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A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Books)
 
 

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A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Books) (Paperback)

by Ursula Le Guin (Author) "THE island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards ..." (more)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
RRP: £5.99
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Frequently Bought Together

A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Books) + The Tombs of Atuan: Book Two (Earthsea Cycle) + The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle)
Price For All Three: £24.71

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Product details

  • Paperback: 205 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin (31 Aug 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140304770
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140304770
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 11,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Often compared to Tolkien's Middle-Earth or Lewis's Narnia, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea is a stunning fantasy world that grabs quickly at our hearts, pulling us deeply into its imaginary realms. Four books (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore and Tehanu) tell the whole Earthsea cycle--a tale about a reckless, awkward boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a wizard's apprentice after the wizard reveals Sparrowhawk's true name. The boy comes to realize that his fate may be far more important than he ever dreamed possible. Le Guin challenges her readers to think about the power of language, how in the act of naming the world around us we actually create that world. Teens, especially, will be inspired by the way Le Guin allows her characters to evolve and grow into their own powers.

In this first book, A Wizard of Earthsea readers will witness Sparrowhawk's moving rite of passage--when he discovers his true name and becomes a young man. Great challenges await Sparrowhawk, including an almost deadly battle with a sinister creature, a monster that may be his own shadow. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
This tale of wizards and dragons features the character of Sparrowhawk. Tempted by pride to try spells beyond his powers, Sparrowhawk lets loose an evil shadow-beast. Only he can destroy it and so he begins a quest which leads him to all corners of Earthsea. This is the first book in a quartet.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
THE island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Books)
65% buy the item featured on this page:
A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Books) 4.4 out of 5 stars (94)
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The Earthsea Quartet: "A Wizard Of Earthsea"; "The Tombs of Atuan"; "The Farthest Shore"; "Tehanu" (Puffin Books) 4.7 out of 5 stars (35)
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Customer Reviews

94 Reviews
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3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (94 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, 28 Aug 2003
By Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)
Born on an island renowned for its wizards, young Ged finds himself drawn to wizardry. Astonishingly, it all seems to come naturally, and he soon outstrips the witch who is teaching him the art. Arrogant and willful, he goes off to Roke Island to study under the greatest master wizards. His pride proves his undoing when, in an attempt to show his superiority to a rival, he summons up a shadow creature powerful beyond human understanding. Ged finishes his studies, and then must begin his career, knowing that somewhere out there the shadow is waiting for him.

Being such an old story, I did not expect to enjoy this story too much. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the story was entertaining and quite absorbing. I was fascinated to see what the nature of the shadow was, and what Ged needed to do to overcome it. I have not read any of Ursula Le Guin’s books before, but I intend to now. I recommend this book to any fantasy reader.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece of magic and growing up, 30 Jan 2003
By Martin Turner "Martin Turner" (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)      
A Wizard of Earthsea ranks alongside Narnia and Middle-earth as a masterpiece of other world fantasy for children. Of course, this claim is made fairly frequently and for every new fantasy writer - but A Wizard of Earthsea has stood the test of time.
Set in a world far more detailed and fully realised than Philip Pullman's or JK Rowling's, this is a powerful tale of a child - Ged - growing up to be a wizard and having to meet the consequences of a single catastrophic failure in adolescence.

The scope is enormous. It wakes feelings of majesty, power, compassion, fear, terror, joy, frustration and freedom. Dragons' lair, the sea, countless islands, twisting streets, tiny villages, the weather and the world of the dead are some of the settings.
The story, the imagination and the author's voice never falter. This is in many respects a perfect work - the same thing that Tolkien achieved in the Hobbit but failed to achieve in the Lord of the Rings, and Lewis achieved with the first six Narnia books but failed in the Last Battle.
A must read - even if you don't like fantasy.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully-crafted piece of fantasy, 6 Jul 2000
By A Customer
I first read this book as a child, but have since read it and the other 3 books in the series time and again. Far from finding the character portrayal cold and distant, I idenitified very strongly with the main character Ged and found him a sympathetic and realistic character.

The story essentially develops from a horrific blunder that Ged makes through his own arrogance and pride, and his subsequent travels and trials are his attempt to atone for the wrong he has done. Le Guin is an incredibly talented writer and her descriptions of the places in the book enable you to visualise them perfectly. She also conjurs up a very real feeling of evil in the dark forces that Ged must deal with in order to heal himself. There are enough dragons and magic to keep me happy too! I love her idea that magic is not something to be used whenever you fancy, that a balance must be maintained and again this is something Ged must learn to become fully mature.

Comparisons with Tolkien are erroneous. Le Guin can stand on her own and is incomparable.

This is not just a book for kids - I suggest you read this and every other book Le Guin has ever written!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible tale - a fantasy classic
I've read and re-read this book and the others in the series many times since discovering it in my early teens, and the tale never bores me. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ash

4.0 out of 5 stars 20 odd year olds review who wished he read this as a kid
First off all Fantasy books are compared to Tolkien, his influance is so great that it is difficult to avoid. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Falrah Mintoar

5.0 out of 5 stars Darkness, Wizards and Dragons
This is the first in a series of books. There are 4 novels in the series and two collections of short stories. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Steven R. McEvoy

5.0 out of 5 stars Darkness, Wizards and Dragons
This is the first in a series of books. There are 4 novels in the series and two collections of short stories. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Steven R. McEvoy

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant audio production
I loved a Wizard of Earthsea as a young teenager and these days am a fan of audio books. This one is marvellously produced and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it.
Published 17 months ago by L. Weale

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy where character counts
I first read A wizard of Earthsea over 30 years ago and I still love it now. The characters are believable, human and fallible. The world of Earthsea rings true. Read more
Published 19 months ago by William Dampier

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
Outstanding production from Craftsman of one of the great fantasy novels. `A Wizard of Earthsea', the first in Ursula K. Read more
Published on 3 Jun 2007 by Daniel 1607

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich, salty magic
This novel was everything I'd hoped for in a book about magic, without the feel-good fairiness of JK Rowling and more with the gravitas of Tolkien. Read more
Published on 4 April 2006 by Adrian McO-Campbell

5.0 out of 5 stars Experience The Magical World of Earthsea
"A Wizard of Earthsea" is the first of a trilogy set in the World of Earthsea long ago, during a time when dragons, wizards and magic were not uncommon, nor yet extinct. Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2005 by Jana L. Perskie

5.0 out of 5 stars The return of belief
I first read this book some 15 or more years ago. I was a young, self opinionated girl who thought nought could be gained from stories, especially fantasy. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2005 by R Spawton

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