A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Published in 1968
Pages: 183
Genre: Fantasy
“The island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards.”
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin, follows the young wizard Ged from his humble beginnings to his ascension to greatness. Taking advantage of many tropes of the fantasy genre, the tale spans years of Ged’s life and hits the highlights rather than diving into the everyday minutia of Earthsea. Though the story follows the well-trod road of the hero’s journey, there is little to elevate it above other spell-bound tales.
As a young boy, Ged shows latent magical ability and is taken in by his aunt to learn witchcraft and some basic illusions. He is able to use this magic to scare off invaders and save his village; this brave action catches the eye of the local wizard, Ogion, who takes Ged as his pupil. Ged’s affinity for magic and desire for greatness causes him to accidentally summon a shadow from another realm and when he is given the choice to remain with Ogion or study wizardry at the school in Roke, he chooses the latter.
After entering the school, Ged is a star pupil and his instructors begin teaching him stronger magic. He is goaded by his rival, Jasper, into working dangerous magic and accidentally summons a shadow beast that attacks and disfigures Ged. The magic is too powerful and he is saved by the Archmage who dies protecting him. It is in the wake of this that Ged learns that he will forever be hunted by the shadow unless he can defeat it. He completes his education in magic and is sent to an island that is little more than a simple fishing village; he accepts this post since he is unsure of his power after releasing the shadow. After defeating the dragons which plague the island, the shadow begins to hone in on him; he returns to Ogion and decides to confront the shadow rather than be scared by it.
A Wizard of Earthsea is told primarily through summary and foreshadowing to his future trials and glory. Key scenes are highlighted, but there are many passages that gloss over intervals spent on islands to rest for days at a time or his time traveling at sea. Reading the novel is a lot like listening to someone telling you a story that has been passed down rather than sitting down and reading a book.
The magic in the book is built on a system of maintaining equilibrium; in order to change something, one must know what good and evil will come of it. There are powerful magic and simple illusions, but both must be worked with care. Wizards learn how to create illusions first because they are easy; the more powerful magic required to actually change something’s essence can have dire consequences as Ged learns by summoning the shadow beast.
A large aspect of magic in the book comes from the power in knowing names; the true names of people and things are sacred because of this. Power in working magic comes through naming and knowing something’s name. For example, Ged is the character’s true name, but only he, the person who named him, and those he chooses to tell know this; all other people know him as Sparrowhawk, which is an informal nickname.
The amount of locations that the reader is expected to remember does become tedious, though there are sporadic maps in the book for reference. A lot of island names are thrown around and though there are intermittent maps, I didn’t find myself paying much attention to them. The people of Earthsea exist on islands and are a sea-faring people, though they only go out so far because their magic is tied to the spots of land.
I found A Wizard of Earthsea to be a bit underwhelming primarily because of its anticlimactic ending. I was able to foresee the climax from quite a few pages before it occurred and though this may be more of a side effect of my knowledge of storytelling, there wasn’t enough tension to drive me toward the end having already anticipated it. This is more of an origin story for Ged, so the larger world is hinted at and explored at the periphery, but there is much more to discover. I would probably give the next book a try, but I won’t be raving about this one anytime soon.
Verdict: 3 spells sung out of 5
Recommended for: Those looking for a decent introduction to a fantasy world, fans of wizards and magic, people who don’t mind the finer points of the magic being worked lacking an explanation, people who are okay with wondering how Ged’s name is pronounced, and people who enjoy high fantasy.
Not recommended for: Those who are easily sick of the tropes of the fantasy genre, enemies of wizards and magic, people who dislike the fantasy genre, people who don’t want to wonder how Ged’s name is pronounced (Ged or Jed?), or people who don’t like consulting maps.
I hate having to decide how to pronounce names 🙄 drives me crazy! Especially when I get it wrong then realize 500,000 pages later that it’s pronounced a different way. That’s a struggle I have with fantasy novels! I really would like to dive further into the genre, though. And by further I mean read a second one 😉
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Haha well I didn’t even realize it until I read my review aloud (I do this before I post the final produce because it causes me to read slower to catch any mistakes) and figured it warranted mentioning!
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That’s smart!
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Do you think it makes a difference that this was written for the middle grade crowd? I remember reading parts of it in elementary school but never read the whole thing til my teens. Loved it and I’m pretty sure that nostalgia runs over when reading it now 🙂
And thanks for the return-follow. Please don’t feel obligated though. I cull my numbers pretty hard every couple of months, so that type of thing isn’t a numbers game to me…
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I wasn’t aware that this was intended for a specific audience, especially middle grade kids. I think I may come off a bit too dismissive because of that and my own cynicism for tropes within genres.
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While not written FOR middlegrade (publishers really didn’t have those classifications quite yet), it was written for a non-adult audience. Pretty much every thing you noted is no longer an issue IF you go into it in that frame of mind. But since you’re NOT a kid, you notice them 🙂
And considering that this pre-dates most of the tropes, that’s good to keep in mind too. In many ways, LeGuin helped fashion the tropes we see today in a lot of fantasy and in a lot of young adult books. I hope she is properly appalled! 😀
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I think the second Earthsea novel is the best – The Tombs of Atuan. Another fantasy, but it’s a moving story too, of how a girl brought up to dispense death on a whim, overcomes the savagery of her existence and learns to accept her humanity and her destiny.
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I am planning on continuing the series so it is good to hear an endorsement for the next book! I enjoyed this book but just wasn’t blown away by it. Thank you for commenting and reading!
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Great review that perfectly captures how I remember the book from oh-so-long-ago. By the way, it’s pronounced “Bob.”
Just kidding. I’ve always gone with the hard ‘g’ as in Geddy Lee.
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Haha I typically overthink these things so I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was actually pronounced Bob. I went with the hard “g” as well and didn’t even think to connect it with the singer from Rush. Thank you for reading and your kind comment!
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Wow this sounds really awesome- I’ve never actually checked it out before. I like the sound of the magic in this in particular 🙂 Great review!
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Thank you! I am definitely going to read the next book when I can fit it into my reading list haha.
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You’re welcome! hehe awesome 😀
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Great review as always! I still love it. You though? Dubious now I must admit 😂
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Haha all I can do is state my opinion. I didn’t hate it, but it just didn’t blow me away
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I’ll have to reread it. I remember loving it, but it’s been such a long time, and I have found with some books they don’t always stand up to the reread test!
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Such a good book. Loved your verdict! and agreed wholeheartedly.
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Thank you so much!
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I really love this book, it is one of my favorites! I love how Le Guin has influenced so many fantasy writers today.
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