As long ago as forever and as far away as Selidor, there lived the dragonlord and Archmage, Sparrowhawk, the greatest of the great wizards - he who...
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May 27, 2011
Milo
rated it: 
Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy is one of my favorites. Her style is so unique and the underlying themes in her books are powerful. She has this way of saying a lot without saying much...if that makes any sense.
If you love wizardry this is the book for you. Ged is the name of the Archmage in this series and unlike Gandalf, who is presented as incorruptible, Ged must battle his own demons to gain redemption. The story is from Ged's point of view so he seems more human than the c More...
If you love wizardry this is the book for you. Ged is the name of the Archmage in this series and unlike Gandalf, who is presented as incorruptible, Ged must battle his own demons to gain redemption. The story is from Ged's point of view so he seems more human than the c More...
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Oct 07, 2007
James
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These are three beautifully written novels that make up a trilogy that is both highly influential in the modern fantasy trilogy and also highly unlike any trilogy out there.
The first book "A Wizard of Earthsea" follows the story of a young boy named Ged (he has a bunch of other names, but he's Ged) and his adventures as he discovers he is a wizard, goes off to a wizard academy to train, discovers he will be the most powerful wizard ever, and is inextricably linked to a di More...
The first book "A Wizard of Earthsea" follows the story of a young boy named Ged (he has a bunch of other names, but he's Ged) and his adventures as he discovers he is a wizard, goes off to a wizard academy to train, discovers he will be the most powerful wizard ever, and is inextricably linked to a di More...
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Feb 25, 2010
Raj
rated it: 
A Wizard of Earthsea
The boy Sparrowhawk leaves his home of Gont and travels to the Island of the Wise to learn wizardry, but in his youth and arrogance he accidentally unleashes a great evil on the world which he must set right. I quite enjoyed this book, especially the use of magic of names, but felt that the language was somewhat forced. It felt sort of forced-Tolkien-ian and jarred a little bit for me.
The Tombs of Atuan
In this one, Sparrowhawk travels to th More...
The boy Sparrowhawk leaves his home of Gont and travels to the Island of the Wise to learn wizardry, but in his youth and arrogance he accidentally unleashes a great evil on the world which he must set right. I quite enjoyed this book, especially the use of magic of names, but felt that the language was somewhat forced. It felt sort of forced-Tolkien-ian and jarred a little bit for me.
The Tombs of Atuan
In this one, Sparrowhawk travels to th More...
Jul 08, 2011
Imogen
rated it:
I love this book so much, probably one of the best fantasy tales I've ever read. Personally, I prefer the first book because the focus is more on Ged, and he's more my age so it's easier to imagine yourself in the book. Haha. I still love the second book though and I'm partway through the third. The great thing is all the different outcomes and hints at what will happen, which keep you guessing and guessing, and none of your guesses are confirmed until you read it in the book, which is what real
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Feb 01, 2010
Bucko
rated it:
Unlike the Lord of the Rings, this consists of three books, all of which are quite separate entities to themselves, I was just too lazy to find all three books and review them separately. They go together because they share a common protagonist, the erstwhile goatherd known as Sparrowhawk, whose true name is Ged.
The first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, deals with Ged as boy and young man, struggling to come to grips with his power and his demons. The second book, The Tombs of Atuan, finds G More...
The first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, deals with Ged as boy and young man, struggling to come to grips with his power and his demons. The second book, The Tombs of Atuan, finds G More...
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Mar 22, 2011
Nicolas
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Ce volume regroupe sous une seule couverture trois romans traitant du monde de Terremer, et en particulier d'Epervier, le plus fameux sorcier que la terre ait porté. Laissez-moi donc vous détailler un peu tout ça.
Le Sorcier de Terremer
Dans ce premier roman, on découvre l'initiation d'Epervier à la magie, à la fois de la aprt des vieilles sorcières de village, mais aussi dans le cadre plus prestifieux de l'école de magie de Terremer. On est toutefois dans ce cas à l'opposé More...
Le Sorcier de Terremer
Dans ce premier roman, on découvre l'initiation d'Epervier à la magie, à la fois de la aprt des vieilles sorcières de village, mais aussi dans le cadre plus prestifieux de l'école de magie de Terremer. On est toutefois dans ce cas à l'opposé More...
