I came across Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea when I was researching famous children's literature for my Classics Club list. I wanted to have a section dedicated to children's classics, and this novel kept popping up in my searches. I hadn't heard of the book before, but I had definitely heard good things about Le Guin, so I decided to give it a shot. It is definitely different from the other children's classics in that section of my list, which mainly consists of older stories like Heidi and Black Beauty, but I figured it would be nice to have some diversity. I got the book as a Christmas gift a few years ago. For some reason, it was calling to me this week, so I pulled it off my shelf and started in on it.
The plot concerns a young wizard named Ged who lives in a realm of magic and dragons called Earthsea. Born in the small island community of Gont, he has an unremarkable childhood until he starts to show an aptitude for magic. The village witch notices his skills, and begins his instruction in wizardry. Soon, however, he masters all of the basics that she can teach him and is sent away to study under a true wizard on a different island. He continues to learn and grow over the years, and eventually leaves his new teacher to learn at a school for wizards on the island of Roke.
As everything has come easily to Ged throughout his instruction in magic, he develops a prideful and arrogant attitude. One evening, while attempting to show off in front of one of his rivals at the school, he accidentally calls forth a demon from another realm into Earthsea. This shapeless, terrifying demon attempts to kill him, but is ultimately driven off into the night by the archmage of the school. The confrontation kills the archmage, maims Ged, and changes the course of his life forever.
From that moment forward, Ged must live with the knowledge that he has not only loosed an unspeakable and terrifying evil into the world, but that the evil he called forth is bound to him, and will pursue him until he is able to kill him. Not content to just hide away somewhere, Ged must track the demon down and figure out how to destroy it, before it can do any more serious damage to Earthsea. His journey will take him far and teach him many things about his world, his relationships, and even himself.
I admit that when I first started in on the novel, I wan't into it. The narration style is a bit impersonal - it's meant to mirror how folktales or myths are told, with more of an emphasis on a character's deeds and actions than on their thoughts. For that reason, I found the start to be a bit slow and boring. I didn't feel like I was really getting to know the characters, and Ged had a haughty, unlikable personality. However, after Ged accidentally calls that demon into the world, I started to fall in love. His journey to undo his mistake is exciting, creative, and causes him to become more humble and grow. All of a sudden, I started to feel bad for him and cheer him onward in his quest.
As I read on, I also came to appreciate Le Guin's world-building. Earthsea feels like a fully-realized universe, with it's own history, legends, and geography. The magic system is very interesting as well. It is based on language and "true" names rather than wands and spells. Ged has to spend hours studying the original, dead language of his country in order to perform magic, which I thought was pretty unique. This is one of those fantasies where you truly feel like you're in another world while reading. Plus, there are dragons, and they way Le Guin portrays them makes them intriguing and menacing.
A Wizard of Earthsea reminded me a bit of The Chronicles of Narnia, with it's classic storytelling feel and fantastical universe. I wish I had found this story when I was a kid. It's interesting and clever and I think it would have been a big part of my childhood if I had known about it back in the 90s. After finishing the book, I immediately went online and purchased the rest of the series, which is something I haven't done in a long time. There are six books in the Earthsea Cycle, so I have a whole lot of time left to spend in Le Guin's universe, and I'm actually pretty excited for it. It's been a while since I really got into a fantasy series. I'm so glad that I randomly placed this onto my Classics Club list! It's nice to discover new favorites.
Challenge Tally
Classics Club (#29 on my list): 36/100
Total Books Read in 2019: 7
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