his life from early childhood to early adulthood (it is continued in the next three books of the Earthsea cycle).

It begins with Sparrowhawk's childhood on the Island of Gont, and like the stars of many tales from the ancient world, he has a rather special, bordering on "miraculous," childhood. Even as an untrained youth he has noticeable power, and it is substantial enough to aid in the rescue of his village from foreign invaders.

Sparrowhawk then goes on, through various twists and turns of plot, to become apprentice to a mage named Ogion, who, to use the words of history/politics in the world of magic, walks softly and carries a big stick. Impatient, however, to learn slowly but surely, he goes on to learn at an island called Roke, on which there is a school for Wizards (where he meets, among others, my favorite character, the Otak).

It is at this school where the plot really takes off, for it is here that, through a series of unfortunate but necessary events, Ged, who's power surpasses his judgement and is made dangerous by his youthful pride, releases a shadow upon the world. From here, much time is spent on his part running from the shadow, and thus he begins a series of adventures, including a showdown with a family of dragons. Eventually, though, Ged realizes he must confront the shadow, and it is his quest for the shadow that forms the climax of this tale, which I will not say anything more about.

Underpinning all of this is a wonderful synthesis of concepts from antiquity, mythology, psychology, and philosophy, and teaches several valuable lessons. One is the notion of not disturbing an abstract entity called the Equilibrium, which can be applied to our current lives in many ways, including (though certainly not limited to) care for, if not conservation of, the environment. Another is self-acceptance and the sense of self-efficacy, and more so spiritual/psychological fulfillment, which comes from that.

In short, this is by far and away my favorite book, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for either a simply good read or a philosophical treatise.


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: 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: 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 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.


Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter??? Who's that? Ged of Ten Alders!!!
Review: Okay, so maybe I haven't REALLY forgotten Harry Potter-in fact, I'm a HUGE fan of the Potter Books (I even did My English II research Paper on it), but I just finished "A Wizard of Earthsea" and I have to say that I absolutely loved this book.

It really made me angry that nobody ever told me this book existed. I was born in 1981 and have since been forced by my crummy education to read (if you call it that) books that lack...well, imagination. I wish there was somebody during my youth that would have told me about Ged and the Island of Roke, maybe then I would have started reading YEARS earlier.

This book speaks for everything I stand for in my love for Fantasy-yes, I'm a dork, but a proud one I am-but also it speaks for my stance on what young people should be allowed to read. Young people should be exposed to books such as this so they can first and foremost establish a LOVE for reading. I promise you, this book can do that.

I don't know if writers like Christopher Paolini read the Earthsea books, but you can definitely see how Ursula K. Le Guin inspired other popular writers of Fantasy. It could be considered part of the High Fantasy Genre, but then again, it lacks the stuffiness of High Fantasy-but that's a good thing.

But what really made me love this book from the very beginning is the character Ged. I don't know, I kind of saw a lot of myself in him. Ged was a dreamer, and wouldn't settle for mediocrity. But he was also a showoff, which got him into a LOT of trouble.

Most of all, this book will leave you with a good feeling-I can't explain the feeling, but it is good. Maybe it's the feeling of actually "reaching the last pages of the book without getting sick of it" that always gets me, or maybe it's something bigger. Whatever it is, "A Wizard of Earthsea" is a book you can read again and again, and since it can be bought in paperback, is more than a fair investment. If you don't like it you can probably find somebody that will, and you would have only spent $8.00, and it will make a great gift.

To end this review I just want to repeat that I REALLY wish somebody had introduced this book to me when I was young-or younger, at least. Okay, maybe this will sound all "After School Special" like, but the Gift of Reading is not only a Priceless Gift because it enhances the mind, but because when you read about characters like Ged, you are inspired to be something more, inspired to be bigger than yourself. In my opinion, heroes make the best role models, and Ged of Ten Alders is NO exception.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly, a little bit frightening
Review: Sparrowhawk is a prideful boy, touchy, easily humiliated. He also had great potential powers to be a wizard. Combine all those things, and you've got trouble. This is a book about magic, with a light, magical touch, but it's also got its dark side--in this case, a boy who too soon messes with things that he shouldn't mess with, who ends up scarred and changed forever because of what he's done, and all because of his pride. This is a cautionary tale about what happens when hubris meets a very powerful magic. Out of all of Le Guin's novels, I found this one the best.


Rating:
Summary: Wow!!
Review: This book was so incredibly awsome I cannot even describe! To see Sparrowhawk grow from a young boy who entranced goats, to a man who mastered his own inner deamons was a great journey. This book is full of magic and mystery more than you could imagine. The thought of a gibbeth coming after me terrified me to my very soul!! I would seriously recommend this book to anyone who liked the LOTR and our magical friend Harry Potter...

Oh, and I would reccomend reading the books before watching the Sci-Fi series "Earthsea."....also very good!
BW~

Rating:
Summary: great standalone book, start of a very good series
Review: With the recent Sci- Fi Channel miniseries, there is bound to be renewed interest in LeGuin's classic first book in her Earthsea series, as there should be. This remains a classic fantasy for good reason. The world within which the characters move is fully developed, having a sense of past, present and future as well as a sense of a larger "there there", as opposed to some fantasies that feel like a Hollywood stage set, as if nothing exists beyond the narrow social/geographical worlds the characters move through. Such is not the case with Earthsea. One feels it is real from the start and the ensuing books in the series only deepen that feeling with regard to its social and political structures, its people, its mythic past.
The characters are equally strong, especially Ged, the young boy who grows to adulthood in true coming-of-age fashion--through pain, loss, self-destruction, and eventual slow growth of wisdom. The depiction of his younger years as he first learns of his wizardly power and potential, apprentices to a single wizard then rejects that slow, dull path in order to attend the more exciting wizardry school (do not think Harry Potter here, style, tone, and environment are quite different) is right on. He is impatient, cocky, self-sure, quick to anger, impulsive, moody. In short, he is an adolescent. As such he has no time for the slow pace of his masters, for their constant warnings about the "balance" (the universe is in constant equilibrium and one change someplace effects another change, for good or ill, somewhere else) and its restrictions on use of power. The idea of the balance is the more you know, the less likely you are to act. Ged, in impetuous and realistic fashion sees it as the more you know, the more you can act.
As one might expect, his blithe self-confidence sets him up for a major fall, as he accidentally opens a portal, allowing an unknown "shadow" to enter the world. Roughly the first half of the book leads up to this event, the second half follows what happens afterward, as Ged is hunted by the evil he has let into the world, an evil that can cause great harm unless he does something about it. Along the way, he slowly grows in wisdom (the steps toward adulthood are gradual but nicely marked), helped along by his former tutor whom he rejected for his dull passivity and his closest friend from the wizard's school at Roke, Vetch.
The end, without giving details away, is simply perfect in its resolution, in its tone, and in its complexity. Don't expect simplistic happy ending or heroic battles against overwhelming odds; this is a personal journey, a personal victory, though it has larger repercussions.
The book succeeds in pretty much all it does. Its world creation is rich and full and three-dimensional. Its characters are sharply detailed, realistic, complex beings. Its plot exciting, its language vivid (sometimes classified as young adult--I'm not sure why--it does not talk down to a perceived younger audience, in terms of complexity of language or philosophy). And in the best test of a good book, it leaves the reader wanting much more; luckily LeGuin provides with several more books in the series. Very highly recommended.