Challenge Corner discussion

Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.

Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk 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.

I decided to start early as I will be traveling tomorrow.

Chap. 1-3: (view spoiler)[I'm not sure that I am enjoying this book but I am hoping it picks up as I go along. Ged sure has a chip on his shoulder which (according to the blurb) is what will get him in all kinds of trouble. On one hand I am enjoying how quickly this story is moving but on the other hand it is a lot of telling and not showing. More immersive writing might make it a more enjoyable read. (hide spoiler)]

Chap. 4-5: (view spoiler)[The action ramped up a bit in these two chapters with the loosing of the shadow creature and its consequences. I was a bit surprised when the archmage died saving Ged, and again when the young boy of his boat building friend died (I really expected Ged to be able to save him and was intrigued when the author chose a different path.) There is still a lot of tell-not-show but I am enjoying the story more as it goes on. That being said, it was a bit anti-climactic the way Ged was able to solve the dragon issue for his community that he served...to simply tell the reader in an aside that he had been reading widely about dragons allowing him to guess wisely felt a bit cop-out-ish...It's like the author builds up these dramatic moments but let's every other one slide away or while others take a left turn. It works for me in some instances, not in others. I'm curious to see how the shadow is resolved as I don't know if it will be a big dramatic moment or another sleight of hand. (hide spoiler)]

Chap. 6-7: (view spoiler)[The shadow is hunting Ged full force and I am once again fairly apathetic about how he goes about defeating it. The side section with the stone and the girl from his youth was not really necessary, although I did enjoy that Ged ended back up with Ogion. Too bad it didn't last long. (hide spoiler)]

Chap. 8-10: (view spoiler)[Well...I have to say I found that ending to be a bit underwhelming. Perhaps I may have enjoyed this more if I had read it when I was younger but it didn't do much for me at my current place in life. I can see why some would love it, but I just never connected with Ged and that hurt my enjoyment of the story quite a lot. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 1 - 3

(view spoiler)[ I don't like the writing style, specifically how it's all tell and very little show. It also means that it doesn't feel like much has happened even though Ged has discovered his power, been a prentice, and travelled far to the school where he's been at for over a year now.
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Elaine wrote: "I decided to start early as I will be traveling tomorrow.

Chap. 1-3: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I definitely agree and I don't always see this rivalry that he's invented between him and Jasper.
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Chapters 4 - 5

(view spoiler)[ For a moment in chapter 3, I thought that the book was going to get better because there was a showing scene, but as soon as that ended, it was back to telling.

Something about the idea of everything having a true name makes me think of Brandon Sanderson but I’m not sure why. Also, that’s something that I’d really like to see explained more - how do you find out things/people’s names?
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Elaine wrote: “Chap. 4-5:…”

(view spoiler)[ I definitely wasn’t expecting the little boy to die either and I’m curious about the shadow too - what it is and how Ged will get rid of it, unless it’s going to end up like a pet like the otak.
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Chapters 6 - 7

(view spoiler)[ The writing style just isn’t for me - it’s making the book drag.

I figured that Serret was the girl from the beginning, but I wasn’t expecting otak to die.

I liked seeing Ogion again, but there was one interaction and that’s it.
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Elaine wrote: “Chap. 6-7:…”

(view spoiler)[ I agree but I want to get to the part where he fights the shadow just to get it (and hopefully the book) over and done with.

I didn’t really understand why the stone and the girl made an appearance either - it just felt like filler.
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Ela (Mouse333) wrote: "Elaine wrote: “Chap. 6-7:…”


Sounds like we have had very similar reading experiences with this one...makes me surprised there are so many positive reviews for this book.

Chapters 8 - 10

(view spoiler)[ What was the point of the chase across the sea? It seemed like filler because there was no plan and nothing ended up happening anyway.

The ending where Ged's shadow turned out to be his ghosts kind of, was so annoying.

I really didn't like this.
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Elaine wrote: "Ela (Mouse333) wrote: "Elaine wrote: “Chap. 6-7:…”


Sounds like we have had very similar reading experiences with this one...makes me surprised there are so many positive reviews for this book."

I agree, and it makes me wonder if it's just because it's a classic fantasy.