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A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780553383041
ISBN: 0553383043
Label: Spectra
Manufacturer: Spectra
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: September 28, 2004
Publisher: Spectra
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Release Date: September 28, 2004
Studio: Spectra
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Editorial 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.
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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating:  - 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.
Rating: - classic
I originally read Ursula LeGuin's 'A Wizard of Earthsea' many years ago in high school. I liked it, thinking it good but not great and certainly not anywhere near as good as 'The Hobbit' or any of the Narnian Chronicles. I think because of LeGuin's rather detached narrative style, compared to the personal storytelling narration used in the other books. This time around I was more impressed, it definitely deserves it's classic status (although I still don't think it's as good Tolkien or Lewis).
Rating:  - Great book
I would have to say this is a great series started with a fantastic book. I love the characters in this book, they are so interesting and different that you'll find yourself really drawn to them. They learn lessons in life and are changed by it, and you can especially see this in reading the later books. Its great! The story was really good too in this book. There was always something to look forward to and you always wanted to know where it lead to. The writing was great in my opinion, sometime Ursula ... Read More
Rating: - 4.5 Good Book
I'm not a big fan of fantasy literature, but this book was really good. I had to read it for my english class in college. Like I said, im not a fan of fantasy so I may not know what to look for when reading these type of books but the characters were so human-like even with all the powers they possesed, that was what kept me reading. I found it to be highly enjoyable and I recommend it to people that may be skeptical about fantasy novels.
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