A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is a truly beautiful fantasy. First published in 1968, it has had a profound influence on many subsequent fantasy novels. Orson Scott Card, with his 1980s era Alvin Maker series, aimed to create an American fantasy, distancing his work from the inherently English Tolkien sub-genre. While this may not be a complete departure, there are distinct differences that can be appreciated. Another Goodreads reviewer noted that the Harry Potter series has achieved wild success, while Earthsea has only gained a cult following and peer respect. I wholeheartedly agree with this and find it unfortunate that so many young readers have yet to discover this gem of the genre.

My admiration for Le Guin continues to grow. She is an amazing writer. On my 2018 re-read, although I was not as entranced by the story itself the second time around, I was still amazed and inspired by her timelessness, forward vision, and the significance this book holds for the genre. I couldn't help but wonder about the influence it may have had on J.K. Rowling, perhaps either directly on the book or as a foundation for modern fantasy literature. I also compared the long voyage sequences in this book to the long walk across the glacier in her Hainish book The Left Hand of Darkness and saw that a journey tale seems to be a ubiquitous theme in her writing, serving as a metaphor for growth and spiritual evolution. Overall, it is a good book on its own and a wonderful work for fantasy writing as a whole.

I've been having a strong desire to delve deep into this classic for an extremely long time already. And finally, I managed to obtain it on Audible. I was truly anticipating reading this fantasy classic and uncovering what has served as the inspiration for so many of the tropes and staples within the genre. And I have to say, it didn't let me down at all.

I'll pen down my proper review in a few days' time. But overall, this was an incredibly enjoyable and great listen. This story possesses such an enchanting charm that makes the world seem astonishingly magical, inviting, and engaging. Ursula K. Le Guin has a remarkable, fluid prose style that heightens this feeling. As the story unfolds, it gently nudges forward more characterisation. In my opinion, the balance between character and the overall plot arc has been very well achieved.

Full Review to Come.

Three years ago, I embarked on a literary adventure when I picked up my first Ursula K. Le Guin novel, The Left Hand of Darkness. It was part of a challenge to explore the science fiction genre, in which I was not well-versed. I didn't anticipate liking the book, but it was a pleasant surprise when I adored it. In fact, it has stayed with me, and I often think about it, even after reading numerous other books.

Determined to explore more of Le Guin's work, I purchased A Wizard of Earthsea at a used bookshop. However, it sat on my shelf for three years until two of my Goodreads groups decided to read her work after her passing. I seized the opportunity and was once again amazed by the writing and the perceptive concepts.

I won't compare this book to others in the genre as I'm not qualified. Instead, I'll share why I admired this work of fiction. The quote at the start of my review illustrates a journey, which I believe this book embodies. It's not just a physical trek across the lands of Earthsea but a journey of the self, a discovery of one's essence. I see similarities between Ged's quest in this book and Genly Ai's flight in The Left Hand of Darkness.

At the beginning of The Wizard of Earthsea, we meet Ged, a boy with special gifts. He is sent to train on Roke Island, where he learns valuable lessons from his wise master, Ogion. However, Ged's pride leads him to unleash a dark and dangerous creature that haunts him. He must embark on a new journey to seek and destroy it, but in order to do so, he must know its true name.

The plot is full of adventure and drama, with Ged's encounters with the gebbeth being both dark and frightening. I can't give away the ending, but I highly recommend this book. It's a quick read that is packed with meaning and introspection. Le Guin's world-building is excellent, and the growth of Ged is a joy to witness. Her themes are compelling and make us think about our own worlds and those within them. I give this book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5!

\\"… a man: who, knowing his whole true self, cannot be used or possessed by any power other than himself, and whose life therefore is lived for life’s sake and never in the service of ruin, or pain, or hatred, or the dark.\\"

In A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged, a young boy with a natural inclination for spells, embarks on a journey that transforms him into a full-fledged wizard. However, like any novice, Ged makes some mistakes and has to face the consequences. The question that lingers is whether he will ever be able to right his wrongs.

According to James Mustich’s 1,000 Books to Read, this novel has had a profound influence on writers such as Neil Gaiman, Junot Diaz, and Margaret Atwood. It is believed that these authors were inspired to create works that were even better. Unfortunately, for some readers, this book falls short. It can be rather dull and monotonous, to the point where taking breaks becomes necessary to avoid falling asleep.

