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Nov 16, 2011

Ceridwen rated it:

[You can find a sound recording of me reading this review here as part of Bird Brian's Big Audio Project.]

I've read this at least twice since I signed onto GoodReads, and I haven't worked up the nerve to review it. I don't review some of what I read, for a variety of reasons. There's the things I abandon too fast to say I've even read them, like What Would Jane Austen Do?. (I'll tell you what she'd do: she'd put her own eyes out with a damn spoon, that's what.) Ther More...

93 comments like (139 people liked it)

Mar 16, 2011

Sparrow rated it:

I have been reflecting a lot lately on the hugeness of my own limitations. This story represents one of my most obvious limitations when it comes to appreciating books. I don’t understand world building. I think this is my limitation when it comes to historical fiction as well. I don’t understand why an author would want to make a story more complicated than just what it takes to tell what happens to characters. That’s how I experience world building in both sci fi/fantasy and historical fi More...

28 comments like (27 people liked it)

Feb 27, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

I don't think you can say that you read Fantasy until you've read Ursula K. Le Guin. There is a specific meaning in that word, "Fantasy." It's not just some genre definition developed in the bowels of a publishing house somewhere. Fantasy, the fantastic tale, the story of wonder, has been lurking about in our culture(s) since before the written word. The stories of heros who face a physical manifestation of our fears have always been a way for us to examine those fears, to look at thos More...

41 comments like (39 people liked it)

Apr 22, 2011

Ben rated it:

This what A Wizard of Earthsea taught me:
* To know a thing's true name is to know its nature.
* Don't fuck with dragons (unless you know their true names).
* Summoning the spirits of the dead is a bad idea, especially on a schoolboy dare.
* Truly changing your form is dangerous, because you can become lost in the aspect you assume.
* If you find yourself hunted, turn it around and become the hunter.
* Above all else, know yourself.

I don't know how More...

6 comments like (18 people liked it)

Feb 22, 2011

Ian rated it:

I couldn’t have chosen a better time to experience LeGuin’s reimagining of the story—pardon me, I mean The Story—which we weave into our lives and the lives of those around us. At 35, I’m not really old but I don’t often feel young anymore, and it’s only now that I feel like I am finally confronting my shadow and embracing who I am.

There are an infinitude of ways to reflect upon, analyze and understand our life experiences. But LeGuin provides a framework that is just right for me. More...

15 comments like (12 people liked it)

Jan 16, 2011

Kat rated it:

If there were ever a time I'd curse my constant reading of Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance or YA lit, it would be now.

Because clearly, CLEARLY this is a fantastic book that deserved to be finished. Ursula K Le Guin is a phenomenal writer and whilst this book (up to what I read) wasn't absolutely perfect, it was enchanting. It was different, it was QUALITY.

Yet I didn't finish it because, thanks to the aforementioned reading habits, my ability to concentrate and enjoy q More...

13 comments like (18 people liked it)

Dec 05, 2008

D_Davis rated it:

After finishing A Wizard of Earthsea this morning, it dawned on me just how much this book inspired Miyazaki and the Zelda games. Wind Waker could almost be based on this book, and so many of Miyazaki's themes and archetypes are borrowed from Le Guin.

***

For the first time since reading the Elric Saga in high school, I am not only enjoying a traditional fantasy, but I am wishing that it were longer and more slowly paced.

Don't get me wrong, I love how Le Guin More...

22 comments like (16 people liked it)

Feb 09, 2008

Tracy rated it:

The fantasy classic A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin was first published in 1968 and this fantasy book deserves the praise it has often received. The fantasy world, Earthsea, created by the author is rich in detail. The fishy odor at the dock of every village and the salty tang of the sea literally wafted off the pages. The magical system revealed by Le Guin is convincingly real as well, and the way in which the wizards, witches, and sorcerers fit into the society felt natural and logic More...

2 comments like (17 people liked it)

Feb 10, 2010

Ceridwen added it

I'm going to leave this unrated, because I'm really just using this review as a place holder to have a bit of a rampage about the SyFy Channel adaption of LeGuin's Earthsea books, and mention something I didn't have space for in my other review of A Wizard of Earthsea.

It's maybe a secondary sport of readers to both long for and bitch about the film adaption, like betting on the sidelines during a prize fight. Back when I worked retail, one of my co-workers and I would amuse ourselve More...

