A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin (4.0)
There is something haunting about many of Ms. Le Guin’s
novels. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the feeling stays with you for a
long time. Many have called this the precursor to the Harry Potter novels. I
would note a big difference is that while Harry is a very likable protagonist,
who denies his own importance, here we have Ged, who comes across with a large
dose of youthful hubris that gets him in deep trouble. We follow Ged as he
travels to the wizard school to learn how to use his powers. As with Potter, we
meet interesting teachers, the school is hidden from mere mortals and Ged
immediately makes enemies. The surprise in this book is how quickly Ged gets
his comeuppance, which leads to a very dark the second half of the book. That being said, I enjoyed reading the first novel
that has inspired so many that followed and appreciated the symbolism and
darkness.
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