The book could have benefited from more engaging dialogue and shorter paragraphs. When there is a lot of action, readers expect to be flipping through the pages rapidly. However, Ged makes numerous errors, and each incident is over too quickly, lasting only a page or two. As a result, it becomes difficult for readers to fully connect with the events and the characters.

Despite its flaws, A Wizard of Earthsea remains one of James Mustich’s 1,000 Books to Read. It has its own charm and significance in the world of literature.

2025 Reading Schedule

Jan - A Town Like Alice

Feb - Birdsong

Mar - Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere

Apr - War and Peace

May - The Woman in White

Jun - Atonement

Jul - The Shadow of the Wind

Aug - Jude the Obscure

Sep - Ulysses

Oct - Vanity Fair

Nov - A Fine Balance

Dec - Germinal

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As a reader of Fantasy, this book was like a homecoming, even though I had never perused it before. The story of this young wizard and his trials, as well as his coming to terms with his own darkness, has been retold numerous times, from Rowling to Jordan to Goodkind. So far, despite adding copious length and countless details, no one has managed to enhance it.

Though she isn't the first to explore the Bildungsroman-as-Fantasy (Mervyn Peake preceded her), he was an author who shunned symbolic magic and has thus been duly overlooked by most authors and readers in the genre. Le Guin's approach is far more familiar, comfortably able to coexist with Moorcock, Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis.

Yet her work lacks the condescension or moralizing that mark the latter two, nor the wild pulp sentiment of the first. Her world unfolds before us, calmly and confidently, as one might expect from the daughter of noted anthropologists.

As is often the case in her work, we get poignant asides on human nature, but overall, her depiction here is less novel than in, for example, the Hainish cycle. There is a certain flatness in the plot progression, and as has been the case with every Le Guin book I have read, I found myself yearning for her to take things a step further, to expand and take risks. Often she seems on the verge, but rarely takes that step.

Part of the flatness stems from the depiction of the characters, who fall prey to the'show, don't tell' problem. Time and again, we are told of conversations the characters had, how they reacted, whether they were clever or unsettling, but we never actually witness these conversations taking place. Many times, the conversations would not have taken any longer to read than the descriptions of them, so why Le Guin chose to leave so much of her story as an outline of action is puzzling and disappointing.

Fundamentally, what characters do isn't interesting. What they do doesn't distinguish them. What matters most is how they do it - their emotional response, their choice of words, the little pauses and moments of doubt. At the end of the day, the four musketeers are all men in the same uniform, with mustaches, dueling, warring, and seducing women, but they each approach these things in such distinct ways that we could never mistake one for the other.

The significance of personality is also evident in Greek tragedy, where we know what will befall the character (the plot), but we have no idea how they will react when it occurs. All the tension lies within the character's response, not with the various external events that prompt it.

So I found it extremely frustrating that, repeatedly, Le Guin didn't let the characters speak for themselves, and so I often felt alienated from them, not knowing or understanding their motivations or interrelationships because the fundamental signs were absent. As we approach the end of the story, more and more is revealed through conversation and interaction, but that's the opposite of the ideal: once a character is established, we can take some of their actions for granted, but it's crucial in the beginning to let their idiosyncrasies disclose them.

As others have pointed out, Le Guin covers a lot of ground in a short space, and perhaps it was a desire to make things concise and straightforward that led her to take the words from her characters' mouths, but again, it seems backward to me. I would rather see a story shortened by omitting specifics and leaving promising implications rather than the other way around. A single, well-written action or turn of phrase can reveal more about a character than paragraphs of narration.

In her influential essay on fantasy, "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie," she discusses how Dunsany doesn't really use dialogue the way other authors do - that indeed, she finds it difficult to locate any sustained conversations in "The King of Elfland's Daughter." Perhaps on some level, she was attempting to imitate his style. But while it works brilliantly for him, it doesn't serve her as well.