27 comments like (20 people liked it)

Feb 14, 2011

Joel rated it:

I wish I'd read this one as a kid. It's one of those books that crams an epic story in under 200 pages, sketching the world and the details and the action rather than spelling everything out. As a kid, you get lost inside of a book like that, and it seems the better for it (the closest comparison I can think of is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - I was shocked to re-read that and discover the "epic battle" at the end is about two pages long).

I can tell that's what UKL More...

8 comments like (10 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Aerin rated it:

I don't know. Maybe I'm missing something here. This is supposed to be the first installment of a classic YA fantasy epic, but it read like an early draft of a much longer, more detailed, better work. Very little attention to characterization and most of the scenes seemed vague and sketched in. It's surprising, because I usually love LeGuin. This is one of her earlier books, though, and I do tend to like her more recent stuff better.

The story is a riff on the basic coming-of-age More...

2 comments like (13 people liked it)

Nov 18, 2007

Anne rated it:

The thing to remember about Earthsea, like all of LeGuin's writing, is that it is less fiction that it is Taoist parable. LeGuin is a philosopher cleverly disguised as a sci-fi/fantasy writer. Her writing is beautiful and languid; her characterization and plotting range from excellent to mediocre. But character and plot serve as a vehicle for the themes of balance, simplicity and serenity that infuse all of her works.

Earthsea is, on its face, a fantasy saga along the lines of Tolk More...

0 comments like (11 people liked it)

May 24, 2011

Jeanette rated it:

Ged, aka "Sparrowhawk," goes to wizard school on the Isle of Roke. In rivalry with another student, he abuses his new powers, unintentionally unleashing a dark force. He pays dearly for his foolish dabbling and is scarred for life. He feels great remorse and wants to make things right, vowing to use his powers only for good, but he can't seem to outrun the shadow spirit he awakened. Finally, Ged comes to understand that he'll have to pursue the shadow and conquer it, or it will pla More...

5 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 18, 2010

indri rated it:

#2010-61#

Siapakah nama sejati-mu?

Keangkuhan, seperti kita ketahui, bisa menjatuhkan seseorang, dan membuka sisi tergelapnya. Demikian juga Ged, karena terpedaya oleh emosi dan keinginan tak terkalahkan, berusaha membuka satu sisi tergelap yang seharusnya tetap tertutup. Keahlian sihir yang diperoleh dengan cepat karena bakat yang luar biasa, menjadi terpenjara oleh ketakutan dikejar-kejar oleh sisi gelap yang berhasil dibukanya. Sosok bayangan yang sulit ia ketahui nama s More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Grey rated it:

Le Guin is quite possibly my favourite female author, and this book is the prime reason why. This book, like Zelazny's Lord Of Light never fell from my Top 5 Fantasy/Sci-Fi books. It reads easy, with a language everyone can understand, and a style that flows well.

The prose aside, the story itself is original for its time. Many newer tales now also involve the journey of some boy as he rises to power, and how he eventually discovers his rightful place in the world.
The difference More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 11, 2010

Evan rated it:

One of the first aphorisms of a creative writing class is "Show, not tell." Not that I don't believe in turning aphorisms on their heads, but this one is there for a reason. Le Guin, for the greater part of the book, just tells. It makes for a painful reading experience. Children's literature in the 21st century is not limited in its range of boy in fantasy realm turns amazing magic user, and so the dull setting, plotting and characterization of "A Wizard of Earthsea" is More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2012

Eleanor rated it:

I saw Hayao Miyazaki's animated film, "Tales from Earthsea," and realized to my horror that I could not recall any details about the original Earthsea novel. It didn't help that Miyazaki took snippets from various LeGuin books and mixed them up to create a completely new storyline, but darn if I could even remember which ones, it's been such a long time since I read them. (It's hard to believe A Wizard of Earthsea was first published in 1968.) That said, the first book continues to del More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

kevin rated it:

A child of peculiar talent is born to humble beginnings in a small island village. As age reveals his unique nature, the boy is invited to join an elite academy for magic-workers. Youthful folly sets the stage for adolescent transformation at the edge of the known world.

The first book of a trilogy, 'A Wizard of Earthsea' offers its readers a rich and complex world to explore. Summertime adventure literature of the highest caliber.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jun 27, 2010

Sarah rated it:

The Earthsea cycle was originally classified as a YA series, but really, I think the books are far too complex for the average teen to enjoy. Le Guin is brilliant and sharp in her writing, and can hit you hard and fast in the gut.

