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A Wizard of Earthsea
2014 Reads
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WoE: New to LeGuin (not really spoilerish, just a comment on the first two chapters)
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I'm 8 chapters in and it took me this long to realize that I love the pacing and prose. The last few fantasy books/series that I have read have been massive reads, (Gentleman Bastards series and Name of the Wind), with roughly the same conclusion.
Bill, I hadn't read any Ursula Le Guin either. Read lots of stuff about her, but, embarrassed to say, never anything by her. Figured this was a good excuse to go back and read her most popular.
This is my first Le Guin book too. I'm only 2 chapters in and I'm really enjoying the pace, it is definitely a nice change from Game of Thrones.
I agree with both of you. I discovered Robin Hobb through S&L and have always heard LeGuin's name mentioned as one of the masters of the genre. It's hard sometimes to jump into an author's work without a little guidance or recommendation. A Wizard of Earthsea is such a pleasure to read not just for her prose, but also for the pace and the feeling that this story is moving forward without lapsing into dense labyrinths of description.
I found that I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. Hyper description is all well and good, but it seems like most authors deal in that currency. It was nice to have found LeGuin's style to be something different.
This is also my first LeGuin, and I was really shocked by the faster pace! I don't think I've ever read anything written like this, but I got used to it quickly and am really enjoying it. In a way, her style feels more like someone is telling me a story rather than my reading a novel, if that makes sense.
I'm guessing the quick pacing is a result of the book being published in the 1960's rather than a choice of LeGuin's. I think the acceptance of long fantasy novels by publishers is a more recent trend.
Mike wrote: "I'm guessing the quick pacing is a result of the book being published in the 1960's rather than a choice of LeGuin's. I think the acceptance of long fantasy novels by publishers is a more recent tr..."Yea, this sort of quick, narrating writing style is a lot more common in SFF from the same era as Earthsea.
I'm a bit ashamed to say that, although I've been both a sci-fi and fantasy reader for decades, I never picked up Earthsea. I'm two chapters into it and am struck by how quickly Ged moves from his aunt to Ogion to the school at Roke Island. Maybe I've grown used to the hyperdetail of modern fantasy, but I'm trying to decide if this felt a bit rushed or if I find the pace refreshing :-). Just tossing an observation out there to S&L denizens.