World Famous Comics: A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1)
A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1)
By: Ursula K. Le Guin Publisher: Spectra Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Spectra Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 192 Publication Date: September 28, 2004 Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Release Date: September 28, 2004
Product Description: Ged was the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, but once he was called Sparrowhawk, a reckless youth, hungry for power and knowledge, who tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.
From the Paperback edition.
Amazon.com Review: Often compared to Tolkien's Middle-earth or Lewis's Narnia, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea is a stunning fantasy world that grabs quickly at our hearts, pulling us deeply into its imaginary realms. Four books (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu) tell the whole Earthsea cycle--a tale about a reckless, awkward boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a wizard's apprentice after the wizard reveals Sparrowhawk's true name. The boy comes to realize that his fate may be far more important than he ever dreamed possible. Le Guin challenges her readers to think about the power of language, how in the act of naming the world around us we actually create that world. Teens, especially, will be inspired by the way Le Guin allows her characters to evolve and grow into their own powers.
In this first book, A Wizard of Earthsea readers will witness Sparrowhawk's moving rite of passage--when he discovers his true name and becomes a young man. Great challenges await Sparrowhawk, including an almost deadly battle with a sinister creature, a monster that may be his own shadow.
Earthsea 1 This is a classic book and with good reason. It takes the standard concepts good vs evil, becoming a better person or become the person you are meant to be; and Le Guin makes is it feel fresh and inviting you want to know more. The reason for only 3 stars is due to my personal bias of finding the writing style a bit cumberson. This will however not stop me from reading the rest of the series because I want to know Ged's journey.
perfect This book arrived well before the expected date and was a great buy. I will be buying from them again.
I liked it... I was bored x2... Then I liked it... I first read it when I was 14, and I loved it. I tried reading it again, twice, about 15 and 20 years later and didn't get very far, finding it a bit boring. Now, at 41, I figured I would give it another try, and devoured it in a few hours. I can't understand exactly why I didn't enjoy it the last 2 times as this time I thought it was a really good read. I would highly recomend it to fantasy lovers of any age.
Well written, introspective, but a little dull at times Ursula Le Guin is a good writer. She has a good command of the language, and is able to develop a story very effectively, with a good buildup in terms of character growth. However, the story seems a little boring. After all, Ged's interactions with other characters are few and limited, and the world has a very sombre, lonely feel to it, with little to differentiate the various races and cities.
Perhaps the sense of drama and excitement is completely lacking because of Le Guin's motivation to tell a story within a Jung-style paradigm. There is little in the way of development of the individual characters, until the last fifty pages. I read this book once when I was around fifteen and then again 18 years later, and both times my feeling was the same. Well written, beautiful, but a little dull for such a short book.
Shallow I found this a good fantasy beginning book but I really don't see what all the hype is about. It is the story of a young wizard coming of age. The characters and landscape are not fluffed out enough to get a good feel for them. Since this is a series I hope that the descriptions solidify in the next books.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
