Customer Reviews
Darkness, Wizards and Dragons - By: Steven R. McEvoy, 31 May 2008 
This is the first in a series of books. There are 4 novels in the series & two collections of short stories. It follows the life & career of Ged a young man from the Island of Gont. Le Guin has created a very unique world, a world that is mostly water & each nation is a collection of islands. This book is also one of a few that has children's teens & adult editions in print.
Ged apprentices to the local Wizard on God, & is eventuallly sent to the school for wizards on Havnor. There in anger during a fight with other youths he releases a dark shadow, an evil. The Masters of the school appear & banish it from the island. However this shadow & Ged are now tied together in a very unique way.
After leaving the school Ged becomes haunted by the shadow he has released. He tries to return to the protection of Havnor but cannot return to the island the magic protecting the island will not let him approach. So he decides to head south.
The shadow is getting closer & closer to him, & he must discern it's true name or else he will not be able to defeat it. Can he solve the puzzle, will he wrestle with his shadow & win or will he succumb to the evil he has let loose.
This is a book I first read back in highschool. Then a few years back had to read it for an English literature course at the University of Waterloo I was about a third of the way through it when I realized I had read it before & that is when I found our that the story continued. Since then the two collections of short stories have been published in this world.
Le Guin deals with some big questions of life in this book. Such questions as:
Who am I?
Do I have a role or purpose in life?
Can I defeat the darkness within me?
Can good conquer over evil?
Why am I here?
Can I make a difference?
This book will be a good read for anyone who has ever struggled with some of these questions. Or who wants to use a novel to help them grow to have a deeper understanding of themselves.
Darkness, Wizards and Dragons - By: Steven R. McEvoy, 31 May 2008 This is the first in a series of books. There are 4 novels in the series & two collections of short stories. It follows the life & career of Ged a young man from the Island of Gont. Le Guin has created a very unique world, a world that is mostly water & each nation is a collection of islands. This book is also one of a few that has children's teens & adult editions in print.
Ged apprentices to the local Wizard on God, & is eventuallly sent to the school for wizards on Havnor. There in anger during a fight with other youths he releases a dark shadow, an evil. The Masters of the school appear & banish it from the island. However this shadow & Ged are now tied together in a very unique way.
After leaving the school Ged becomes haunted by the shadow he has released. He tries to return to the protection of Havnor but cannot return to the island the magic protecting the island will not let him approach. So he decides to head south.
The shadow is getting closer & closer to him, & he must discern it's true name or else he will not be able to defeat it. Can he solve the puzzle, will he wrestle with his shadow & win or will he succumb to the evil he has let loose.
This is a book I first read back in highschool. Then a few years back had to read it for an English literature course at the University of Waterloo I was about a third of the way through it when I realized I had read it before & that is when I found our that the story continued. Since then the two collections of short stories have been published in this world.
Le Guin deals with some big questions of life in this book. Such questions as:
Who am I?
Do I have a role or purpose in life?
Can I defeat the darkness within me?
Can good conquer over evil?
Why am I here?
Can I make a difference?
This book will be a good read for anyone who has ever struggled with some of these questions. Or who wants to use a novel to help them grow to have a deeper understanding of themselves.
Brilliant audio production - By: L. Weale, 03 Feb 2008 I loved a Wizard of Earthsea as a young teenager & these days am a fan of audio books. This one is marvellously produced & I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it.
Fantasy where character counts - By: William Dampier, 25 Nov 2007 I first read A wizard of Earthsea over 30 years ago & I still love it now. The characters are believable, human & falllible. The world of Earthsea rings true. The story has a consistent logic & is very well written. It is almost a story of real life written in a fantasy world, rather than a fantasy story.
The story concerns a young man's journey from boyhood as he discovers magical powers & learns to use them - & learns how & when to use them. It is also a story of his personal development from an arrogant know-it-alll to fully-rounded man. There are main themes about self-control & friendship. It is a book, as is real life, about making choices & facing up to the consequences of the choices on makes.
Outstanding - By: Daniel 1607, 03 Jun 2007 Outstanding production from Craftsman of one of the great fantasy novels. `A Wizard of Earthsea', the first in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series, introduces us to Sparrowhawk, who after discovering he has an affinity for magic becomes a wizard's apprentice. However, Sparrowhawk goes too far with one spell he casts, & so begins an epic battle between himself & the mysterious shadow that his spell has callled.
As Sparrowhawk discovers his true name, he comes to the realisation that he cannot avoid a showdown with this shadowy creature that stalks him. The elegant prose & Karen Archer's narration grip you from the start, & by the end of the first CD I simply knew I would have to read the rest of the Earthsea series.
