A Wizard of Earthsea - Review

My review of Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Eathsea. A wonderful light fantasy romp all readers can enjoy. Not the deepest material for the genre, but accomplishes exactly what it set out to do.

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[ThaAlkaholik]

Earthsea is one of the most alluring fantasy worlds out there. Instead of a standard medievalist setting, LeGuin takes you to a sunny archipelago, filled with seas and islands where small, quaint villages live side-by-side with nefarious dragons. I had the good fortune to read the series in the summer and it was so beautiful, every page inspired me to go to the beach.


Also worth noting, this is perhaps the first major fantasy series (certainly the first post-Tolkien one) that uses true-naming, one of the best magic "systems" ever conceived, and LeGuin executes it to perfection. The idea that every person has a true name that reflects their innermost identity, who they really are, and that it must be kept secret gives so much potential for storytelling despite being one of the simplest magic systems out there. There are no formulas for magic spells, no gemstones, no dragon-songs, no Allomantic alloys, no wands, no Warrens - just your hidden true name, and the terrifying prospect of your enemies learning it.


This series is not perfect but it's exceptional, not only for its time, but in general. It was written in the 60s and yet it holds up better than some books written in the 90s.

[derekdurst]

Wow that fakeout I was ready for another Wizard’s First Rule

[TsuFC]

Earthsea is one of those series I didn't appreciate as a teen because it was so deceptively straightforward. I got to the conclusion of Wizard of Earthsea, thought the ending was a cop out, then tried to read Tombs of Atuan and gave up after 5 pages. Later in life, I read Left Hand of Darkness and loved it. Thought I'd give Earthsea another shot. So glad I did. There is so much depth, such a richness in the writing, that was beyond me when I was younger. I'm very happy I grew to appreciate it.

[BioHazardD]

I read my mom's copies of the first three Earthsea books as a young teen. Even 20 years later I still find myself occasionally thinking about that story and recommending the series.

Note, I was going to refer to the series as a trilogy but I just found out it's called the Earthsea Cycle since more books were written in the 2000s. So now I'm going to have to read those as well.

Also, great job with the channel, I'm a fairly new subscriber but I'm enjoying hearing your perspective on books I enjoy but my circle of friends have no interest in reading. Thanks.

[andrewreising]

@Daniel Greene, Le Guin's other most famous work is The Left Hand of Darkness, which is adult science fiction. You should check it out!

[groovlord]

This is the book that started me down the path of my love for fantasy. I read it for the first time in 6th grade. I liked it so much, it convinced me to tackle Tolkien and then I was hooked.

[jmr]

Of the Earthsea novels this first one is certainly wonderful and I remember reading when I was eleven of twelve and being utterly blown away. That said I'd argue that The Furthest Shore, the third volume is the best.


If you want another YA series to recommend to people then another series from yesteryear then look at The Riddle Master of Hed trilogy by Patricia McKillip. McKillip writes beautiful prose, has characters with whom you will empathise and her use of colour is magnificent.

[michaelsauls]

Like you I never read it when I was a teenager or a kid, but, when I did read it I really enjoyed it.

The book didn't really knock my socks off either but it was a very good book and I enjoyed all the rest of the earthsea books as well. You ought to read the sequels those are definitely worth reading as well.

Besides, they are short books and you could probably read them all in a weekend.

[kristinal-ghoul]

I've read most of what Ursula LeGuin wrote and she's one of my fave authors. The Earthsea trilogy is the first thing I ever read by her (I won't say how long ago...) and I can still re-read and enjoy it these many years later. Her SF classics are something you should check out -- some were mentioned below (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, The Lathe of Heaven). She was a literary master! I'm glad you enjoyed the first of the Earthsea books.

[Vishnu]

For being published in 1968 these books are pretty incredible

[aminaluffy]

Have just read Wizard of Earthsee because of you. Thank you, it is so good! And exactly what I have needed to start reading more again.

[LocoDirewolf]

The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series by Tad Williams is another good classic series to check out.

[dgmisal]

This is my second favorite fantasy, after LoTR. The whole series, including Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea, and The Other Wind, is good. I love the magic system, and Ged is such a good hero w warts and all.

[hawks]

In case you haven’t heard, there’s also David Eddings’ Belgariad. Worth a check.

[matthewbreytenbach]

Earthsea has, for me, probably the best wizards in literature.

[haer]

The Earthsea stories are brilliant, especially the first one about Ged and his transition from a boy to Archmage. If people haven’t already I highly recommend BBC’s dramatisation of a Wizard of Earthsea. It stars Judy Dench and is brilliant. It compliments the book so well

[katoozie]

I read it recently and it was ~good~. It wasn't phenomenal but it was extremely satisfying. It felt very foundational.
LeGuin was tasked with writing a book for teenagers and this is what she came up with. Having read other YA fantasy, these seem leagues apart in style, to the point I would only loosely group them.
I do agree with you that I wasn't "frothing at the mouth" to read the next entry. I just bought the 2nd one, and it's been probably three months since I read the first. I think that was enough time gone by for me to dwell on the first and get ready for the second.

[joelleblanc]

Give us a review of the whole series when you finish... Fans often are divided about which book is best. The first is a classic hero's journey and very YA.

The SECOND is a bit darker, happens many years later, on a different continent, and is from the perspective of, more or less, an evil-ish priestess of an evil-ish religion, who meets Ged. Lots of political intrigue.

The THIRD goes back to the hero's journey, but explores the magic system and world to greater depth.

The FOURTH is actually kind of grim-dark, with a lot of themes on loss, growing old, abuse, power, and feminism. It has more to do with the witches than the wizards. People love or hate it passionately for this reason.

I loved it as it is one of the few books that explores what happens to the heroes AFTER the world is safe and battle over. A look into their trauma, and also their search for new meaning in an ordinary life.

The FIFTH basically ties up loose ends, concludes the story, answers a lot of questions, but has interesting ideas on death and rebirth, and a lot of focus on dragons and their role in Earthsea.

There is also a book of short stories about Earthsea, which tell a lot about the history if the wizards and witches.

The Earthsea film by Ghibli is pretty average, as it attempted to smoosh all 5 books into a single flawed (but beautiful) movie.

[georgemtg]

Just finished the first book. Thank you so much Daniel it was an excellent recommendation

[Supertimegamingify]

I started reading a Wizard of Earthsea at Christmas and I was instantly hooked. Once I finished it I didn't have the sequel, but I was more than satisfied. Recently I found a copy of the Quartet by accident and was overjoyed. Just finished reading the Tombs of Atuan, incredible. When I was reading the first book it felt like a legend, it never dragged on, and the whole feel was brilliant.