Aug 06, 2009
Ged, tout jeune apprend les rudiments avec sa tante, dans un petit village de Gont. A la suite de son terrible exploit: créer un brouillard pour repousser les assaillants, il se retrouve sous la tutelle d'Ogion, grand sorcier. Ce dernier décide de l'envoyer à l'école de magie de Roke où il sera formé. Bien loin de se douter de la déchirure et de l'Ombre qu'il délivrerait, contre toute attente, Ged se bat en duel avec un autre élève. De cette terrible erreur, Ged deviendra une proie permane More...
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Jun 14, 2008
Bill
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Poetic and beautifully imaginative tale. Leguin writes simply and elegantly. She does not waste anyone's time with fluff, yet somehow manages to achieve a depth to her characters and her stories. I wish I could figure out how she does that
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Jan 23, 2012
Kimberly
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I first read this trilogy when I was quite young. It must have been during a school vacation, because I read a book a day for three straight days. I have long wondered if I would enjoy the books as much as an adult. Given current time constraints, it took me longer to read the trilogy this time, but I still liked it very much. Each book in the trilogy is an award winner. A Wizard of Earthsea got a 1969 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the 1979 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. The Tombs of Atuan w
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May 12, 2011
Chris
rated it:
I reread the whole thing once a year. Kid's fantasy doesn't get better than this. Actually, grownup fantasy doesn't get better than this. The whole series is a virtuous performance from one of the greatest writers ever to work in the genre. The Tombs of Atuan (vol. 2) is probably my personal favorite; it has a special magic both because of the Borgesian labyrinth setting, and because it's one of the first and greatest feminist subversions of epic fantasy. But A Wizard of Earthsea (vol 1) is prob
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Jan 27, 2009
[grabbed from Amazon.com][return:][return:]Ursula LeGuin is as talented a writer as one could hope to find. She has a deft hand at science fiction and fantasy, but she also layers her work with adult themes of self-discovery and personal evolution, relationship to self and to others, isolation vs. connection, and cross-cultural communication and understanding. In the most thoughtful, interesting, and entertaining ways, she plays with race, gender, age, etc. as social constructs, creating critiqu
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Apr 16, 2009
Demere
rated it:
I think there is a great subtlety to this three-book compilation, but I'm not sure that I'm too subtle a person! I liked her ideas of magic, but I really didn't like Ged. I appreciated his silence and his purpose. . . but I just really didn't "get" Ged.
I enjoyed the "Tombs of Atuan" the most of the three stories. It was powerfully written and very dark--but once again, I just didn't really like the story. I was glad that she was rehabilitated from her human- More...
I enjoyed the "Tombs of Atuan" the most of the three stories. It was powerfully written and very dark--but once again, I just didn't really like the story. I was glad that she was rehabilitated from her human- More...
Nov 24, 2008
Karlo
rated it:
Never really followed Le Guin's fantasy works previously, having just joined the SFBC, I picked up this omnibus edition. The writing was wonderful; their was a sense that each word was picked with care; not too much detail, not too little, just enough to evoke the tale she wanted to tell. In the current world of 800+ page books (I'm looking at you, Mr Erikson), I appreciate economy.
Story-wise; it's a slight twist on a familiar trope; the Magician's rise to Mastery from obscurity to More...
Story-wise; it's a slight twist on a familiar trope; the Magician's rise to Mastery from obscurity to More...
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Feb 02, 2012
Stephen
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This book could be a case study in how not to write a fantasy novel. Start with poorly-drawn characters the reader will feel indifferent about. Add a world that isn't very interesting. Complete it by having the characters do next to nothing of significance. Then, when the climactic battle comes the reader has nothing invested in the outcome.
In this novel, Ursla LeGuin has succeeded in making dragons and wizards seem tedious and boring, which is no small feat.
I'll try to More...
In this novel, Ursla LeGuin has succeeded in making dragons and wizards seem tedious and boring, which is no small feat.
I'll try to More...
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Sep 08, 2011
A
rated it:
Finished all 3 books, haven't managed to write out full reviews for each, but soon, I assure you.
A Wizard of Earthsea
Was almost immediately swept into Le Guin's lyrical yet eminently readable prose. Essentially a bildungsroman in structure, beginning with Ged's childhood and ending when he is a young man. There is a bit of action, some battles here and there, but per usual Le Guin's narrative is often picaresque/episodic, built more on the small personal interactions be More...
