Ratings782
Average rating3.9
A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to the Master Wizard.
Featured Series
6 primary books8 released booksEarthsea Cycle is a 8-book series with 6 released primary works first released in 1968 with contributions by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Reviews with the most likes.
This is one of the kind of books that people shudder when they think of fantasy. To be fair, it is one of the precursors of this kind of stories.
It is a children's book and offers nothing worthwhile reading, just some standard young magic boy tropes.
Read 0:58 of 7:09 / 14%
There was nothing new in this book for me. Themes I've encountered before and the same old uber-powerful hero. On top of it all, everything felt rushed. A bit of a disappointment, this one.
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
Le Guin's writing is beautiful – lyrical and powerful. I love how she makes all of her words count. They are all necessary, there's no fluff or redundancy – it's simple, natural, alive, and vivid. Her understanding of different people and cultures (her father was an anthropologist and her mother was a psychologist) enhances her ability to create imaginative, creative, and believable characters and worlds. When you step into Earthsea, you feel like you're in a real world with real people. It's deep and engrossing right from the start. And did I mention that the writing is beautiful?
This is the original boy-finds-out-he's-a-wizard-and-goes-to-wizard-school story and it's highly enjoyable for both adults and kids. And some of them are available on audiobook or Audible.com download – Hooray! (Those created by Fantastic Audio are particularly entertaining). Read more Ursula Le Guin book reviews at Fantasy literature.
Featured Prompt
4,154 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
Featured Prompt
304 booksBooks read in your formative years can shape the person you become just as much as parents, teachers and friends. What were some of the books that you remember most from your childhood years?