A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a book that I keep going back to reread. I first read it when I was a teenager (I think). I read it again last year--and several times between those points.

There are many things that draw me to this book. One notable element is that LeGuin turns the fantasy cliche of the trope on its head. In the main action of the book, Ged is on a quest. It's not a quest to slay a dragon or defeat an evil wizard or find (or renounce) a weapon of great power. The quest takes him across much of Earthsea but ends, essentially, in himself.

I'll say no more so as not to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it, but I'll say this: anyone serious about fantasy, either as writer or reader of it, needs to read A Wizard of Earthsea.



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