A Wizard of Earth Sea : Book Review


Book Review

 

Title: A Wizard of Earthsea

Author: Ursula Le Guin

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

 

There was a phase when I used to love the fantasy genre. Somewhere along the way, I migrated to reading more books in the literary fiction genre. I decided to change that in 2021. Besides, I was looking to get out of my comfort zone with respect to reading and writing, explore different genres and experiment with my stories for my upcoming Fiction book. 

 

I decided to start with Ursula Le Guin’s ‘A Wizard of Earth Sea.’ 

 

The story chronicles the life of Ged, a goat-herder from a tiny village, who shows some early signs of magical power. He is then sent to study in a Wizard school on Roke Island. Ged possesses all the making of the world’s greatest wizard. However, when his pride and ego compels him to accept a power challenge with another boy, he accidently unleashes an evil shadow from the land of spirits. Will Ged be able to get rid of this shadow? 

 

The writing style is lyrical and traces Ged’s journey across different phases in his life. There is a great eye for detail, transporting readers to another world comprising of its own rules and geographical boundaries. While there isn’t any sequence of war or action-packed sequences, this compelling narrative is more of Ged’s battle with himself. It’s about his ability to confront, understand himself and come to terms with the evil shadowing him. Amidst this fantastical world of wizards and sorcery, the author manages to impart some profound lessons about life, maintaining balance in the world and human emotions. The book also has an afterword by the author. 

 

I am definitely compelled to read more titles in this series. My next book on the list is a book called The Amulet of Samarkand which is the first book of the Bartimaeus Trilogy. It was given to me for Christmas by my Secret Santa! 

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