An oldie....

A Wizard of Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin

genre: fantasy, middle reader
series: Earthsea Cycle
pages: 192
rating ***

I discovered fantasy books rather late in life, I read The Hobbit in college.  Since then I have been a fan of children's and YA fantasy.  I have seen this book in the children's section of the library for years, so I finally took it home.

A Wizard of Earthsea tells the story of Ged, aka sparrowhawk.  As a boy Ged goes into wizard training.  His main flaw is arrogance and maybe pride.  Because of these flaws he sets loose a "shadow" on the world, and sets on a quest to conquer it.

Before I say anything I have to say Ursula Le Guin is a wonderful writer.   The book is easy to read, but it is not a quick read.  It took me a little longer than I had intended.  She is heavy on narration.  I enjoyed the book, but I was not attached to the characters.  Because of that I may not read another one.  Earthsea is probably a great book for a middle reader new to fantasy.


- Caren