A review by steveatwaywords
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Even as I remember it, Le Guin's first steps into this world are mythical, unwinding a story as legend, taking little or no time for incidentals, mere emotional quandaries, or development of characters. These would seem criticisms, and they are, if what you expect from this reading is an epic plotting on the scale of Eddings or Brooks or Tolkien. We seldom learn the struggles of the young wizard developing his skills (skimming over in 2 chapters what would take Rowling large 7 novels). Instead, we get the major framework for an idea of magic based on true names, a parable-like envelope for Sparrowhawk's character, someone inspired, often perceptive, destined. Gather around a proverbial fire and let the teller tell it. 
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