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 logical to me as a reader.
A Wizard of Earthsea tells the story of Ged from his childhood to his maturity as a wizard. The son of a blacksmith, Ged was born with a natural talent for magic, and the village witch is his first teacher. When his village is attacked by marauders, he helps to defend his village with a confusing mist that gives the villagers the upper hand.
With his power so evident, Ged is proud to a flaw. He wants to show off his power and impress people. When a wizard named Ogion comes to take on Ged as an apprentice, the union does not last long because Ged is impatient for knowledge. With Ogion's blessing, Ged moves onto a wizard school on the enchanted island of Roke. While at this school, Ged is further goaded to show off because a higher-born wizard student constantly makes Ged feel inadequate. Foolishly Ged accepts a dare to summon the dead, which results in him releasing a dangerous shadow from the netherworld. This shadow will be the nemesis of Ged throughout the rest of the story.
The strengths of this fantasy book:
1. The narrative has a graceful old style tone that makes you feel like you are sitting by a fire listening to a wise old wizard telling the tale.
2. This short novel packs plenty of action into every page. Something is always going on and the story never drags.
3. The development of Ged's character is deftly done. At first, I did not like Ged, but I was not supposed to because he was so prideful. But after Ged is horribly injured by the shadow he summons, his regret for his foolish pride is genuine, and I could relate to it. Most anyone has made a mistake because of the desire to show off, and, in severe situations, lessons learned from such incidents are life-changing as it was for Ged, who became much wiser after his mistake.
4. The entire fabric of A Wizard of Earthsea is tightly woven and the texture of the environment comes through in every phrase of the fantasy book. You can almost feel the windy coastlines and smell the food cooking, and the awe of the common people whenever they see a wizard is palpable.
Le Guin also includes clever and creative twists throughout the story. For a time, Ged has a pet animal called an Otak, and the affection between the wizard and the pet allow the reader to feel alongside the character because many people can relate to the furry comfort of a dear pet. In another episode, Ged encounters two strange old people cast away upon a small island where they have lived for many years. Their pitiful existence upon their island prison is shocking to contemplate and their punishment so thorough they cannot even accept Ged's offer to take them to land because they have been apart from society too long to go back.
Weaknesses of this fantasy book:
Only minor problems appear in this novel. In my opinion, despite the fact that the world is called Earthsea, the story had more descriptions of boats on the open sea than was needed. The ending of the story is a bit anticlimactic as well although meaningful in how it relates to Ged's character.
Overall, A Wizard of Earthsea is a splendid fantasy book. It might not satisfy readers of fantasy books who like multiple characters and subplots because it is very much a story focused on a single character, but even so, all fantasy readers will love Ged's battle with Dragon Pendora check points for the imagination of this book is the fifth active employees.
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