Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Modern Classics)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book

A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Modern Classics) (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 (95 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


28 used from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover Order it used
Paperback (4th THUS) £5.99 £4.24 161 used & new from £0.01
Mass Market Paperback Order it used
Library Binding (Reprint) Order it used
Hardcover (Large Print) Order it used
ExpandShow more editions and formats

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Find all the latest books, toys, games and DVDs from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in our Harry Potter store.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle) (Craftsman Audio)

The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle) (Craftsman Audio)

by Ursula K. Le Guin
4.4 out of 5 stars (9)  £12.56
The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle)

The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle)

by Ursula K. Le Guin
4.3 out of 5 stars (16)  £3.52
Tehanu: Book Four (Earthsea Cycle)

Tehanu: Book Four (Earthsea Cycle)

by Ursula K. Le Guin
3.8 out of 5 stars (20)  £6.69
The Classic Fairy Tales

The Classic Fairy Tales

by Iona Opie
5.0 out of 5 stars (2) 
The Other Wind: An Earthsea Novel

The Other Wind: An Earthsea Novel

by Ursula Le Guin
4.3 out of 5 stars (13)  £4.44
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin Books; New edition edition (30 Jun 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140364609
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140364606
  • Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 13 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,533,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

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.

Product Description

This is a tale of wizards, dragons and terrifying shadows. The young wizard Sparrowhawk, tempted by pride to try spells beyond his powers, lets loose an evil shadow-beast in the land. Only he can destroy it, and this quest leads him to the farthest corner of Earthsea.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
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
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(5)
(4)
(3)
(3)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Modern Classics)
68% buy the item featured on this page:
A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Modern Classics) 4.4 out of 5 stars (95)
The Earthsea Quartet: "A Wizard Of Earthsea"; "The Tombs of Atuan"; "The Farthest Shore"; "Tehanu" (Puffin Books)
24% buy
The Earthsea Quartet: "A Wizard Of Earthsea"; "The Tombs of Atuan"; "The Farthest Shore"; "Tehanu" (Puffin Books) 4.7 out of 5 stars (36)
£6.13
The Other Wind: An Earthsea Novel
3% buy
The Other Wind: An Earthsea Novel 4.3 out of 5 stars (13)
£4.44
Tales From Earthsea: Short Stories
3% buy
Tales From Earthsea: Short Stories 4.1 out of 5 stars (9)
£4.50
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

95 Reviews
5 star:
 (65)
4 star:
 (16)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (95 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 10 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.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
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" (Marlcliff, Warwickshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Books) (Paperback)
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.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully-crafted piece of fantasy, 6 July 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: A Wizard of Earthsea (Puffin Books) (Paperback)
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!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars To hear, one must be silent
Ged's journey across the storm-wracked seas of the archipelago of Earthsea, in search of the evil shadow he has unwittingly loosed, parallels his own journey across the difficult... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Vatachino

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 8 months 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 9 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 20 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 20 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 on 3 Feb 2008 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 on 25 Nov 2007 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 3 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 22 Feb 2005 by Jana L. Perskie

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.