A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin - Book Review

In the world of Epic Fantasy there are two series ofat bed time. But, while there is no explicit violence,
books that stand above all the rest as masterpieces.there are some mildly dark themes and scenes so as
Lord of the Rings is one of those series. Thea parent you may want to pre-read it first if your
Earthsea Series by Ursula K. LeGuin is the other. Thisaudience is younger than eight.
is a review of the first book in the Earthsea series AThe Archipelago and the World of Earthsea books
Wizard of Earthsea.A wizard of Earthsea is the first book in a trilogy of
As far as fantasy novels go this is a bit counter tobooks called the Earthsea cycle. As a book it stands
the norm. This book weighs in at less than twoalone and can be read as an individual work. It has a
hundred pages which in today's world is less than halfcomplete story that comes to a resolution at the
the size of a typical fantasy book. Yet, it isend. You can purchase this single book and be
extremely rich and textured with a beautiful storysatisfied that there is no necessity of purchasing
and remarkable themes.more books to find out what happens next. But,
The basic setting for the story is a coming of ageonce you are introduced to Ged, the Archipelago, and
story about a young boy named Ged who goes offEarthsea you are going to want to continue
to wizard school to achieve his potential. Soundsadventuring in his world. The second book in this first
rather familiar? Maybe so but this is where thetrilogy is The Tombs of Atuan and the third book is
familiarity ends. The world in which we travelThe Farthest Shore.
(Earthsea) is an archipelago of different islands and aMany years after the publication of this trilogy LeGuin
lot of the story involves travel by boat from islandreturned to the world of Earthsea with three more
to island and often times Ged travels in a small boatnovels in the cycle. They are Tehanu, Tales from
alone using magic to fill the small sail and propel himEarthsea, and The Other Wind which was published in
onward in his travels and his quest.2001. So there are now six books in the series.
The book is rich with mythological themes and ideasA Wizard of Earthsea is a book that introduces us to
and one of the central themes is the naming ofa remarkable world of magic, wizards, and dragons
things. Wizards in Earthsea understand that if youthat is not just fantasy fun. It is also a thought
know the true name of a thing you can control it andprovoking and sensitively written story. LeGuin has
much of their time is spent learning the true namespaid close attention to the importance and magic of
of things. This skill is critical when Ged, in his littlewords in the archipelago and she has done the same
sailboat, faces his first dragon. The book also coverswith her writing of the book. It will cast a spell of
some importance of controlling power, the dangersenchantment over you. If you are a fan of fantasy
of pride, and the importance of facing yourself and allbooks and you haven't read this one you are in for a
your flaws truthfully. The book is suitable for childrentreat. This book is the prototype for which much of
and for adults alike and it makes superb reading aloudmodern fantasy is based upon. It is a timeless classic.