A Wizard of Earthsea
Was almost immediately swept into Le Guin's lyrical yet eminently readable prose. Essentially a bildungsroman in structure, beginning with Ged's childhood and ending when he is a young man. There is a bit of action, some battles here and there, but per usual Le Guin's narrative is often picaresque/episodic, built more on the small personal interactions be More...
Dec 19, 2010
Sallie
rated it:
My ILL request of Oct 16th finally arrived! Melody will be sitting on the edge of her chair until I finish it, right MMM??
12/14/10 As noted above, I'm on page 255 of the trilogy, but I wanted to post my thoughts about the first book WIZARD OF EARTHSEA - before I get too involved in the next books. I'm almost done with TOMBS OF ATUAN.
WoE - was a bit slow starting for me, but once Ged/Sparrowhawk/Duny did the spell to call up the dead and got more than he bargained for, I More...
12/14/10 As noted above, I'm on page 255 of the trilogy, but I wanted to post my thoughts about the first book WIZARD OF EARTHSEA - before I get too involved in the next books. I'm almost done with TOMBS OF ATUAN.
WoE - was a bit slow starting for me, but once Ged/Sparrowhawk/Duny did the spell to call up the dead and got more than he bargained for, I More...
Mar 24, 2011
Sally
rated it:
Book One - A Wizard of Earthsea
This is about a young man's journey from a lonely poor boy to a wizard of legend. I think This little adventure is well written. It is about the way pride and envy can make you loose yourself. This is one man's quest to find it again before it destroys him forever Just like any quest it is full of adventure, joy and pearl.
The moral of it all being to face your fear head on and beat it before it beats you. I would recommend this book to anyone who li More...
This is about a young man's journey from a lonely poor boy to a wizard of legend. I think This little adventure is well written. It is about the way pride and envy can make you loose yourself. This is one man's quest to find it again before it destroys him forever Just like any quest it is full of adventure, joy and pearl.
The moral of it all being to face your fear head on and beat it before it beats you. I would recommend this book to anyone who li More...
Mar 02, 2010
Stephanie
rated it:
Very disappointing.
This book was recommended to me by one of my favorite professors, so it's hard to say I really didn't like it. But I really didn't. The plots are rambling and formulaic, the characters are flat, and the narration aspires to poetry but comes off as awkward and over-the-top. Everything in the story has been done better by some other author, usually Tolkien.
Maybe I just don't know how to read this style, but the general sense I get from it is negative. Le More...
This book was recommended to me by one of my favorite professors, so it's hard to say I really didn't like it. But I really didn't. The plots are rambling and formulaic, the characters are flat, and the narration aspires to poetry but comes off as awkward and over-the-top. Everything in the story has been done better by some other author, usually Tolkien.
Maybe I just don't know how to read this style, but the general sense I get from it is negative. Le More...
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Aug 16, 2009
Lucy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 01, 2010
Julie
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Read A Wizard of Earthsea. I'd heard a lot of recommendations for this, but I was disappointed. It seemed like Le Guin was trying too hard to make "fantasy" language, and focusing not enough on character or story. The whole "plot" ended up concluded within 2 pages, and it was pointless. I'm going to try the 2nd book and see if it gets any better, just because so many people I respect had rec'd it to me.
3/24/09- Finished The Tombs of Atuan. A huge step up from the first More...
3/24/09- Finished The Tombs of Atuan. A huge step up from the first More...
Jul 23, 2008
Brian
rated it:
This wizard fantasy is way deeper and more evocative than anything JK Rowling ever came out with. The first book, "A Wizard of Earthsea" follows the schooling of Ged, a wizard apprentice who is so young and impulsive and eager to show off his skills that he unleashes a "shadow" of pure evil into the world which he must now seek and destroy on his own. The second book "Tombs of Atuan" follows a young girl, Tenar, who is raised as a priestess for an (unbeknownst to
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Apr 17, 2008
El
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The first of the trilogy, A Wizard of Earthsea, introduces readers to Ged (aka Sparrowhawk) and follows him to wizard school where he learns all of the words and spells that make him one of the most powerful wizards in all of Earthsea. In The Tombs of Atuan, then second book, Tenar is taken from her family as The Chosen One to be the guardian of the tombs of Atuan. In her time there she meets Ged (now middle-aged) who is searching the tombs for a specific treasure. The third, The Farthest Sho
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Aug 20, 2007
Tyler
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The Earthsea Trilogy takes a place next to Lord of the Rings as one of the most influential and original fantasy series written. I have read it many, many times, and can't recommend it highly enough.