The main reason for this is that Le Guin is much more a modern, psychological, realist author than Dunsany. Her fantasy setting is sensible, physical - it feels like a different place, a world like our own. Her characters are inhabitants of that world, the product of its cultures and history. So when she removes their discourse and means of expression, she closes the reader's window onto the character's inner life.

Dunsany, on the other hand, takes a different approach: his worlds are dreamlike, the worlds of fairy tale. His story takes place in the clash between the possible and the impossible, the real and the dream. His characters are not self-contained psychological portraits of individuals but symbols, appendages of the dreamland he weaves. So it makes sense that they don't express themselves through the dialogue of psychoanalysis but through the instinctual pre-knowledge of the dreamer.

Indeed, Le Guin herself (in that same essay) talks about the danger of imitating Dunsany's style, that it is so unique, and his pen a master's, so that any attempt to recreate what he has done is bound to end in embarrassing failure. Yet, she also remarks that it's a stage most fantasists seem to go through: attempting to produce that sort of natural, lovely false-archaism. She managed to leave that behind, but now I wonder whether she didn't simply end up imitating another of Dunsany's stylistic modes without realizing it - one just as problematic for a thoroughly modern, anthropological writer.

What is most interesting about her story is how small and personal the central conflict is. Many authors in fantasy have tried to address the conflict of the 'Shadow Self', from Tolkien's Gollum to the twin alter-egos of Anderson's "The Broken Sword," but none have used it as a representation of the internal conflict of the adolescent that must be overcome in order to transition to adulthood.

By so perfectly aligning the symbolic magical conflict in her story with the central theme, Le Guin creates a rare example of narrative unity in fantasy. Most authors would have made it a subplot of the grand, overblown good vs. evil story, and thus buried its importance beneath a massive conflict that is symbolic only of the fact that books have climaxes. Once again I am struck by the notion that modern authors of fantasy epics have added nothing to the genre but details and length.

If only Le Guin had given her lovely little story the strong characters and interrelationships it deserved, it would have been truly transformative. As it is, it is sweet, thoughtful, and sometimes haunting - the scenes of being stranded on the little island had a particularly unearthly tone - and it lays out an intriguing picture of a young Merlin, but in the end, it felt like an incomplete vision.

My List of Suggested Fantasy Books

I can't believe I am giving a Le Guin book 2 stars. I have the utmost respect for this writer and her work. However, alas, A Wizard of Earthsea was a real chore to get through.

Frankly, I only enjoyed the very beginning and the very end of this story. What lies in between is excruciatingly boring. A Wizard of Earthsea is an introspective book. By that, I mean it's all about one wizard's personal quest to overcome the dark entity - Shadow - that he unleashed during a youthful boasting about his magical powers. Ged spends the majority of the novel feeling ashamed of his deed, running away from the Shadow, or finally confronting it in the end.

It is not a bad tale on the intellectual level, which is why the book has such a strong following. But as a reading experience, it was underwhelming. There are no interesting personalities or relationships in this book, no adventures. Just a very, very dry, almost didactic, quest. I look back at some of Le Guin's science fiction works - Four Ways to Forgiveness or The Left Hand of Darkness - they blew my mind. A Wizard of Earthsea just didn't.

Listening to this novel as read by Harlan Ellison was an experience in its own. This person really overdid it, emphasizing stuff and yelling and stammering every other sentence. None of which was in the novel. At times, I could almost feel him spitting during the reading. But in the end, this narrator did the job for me. When I tried finishing the novel on my own, I was bored to death, so only thanks to him was I able to get to the finish line at all.

The lesson here, I guess, is that I should stay away from Ursula K. Le Guin's fantasy, which I will gladly do.

**A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, #1), Ursula K. Le Guin**

The novel unfolds on the island of Gont, where a young boy named Duny, affectionately nicknamed "Sparrowhawk," is born. His aunt, recognizing the great innate power within the boy, teaches him the little magic she knows.

When the village is attacked by Kargish raiders, Duny summons a fog to conceal the village and its inhabitants, allowing the residents to drive off the Kargs. This act catches the attention of the powerful mage Ogion, who takes him as an apprentice and gives him his "true name" - Ged.

