A Wizard of Earthsea (A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin)

Member Name: pigeon_of_doom

Product:	A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
Date:	26/04/09 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, imaginative unique world, short and impactful

Disadvantages: Occasionally puzzling word choices, brief, writing style slightly detatched.

A Wizard of Earthsea is a fantasy novel by Ursula Le Guin published in 1968. While not the first work set in the archipelago world, it is the most famous of them. A coming of age tale, it chronicles the growth of the titular wizard, Ged, as he develops from an adventurous young goatherd, to an arrogant prodigy at the Roke school of magic, then to a sombre, regretful young man. Themes of self-acceptance and responsibility, along with Jungian elements raise it above the trite fantasy fare it easily could have been.

The series has, perhaps unfairly, been targeted towards children. While suitable for children, as it is never overly elaborate, gratuitously violent or coarsely phrased; any reader who can live without the traits of an R-rated movie will be able to enjoy the book for the imagination at work and the quality of the writing. To call it a child's novel is to do it an injustice. Child friendly, but never immature, A Wizard of Earthsea leads the reader, regardless of age into a captivating magical world.

Rather uniquely, the world of Earthsea is mostly populated by a dark brown skinned race. Other civilisations account for the entirety of the racial spectrum. A primitive world, with limited tools, it has been described by some as an Iron Age style era. Blades are the only non-magical weapons referred to. All of this makes a welcome change from the English feudal setting so often employed by fantasy authors.

Magic is the nearest to technology there is in Earthsea. The arcane arts of Earthsea are quite subdued, a refreshing break from the extravaganza of spectacular fireworks other fictional mages commonly display. Borrowing from Platonic and Taoist ideals, the lore is all the richer for its stolen elements. Illusion is easy enough to master by anyone magically inclined, but true power lies in knowing a name in the "True Speech" spoken by Dragons and Earthsea's creator. For this reason, humans keep their true names secret to all but a trusted few, referring to everyone else by nicknames. A wizard's craft relies on the manipulation of something through the use of it's true name, however their actions can be perilous. "To light a candle is to cast a shadow." One of Ged's teachers reminds him in the course of the novel; Earthsea has an equilibrium that must be maintained, although these lessons were meaningless in the face of Ged's impetuous nature "what was the use of having power if you were too wise to use it.". Irresponsible magic actions can have catastrophic consequences. Magic in Earthsea is never comprehensively explained, but its to be assumed that other works set in this world develop it further, although some kind of appendix could have been enlightening.

Written from an omniscient third person perspective, the novel is concerned mostly with Ged. Ample exposition is provided for incidental characters and the settings, but the storytelling never loses focus. While an occasional insight into Ged's thoughts is provided, the reader never quite gains the familiarity with him that the knowledge of his true name (the name he is commonly known as is Sparrowhawk) implies. Le Guin's poetic craft shows in her prose. Flowing, elegant, highly descriptive language fills the book. Occasionally, a sentence may be overlong, hamstrung by it's own ambition; chaining clauses together with whatever punctuation that comes to hand until the inevitable period- however its only a minor annoyance, and if you can get through this sentence then it shouldn't be a problem. Geographical descriptions sometimes prove overwhelming, but they very clearly convey the setting, even if they may require a glance at the included map. Occasional references to Ged's further exploits leave the reader in no doubt as to his survival, which detracts from the tension significantly but adds to the mythical storytelling style. By no means perfect, it's still one of the best written fantasy novels around, yet with a brevity that sadly is one of the less imitated legacies of her work.

The plot moves swiftly, and is extremely focused on Ged's story, with few vignettes. Many locales fly by, only minimally described. Its a shame to be a tourist in such an wonderful world, but perhaps if more events and places were described, the story would lose much of it's immediacy and urgency.

The denizens of the world tend to speak in archaic tones, often referring to prophecies and unique old sayings which adds to the heritage of the world of Earthsea. Ged's character is changed dramatically at one point in the book by a tragic event, and while I'm not a fan of such a jarring method of character development, it works well enough in this book. One of Le Guin's aims in this novel was to describe the formation of the wise, serene wizard seen so often in fantasy fiction. By showing the mistakes of youth, and how the culprit comes to terms with their action, the author achieved her goal.

While it is harder for me to judge something released 20 years before my birth, A Wizard of Earthsea still holds up well today. With writing that surpasses many modern writers in the genre, while refraining from filling a 900 page epic, it is a good read. Earthsea is represented as well as it ever could be in less than 200 pages, setting the stage for Ged's next adventures.

Summary: Vital fantasy