The world of Earthsea is quite original (although it has since had many imitators), and the tale of Ged the Wizard is told in a high literary style that is somewhat reminiscent of Isaac Dinesen or Edna O'Brien, although much sparer, in keeping with her overall fairy-tale tone.
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The world of Earthsea is quite original (although it has since had many imitators), and the tale of Ged the Wizard is told in a high literary style that is somewhat reminiscent of Isaac Dinesen or Edna O'Brien, although much sparer, in keeping with her overall fairy-tale tone.
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Feb 04, 2010
Greymalkin
rated it:
My dad really loves Le Guin so this is one of the first fantasy books I read. I think I was too young to really understand some of what was going on in them, but they made quite an impact on my young imagination, especially #2, Tombs of Atuan. While I didn't get nightmares, I can still feel the anxiety I felt reading the books. I felt like I could feel what the female lead was feeling. After reading mostly scifi and fluffy fantasy up to that point, that was something new.
Aug 24, 2009
Marco
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The entire series (there are actually 4 books), read together, tell a great tale of a boy with powerful magic who makes a mistake early on and then makes amends and grows up to become the most powerful mage in Earthsea. Along the way he meets (and rescues) a young lady who unknowingly serves the dark, and though they separate for a long while, they are reunited in the final book to face one last challenge. Fantasy lovers will enjoy this tale of magic, dragons, and imaginary lands.
Mar 08, 2008
Liam
rated it:
I am not normally into the Dungeons and Dragons world of fantasy novels but an exception has to be made for this book which is one of my favourite ever books. The storyline is ever moving and it is so easy to get hooked into it.
Story is basically about the life of a wizard from innocent boyhood to magic college into adult world where he is haunted by a spirit of an eery presence which had been unleashed by a spell-gone-wrong when he was at school. This spirit keeps cropping up in diffe More...
Story is basically about the life of a wizard from innocent boyhood to magic college into adult world where he is haunted by a spirit of an eery presence which had been unleashed by a spell-gone-wrong when he was at school. This spirit keeps cropping up in diffe More...
Mar 10, 2010
Maria
rated it:
I listened to this as an audiobook. The narrator was terrific and engaging but I found the story itself distant. And I'm still searching for the words to explain that impression. It was the style of writing, that made even the dramatic scenes feel like they were happening to someone else. The thing was this is a story about someone else... a wizard called Sparrowhawk.
Sparrowhawk had the potential for great power. The thing was he wanted power. His pride pushed him on several d More...
Sparrowhawk had the potential for great power. The thing was he wanted power. His pride pushed him on several d More...
May 15, 2009
Stringy
rated it:
I originally read these a few years ago and thought they were ok. But on this re-read I appreciated the terse descriptions and quiet mystery much more - they seemed more haunting than I'd remembered. Will have to follow up with the rest of the Earthsea books.
Unfortunately, it's got yet another example of cover illustrators ignoring the author's description of the characters' appearance in favour of generic heroes and heroines instead.
Unfortunately, it's got yet another example of cover illustrators ignoring the author's description of the characters' appearance in favour of generic heroes and heroines instead.
Jul 11, 2011
Cia
rated it:
Not bad, but rather dull. Nowhere near as exciting as the blurb suggests, but I have no objections to studying it once uni starts up again in September. As far as reading for pleasure goes, I would probably have dropped this after the first book.
The second book of the trilogy- The Tombs of Atuan- was perhaps the best. The decriptions of the Labyrinth, etc, were chilling and effective. Characterisation on the whole, however, was somewhat poor. Overall, the blandest fantasy I've come across.
The second book of the trilogy- The Tombs of Atuan- was perhaps the best. The decriptions of the Labyrinth, etc, were chilling and effective. Characterisation on the whole, however, was somewhat poor. Overall, the blandest fantasy I've come across.
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Feb 26, 2008
Jennifer
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I started re-reading the series when I was home sick with mono. The first three books are quick fun reads (especially The Tombs of Atuan's strong character development and The Farthest Shore's 70's psychadelic craziness), but basically they were written in Le Guin's prefeminist days, and it shows. But they provide the background for the later three books, and that makes them totally worth it.
I just realized that the cover shown here is just the type that Le Guin has been talking about: m More...
I just realized that the cover shown here is just the type that Le Guin has been talking about: m More...
