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A review by eesh25
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
4.0
I found this book to be somewhere between middle grade and YA. It starts with us being introduced to a young boy who has an affinity for magic. And we follow him, over the next few years, as he becomes good at magic and learns some lessons about it and about himself.
It's a very short book that spans several years, so we don't go into a lot of detail about every part of the protagonist's life. But we do focus on what the conflict is about.
I read Le Guin's Author's Note after the book, and she talks about how she followed some of the classic fantasy elements but also went opposite to others. Like the protagonist is a person of colour, and the main conflict isn't really the good-vs-evil fight one would expect. I liked those elements as I was reading the book, and I like them even more knowing the intent behind them.
I also liked the theme, which was about magic, power and the ways it can corrupt. And about dealing with the consequences of your actions. Not to mention, the writing in the book was beautiful. I do wish the story could've gone a bit slower so could've spent more time in the various settings, but I enjoyed it overall.
I really wish I had more to say about this book, but my feelings about most aspects were simply that I liked them, and I recommend checking this book out. This is a very complete story. It even works as a standalone, in my opinion. But the world of Earthsea has a lot to explore, so I'm happy to be getting more books. I'd also like to know more about the magic system, which I found to be quite interesting. So I'll definitely be reading the next book soon.
It's a very short book that spans several years, so we don't go into a lot of detail about every part of the protagonist's life. But we do focus on what the conflict is about.
I read Le Guin's Author's Note after the book, and she talks about how she followed some of the classic fantasy elements but also went opposite to others. Like the protagonist is a person of colour, and the main conflict isn't really the good-vs-evil fight one would expect. I liked those elements as I was reading the book, and I like them even more knowing the intent behind them.
I also liked the theme, which was about magic, power and the ways it can corrupt. And about dealing with the consequences of your actions. Not to mention, the writing in the book was beautiful. I do wish the story could've gone a bit slower so could've spent more time in the various settings, but I enjoyed it overall.
I really wish I had more to say about this book, but my feelings about most aspects were simply that I liked them, and I recommend checking this book out. This is a very complete story. It even works as a standalone, in my opinion. But the world of Earthsea has a lot to explore, so I'm happy to be getting more books. I'd also like to know more about the magic system, which I found to be quite interesting. So I'll definitely be reading the next book soon.