Ogion endeavors to teach Ged about the "equilibrium," emphasizing that magic can disrupt the natural order of the world if misused. However, in an attempt to impress a girl, Ged searches Ogion's spell books and accidentally summons a strange shadow, which Ogion has to banish. Sensing Ged's eagerness to act and impatience with his slow teaching methods, Ogion sends him to the renowned school for wizards on the island of Roke.

The story of "A Wizard of Earthsea" is a captivating tale that takes readers on a journey through a magical world. It explores themes such as power, responsibility, and the consequences of one's actions. Ursula K. Le Guin's writing is rich and vivid, bringing the characters and the setting to life.

This novel was first read in 2008. It was published in 1386 (Iranian calendar) by Qadiani in Tehran. It consists of 327 pages and is the first volume of a six-volume set. The ISBN for the series is 9789645365835, and the ISBN for this particular volume is 9789645362773. The subject matter includes imaginative stories by American writers in the 20th century.

The story is set in the island of "Gont" in the "Earthsea" archipelago. A young, wild boy with a special ability in magic and sorcery, who has learned some things from his aunt, a local witch, uses his power and his aunt's talisman to save the village from the rebellion of enemy soldiers. A mage named "Ogion the Silent" hears about this and comes to take the boy with him. After giving him the name "Ged," he takes him to teach him the art of magic. But... It's very interesting. Read it yourself!

Quoted from the text: (It is only in silence that speech, only in darkness that light, only in death that life, like the free flight in the infinite sky, comes to itself); End of quote.

Date of publication: 24/05/1399 (Iranian calendar); 17/02/1401 (Iranian calendar); A. Sharbiani.

When I was in grade seven, I had a Language Arts teacher named Mr. Hore. He noticed my love for reading, especially fantasy books. So, he recommended two authors to me: Ursula K. LeGuin and Anne McCaffrey.

He started by introducing a LeGuin short story in class. I remember the sterile white pre-fab pod homes, the strange sci-fi flora, and the girl protagonist. But as a 12-year-old boy, I didn't like it. This made me not take Mr. Hore's recommendations seriously.

Then he got me to read "Dragonflight" by Anne McCaffrey, and I was even less impressed. I hated the idea, the characters, and everything about the book. So, for years, I was immune to the effects of McCaffrey and LeGuin.

However, in my late twenties, I rediscovered Ursula LeGuin with "The Left Hand of Darkness". I was amazed by her unique mind and her concept of the androgynous/hermaphroditic Gethens. "The Lathe of Heaven" was also prophetic and fascinating, but "The Dispossessed" was something special. It's one of the finest political sci-fi books ever written, on par with Orwell's "1984" and Huxley's "Brave New World".

Despite this rediscovery, I still avoided LeGuin's fantasy literature. The damage done by Mr. Hore hadn't healed. That is, until now.

"A Wizard of Earthsea" is one of the finest pieces of fantasy literature ever written. The story of Sparrowhawk's journey is a parable of equilibrium. Ged's pride and youthful anger lead him to conjure the dead, resulting in a shadow creature that hunts him. He is scarred both emotionally and physically but eventually completes his training in humility and seeks to end the chase and return to equilibrium.

In typical LeGuin fashion, Ged's struggle for equilibrium is not a simple battle between good and evil. It's a recognition that both exist in everything, including us. The parable teaches us to see and strive for equilibrium in ourselves.

Moreover, "A Wizard of Earthsea" is more than just its message. It's a story to be read aloud, a tale for around a campfire, and a myth for the child in all of us. LeGuin's formal prose has a poetic quality that makes the reading experience even more enjoyable.

I'm sad that many on Goodreads don't share my love for this fantasy masterpiece. But this time, I'm confident that I don't need to question my reaction. "A Wizard of Earthsea" is truly one of the greatest fantasy novels (or novellas) ever written. And now, LeGuin has two claims to the Nobel Prize. What a pity she'll never be considered.

**Original Article**:

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**Expanded Article**:

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Whether it's separating recyclables from regular waste, participating in community recycling programs, or choosing products made from recycled materials, our actions can have a positive impact on the planet.

Let's all do our part and make recycling a priority for the sake of our environment and future generations.

Friends.

