A delightful story of the wizard Ged and his quest to make peace with his mistake. Le Guin is a masterful writer and the words from this book come out as pure beauty. The magic is very cool. I will definitely be reading the other Earthsea books. ( )

I have to admit that I saw the made-for-tv-movie first with Kristen Kreuk from Smallville and Sean Ashmore, that guy from X-Men. I can't say that I was that impressed because the storyline felt rushed and at the same time I didn't understand the ending at all.

Then I discovered that the quadralogy (is that right?) had been smushed together into one gigantic story. (I was under the impression that the Wizard of Earthsea was a standalone book). So the tv people tried to tell three stories in one film. Sorry, but you didn't pull it off. Also, while I loved the cultural diversity of the many peoples in the book, this is something the filmmakers missed. Hello, Ged is supposed to be a boy with reddish brown skin, not some pasty-faced white boy. (no offence Sean Ashmore)

But it's an interesting coming of age story where a young man literally has to wrestle with inner demons. I thought the story also created this interesting parallel between how scary growing up can be with what happens to Ged. I also thought his personaltiy was a breath of fresh air. Yes he eventually became "wise" to his ways and smartened up but he started off greedy and vain and made a lot of mistakes with real consequences. Too often the heroes of stories are goody-two-shoes who can do no wrong and get their long-johns in a knot if they step on a couple bugs. Puhlease. Gag me with a spoon.

I thought the simplicity of the structure and sentences were good but I didn't think the plot was particularly amazing. I get more out of George R. R. Martin. I suppose I have to remember though that this book is for young adults and it's simplicity may have had something to do with reading levels. For me, this book would have been more enjoyable if I'd read it as a child because I'm missing the ornateness, the details that really help to bring a world to life. As well, I had a tough time feeling the tension that I've been told is in the story. I think this was because at times, it felt like more time was being spent on backstory with the historical and mythological aspects of the story. For me, not enough time was spent in the present. As well, there was more "telling" than "showing" and for me this is a big drawback.

So overall, yeah I liked the book but it needed more meat. I almost want to say 'where's the beef?' I wanted to sink my teeth into a big juicy hamburger and I got chicken fingers instead. ( )

It's difficult to approach reviewing something like A Wizard of Earthsea since it is considered a classic of fantasy literature and who am I to critique something which was remained as popular and well-loved as this book.

That said, the vital point of reading this novel today is context. One must remember that this novel was written almost half a century ago when fantasy novels weren't published like they are today. There was no Harry Potter nor Patrick Rothfuss and the "gifted boy wizard going to wizarding school and facing difficulties" theme hadn't yet been done to death.

While keeping this in mind you realize that despite the novel's short page count, it is likely that the story and characters have more impact upon you than any others you've read about in a long while. This story resonates within you something great and wonderful. That is the making of a classic. I really enjoyed reading this story and would definitely recommend it to others. I shall definitely read the sequels in time once I have let this story incubate within me some more. ( )

I started this thinking 'yawn', same old boy wizard goes exploring crap. And then it hit me. This was an incredible story. While, in my mind the plot could have been extended, it was obvious that if that had occured it would have lost the readerbase in 12-15 yeear olds. But even with the rather short portrayal of the plot, I was blown away by its actual content.

Furthermore, the characters are portrayed with a deftness of touch that belies Le Guin's anthropological education, and the characterisics portrayed by the different nautical races is well executed, if, like I said above, slightly lacking in depth.

Quick to read, but with long, episodic chapters, it is, quite rightly, a classic. Much better than the majority of fantasy I've read. In fact, so good I might have to bypass a few books in order to read the sequal, The Tombs of Atuan.

A must read for anyone remotely interested in fantasy. 4.5* ( )

Fantasy book about the beginnings of the wizard Ged who faces a dragon and must face a deathly shadow he released while still a prideful youth. This is just the tip of the iceberg for Ged's story and the writing was wonderful and I loved the new world, earthsea, the author has created. Wonderfully told story; the plot was believeable and was very interesting. ( )