The Tombs of Atuan is by far the best book of the cycle, but I wouldn't advise reading it out of context.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 13, 2008

Martine rated it:

The first book of the Earthsea Cycle starts off much as you'd expect. A young boy, Sparrowhawk, discovers that he has special powers, is sent to a wizards' school where he is hailed as the next big thing, and gets a bit too proud for his own good. So far, so clichéd. What is original is that in his eagerness to show off, Sparrowhawk (now called Ged) unleashes an evil shadow that kills people and haunts him. Can he hide from this shadow, or does he have go on the offensive? He tries both, unsucce More...

3 comments like (5 people liked it)

May 03, 2007

Lori rated it:

You've gotta read this book. Yes, it's science fiction. But no, it's not boring, badly written or weirdly detailed. These people are us, but of course they don't exist, and yet Le Guin uses sci-fi to make perceptive commentary on the world around her. I'm not someone who reads Tolkien (well other than the Hobbit because I get bored with long detailed novels on made up places). Le Guin bridges the gap between science fiction and literary fiction. She is able to build convincing worlds without was More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Aug 04, 2007

Thannasset rated it:

More than a good fantasy, more than a 'young adult' book, a categorization I despise even more than 'children's book'--this is one of my favorite author's best attempts at deliberately creating a myth cycle. It just gets better as the series progresses. The last two books in the series were written more than twenty years after the first three, and are by far the best.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 02, 2007

Meredith rated it:

this is just the first book of the earthsea series, and i recommend all of them. in the course of the series, LeGuin not only writes wonderful fantasy but also revisions her own work in light of feminisim. don't stop with The Farthest Shore--you must read Tehanu and The Other Wind to see how LeGuin takes on the concept of feminine magic.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 22, 2007

Emma rated it:

My aunt read me this book which was awesome except she pronounced "archipelago" wrong, like "archipelAgo" rather than "ARchiPELago", and I like her way better, but when I insisted on it's accuracy in school I was, um, mocked. As well as, um, wrong.

But the book rocks!

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 17, 2007

Kim rated it:

I now love Ursula Le Guin. It's official. This book is entertaining, gripping, and yet completely wise and perceptive. This book is also great for those interested in Jung's ideas/concepts because Le Guin weaves many Jungian concepts seamlessly into the storyline.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 25, 2008

Stephanie "Jedigal" rated it:

Loved it. An awesome adventure. A little dark, possibly. One of the books I think of when conversing with people who seem to have no idea that children's fantasy existed prior to Harry Potter.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 12, 2009

John rated it:

I loved reading fantasy books when I was growing up. Somehow I never read any books from the Earthsea series, even though it is considered by many to be a classic fantasy series. I wish I would have discovered this series sooner. A Wizard of Earthsea was harder for me to put down than most of the other books I have read recently. It is involving, entertaining, and gives you something to think about at the same time.

One of the things I liked about this book is its length. I don' More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2011

G N rated it:

I woke up this morning with the most shiveringly awful sense of having committed GR harakiri 腹切り. It was a dream in which I metamorphosed into, horror of horrors, a cyber stalker
description

after having written this review - or at least, the review I will eventually write.

Two of my favourite GR people have decided to slum together in purgatory for their lukewarm readings of A Wizard of Earthsea. You can find Kat's review here, and Tatiana's review here. They're even considering do More...

32 comments like (5 people liked it)

May 18, 2011

Patrick rated it:

This is a fantastic novel that I read when I was younger. I really enjoyed it back then, and I still do enjoy it.

Let me say that, even though it is a children's book, it can still be equally enjoyed by adults.

The book is very, very fast-paced and with very little filler moments or superfluous prose. Unlike many fantasy books I've read, there aren't any chapters which feel tacked on or unnessecary. From the first chapter, the novel begins with an exciting battle which intr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 13, 2012

Melody rated it:

I never tire of this audio. From the sonorous introduction (which includes one of my favorite lines ever: "bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky") intoned by Le Guin herself to the over-the-top semi-hysterical narration by Harlan Ellison, this is entirely magical. Harlan inhabits Ged completely but never more than when he's a youth full of bluster and hubris.

This story of a young wizard's schooling and maturation, which both predates and kicks the ass of Harry Potter, is More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

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