Will you permit me to share with you the letter that I wished I'd have written to Ursula Le Guin? A letter that is so long overdue? If so, I submit it to you:

Dear Ms. Le Guin,

When I was a girl, in the very last week of the fifth grade, our class's most popular girl decided to take me on as a project. She thought I was embarrassingly innocent and incredibly boring, with my poetry journal, mystery novels, and two South American friends who could barely speak English. She considered these as deficits and me as a candidate for a makeover. Under her influence and charisma, I was soon drawn away from everything I loved and wanted to be. (To light a candle is to cast a shadow).

My sixth grade year became a borderline nightmare of being associated with a fast group of mean girls led by this Queen Bee. They shoplifted from the mall, allowed heavy petting from boys, put their parents' Kahlua in our glasses, and demanded we drink it.

The week before seventh grade began, I cut off all ties with this friend group. (The truth is that as a man's real power grows and his knowledge widens, ever the way he can follow grows narrower: until at last he chooses nothing, but does only and wholly what he must do. . . ).

These girls took their revenge on me and spread terrible rumors, but as I entered seventh grade, I thanked God for the stroke of luck that none of them were in my class (He who throws away his power is filled sometimes with a far greater power). On the first day of school, a new girl befriended me and introduced herself as someone who had “just moved from California and had just buried a dog named Ged.”

When I asked why she named her dog Ged, she looked at me horrified. She invited me to her house the next weekend, and her stepfather proudly presented me with your EarthSea trilogy. (The hero is on the “right” side and therefore will win).

This book became the most influential in my life. I understood not only why my friend had a dog named Ged but also that a person could build a world with their imagination. I was a poet and storyteller, but I didn't understand the power of the artist until I read this book. This week, I had the privilege of reading it aloud to my 13-year-old. When I read the part about Ged and Serret, ravens landed in our yard. Those who doubt magic won't believe me, but I know you understand. Ms. Le Guin, I hope you're surrounded by magic wherever you are now.

Not going to lie, it took me a considerable amount of time to truly engage with this book. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that I was buddy reading it with my best friend, I likely would have given up. However, I'm extremely glad that I persevered and finished it. The ending was simply perfect, to the extent that I was so deeply moved that immediately after completing the book, I went back and reread the final chapter.

In some respects, "A Wizard of Earthsea" is much more subtle and toned down compared to most contemporary fantasy books. There are no flashy special effects or elaborate climaxes. Instead, it primarily focuses on the arduous journey of a young boy as he discovers and develops his powers. Along the way, he acquires wisdom and experience, and encounters a diverse range of other characters. I adored the friendships he formed and relished in his sincere growth as a character.

The worldbuilding in this book is truly remarkable, and the prose is exquisitely immersive and atmospheric. Considering it was written in the 70's, it has aged extremely well. It's also evident that many authors have been influenced by Ursula K. Le Guin. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all fans of fantasy, as it is a true classic.
Rating: 4/5

  
    "Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life: bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky."
  

For magic consists in this, the true naming of a thing.

- Ursula K Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea

I rarely venture into YA fiction. Less often still do I pick up and read a book of fantasy. However, there are exceptions. When I trust the author and think there is art, beauty, or originality lurking within, I will often step into spaces and places I usually avoid. Ursula K Le Guin passed away last year, and I began reading her works bit by bit, mainly focusing on her Hainish novels/cycle. I needed more women in my 2019 reading plan, and Saga Press recently published a wonderful omnibus, illustrated edition on the 50th anniversary of the publishing of Book 1. So, I decided to give The Books of Earthsea a try.

I absolutely loved it. I didn't read much YA fiction when I was a kid. I've read more with my own kids when they were younger, but mostly skipped over this kind of stuff. At that time, I preferred to read Bradbury or Vonnegut. My sister-in-law's books with swords and dragons always drove me nuts, and I usually ignored the pulp. But this series is different. It is essentially a Bildungsroman with Taoist elements such as equilibrium. The plot is carefully crafted and concise. Le Guin doesn't dwell too much on the dragon or its gold and jewel-strung lair. Instead, she weaves a story about very human emotions like jealousy, fear, guilt, pride, and friendship. The risk was definitely worth it. The journey to other islands in this fantasy archipelago will continue. Strangely enough, I also think it was fitting that I finished it on Epiphany.