A Wizard of Earthsea
The first novel of Ursula K. Le Guin's must-read Earthsea Cycle. "The magic of Earthsea is primal; the lessons of Earthsea remain as potent, as wise, and as necessary as anyone could dream." (Neil Gaiman) Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tumultuous tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance. With stories as perennial and universally beloved as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of The Rings—but also unlike anything but themselves—Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels are some of the most acclaimed and awarded works in literature. They have received accolades such as the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor, the Nebula Award, and many more honors, commemorating their enduring place in the hearts and minds of readers and the literary world alike. Join the millions of fantasy readers who have explored these lands. As The Guardian put it: "Ursula Le Guin's world of Earthsea is a tangled skein of tiny islands cast on a vast sea. The islands' names pull at my heart like no others: Roke, Perilane, Osskil.
Stats for nerds
30recommend
68mentions
60people
2008–2026years
47% recommend47% neutral6% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- My grandchildren (ages 10 - 13) have been recently given and are apparently somewhat attached to
The Mouse and His Child - Russell Hoban
A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel - Ursula K. Le Guin, Fred Fordham
The SAS Survival Handbook - Lofty Wiseman
They more or less all cover the search for being self winding.
- Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:
Matthew Cordell is awesome. "Cornbread and Poppy" are cute, "Evergreen" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.
"Nobody Likes a Goblin" by Ben Hatke
"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess" by Tom Gauld
"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald
”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna
"Les P'tites Poules" by Christian Jolibois
A little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, "A Wizard of Earthsea", "Catwings".
- I can never praise A Wizard of Earthsea enough - although it’s highly regarded I never think it quite receives the level of praise it should as a book that will move children (and adults). I first heard it read by Edward Fox on BBCs Jackanory in the mid70s and have remembered it ever since.
- A wizard of earthsea by Ursula Le Guin The moon is a hash mistress Heinlein Weirdstone of Brisingamen The red car
- There is just something terribly romantic about solar sails. I've loved sailing since reading a Wizard of Earthsea. The fact that you can do it in space just makes the dopamine centers in my brain light up. I can imagine astronauts cycling between Mars and Earth on huge ships with monstrous light sails.
- In my top five, too. I have two copies right now, the second is a first edition I found at a free bookstore. I've given one other away, will probably send another with a kid when they move out.
It's the dryness, for me. She evokes the setting so clearly and in so few words, it took me by surprise. Also my first exposure to thoughtful anarchist ideas, which has been fun.
That and Wizard of Earthsea. Which is as spare, poetic, and strange as any YA magic fiction book wishes it could be.
Related
The Tombs of Atuan
6 recommend · 15
2008–2026
Ursula K Le Guin
93 recommend · 206
Tales from Earthsea
1 recommend · 6
The Beginning Place
2 recommend · 3
The Birthday of the World
5 recommend · 8
The Left Hand of Darkness
118 recommend · 214
The Lathe of Heaven
27 recommend · 40
