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cpratreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A classic I am glad to have finally read. I enjoyed the story and seeing Ged grow, and some of the travel sequences were very interesting. I am excited to read the next installment.
As a stand alone fantasy novel I don't think it is very strong, but as the start of a series I am liked it.
As a stand alone fantasy novel I don't think it is very strong, but as the start of a series I am liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Child death, and Death
teslis's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Denna bok har min pappa försökt få mig att läsa så många gånger, och nu har jag gjort det!
Jag är inte lika intresserad av fantasy längre och tror att det kan ha varit vad som drar ned den för mig tyvärr. Men jag tycker det var en bra bok, skulle rekommendera den för någon yngre och som gillar magi. Kommer nog inte läsa fortsättningen.
Hoppas du inte tar illa pappa för att jag inte älskar den som du gör <3
Jag är inte lika intresserad av fantasy längre och tror att det kan ha varit vad som drar ned den för mig tyvärr. Men jag tycker det var en bra bok, skulle rekommendera den för någon yngre och som gillar magi. Kommer nog inte läsa fortsättningen.
Hoppas du inte tar illa pappa för att jag inte älskar den som du gör <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Animal death
ka_cam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoy Le Guin’s writing but didn’t enjoy this like I expected to- some parts more interesting and others fairly predictable fantasy fare.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Misogyny, and Sexism
pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Ursula Le Guin's writing is simply phenomenal. This book has so many great lessons to teach, about friendship, about living in tandem with nature, about discovering oneself.
I had a feeling the shadow's name was going to be Ged, that it would represent an aspect of himself that he had yet to accept. When that did happen in the end, it felt very cathartic to me. Like a coming-of-age story, Ged had finally understood who he was and who he needed to be, for himself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Animal death
Minor: Xenophobia, Blood, Slavery, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
departedglories's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Animal death
verytwilly's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed the story, big scope with a small page count, plus an engaging writing style that wasn’t too YA beyond the characterization itself. Mostly I’m excited to continue reading the stories in this world and see how Le Guin’s perspectives develop as she suggested in the foreword for my compiled and illustrated version. Overall, this is a good start to the series, and I’m hoping to see more depth and intrigue in the sequels.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Child death
necroplasm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ged hard carried this book for me tbh! like the storytelling itself wasn't BAD don't get me wrong but he was such a compelling protagonist and if the main character had been someone more boring then i fear i would have dnf'd this........ just a very wordy book with a lot of worldbuilding the characters are really what got me thru this one
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death
Minor: Child death
lowpollie's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Animal death
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
I enjoyed the story of this book. But I never entirely adjusted to Le Guin's distanced style of storytelling. For me, a book to read once and enjoy, but not one to reread and love.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Sexism, Death, Child death, and Animal death
Minor: War, Slavery, Murder, Child abuse, and Death of parent
alicebutton's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An exciting enough story that moves along at a fast pace, although sometimes the prose slowed me down. I enjoy how much Ged's temper and ego move the story, but I wish the book had spent more time building up the other characters. It spends a lot of time quickly summarizing large portions of his life, and while I'm glad it didn't get bogged down in the minutiae of his school years, it leaves relationships feeling undeveloped. Even tragic events get glossed over.
The world is where Earthsea really shines. I'm not one to pore over maps myself, but a carefully crafted map still adds a ton of immersion. The places and details mentioned in Ged's travels place him in a real world, not just an empty ocean. The magic is simple enough but enticing, tied to the world's history. It makes the mythos part of the story in an organic way.
The patriarchal setting, and the fact that wizardry is restricted to men and boys is an uncomfortable element, but one I can personally forgive.
It's not perfect, but like other reviewers I'm interested to see where the sequels go.
The world is where Earthsea really shines. I'm not one to pore over maps myself, but a carefully crafted map still adds a ton of immersion. The places and details mentioned in Ged's travels place him in a real world, not just an empty ocean. The magic is simple enough but enticing, tied to the world's history. It makes the mythos part of the story in an organic way.
The patriarchal setting, and the fact that wizardry is restricted to men and boys is an uncomfortable element, but one I can personally forgive.
It's not perfect, but like other reviewers I'm interested to see where the sequels go.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, War, and Death
Minor: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, and Death of parent