“The island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northern Sea, is a land famous for wizards. ” — First sentence
Synopsis from back cover: Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death’s threshold to restore the balance.
A Wizard of Earthsea is my first Ursula K. Le Guin book, and I enjoyed it immensely. The synopsis above gives a good overview of the book. It’s also a fairly short novel with only 197 pages.
Ged (his true name) is destined to be an Archmage, but he doesn’t yet know it. As a child, he is called Duny. He is wild and quick, loud and proud, and full of temper. One day, by accident, he repeats aloud the rhyme he heard his aunt use to call a stray goat, and the other goats come to him. That is how he is ‘discovered’ and is sent to learn from a mage named Ogion.
However, his village is attacked, and he summons a magic that drives the bad guys away. As mentioned earlier, Ged has attitude problems. He grows impatient with his master, who seems to teach him nothing but to gather herbs and listen—to wait. He decides to leave Mage Ogion and moves on to the school for wizards on Roke. Mage Ogion gives his blessing and recommendation.
At the school, he befriends Vetch and finds an otak (a small, rat-like beast) as a pet. He names the otak Hoeg. His attitude remains the same, leading him into trouble and near death when he unleashes something monstrous. From that moment on, he becomes the hunted.
A Wizard of Earthsea explores balance, true names and magic. Ged has upset the balance, and he must restore it. You will have to read the book to see how he tackles the shadow. He transforms from a proud person into someone humble. Good can come from evil, but only if we are brave enough to overcome it. There is a lesson in humility.
“It is very hard for evil to take hold of the unconsenting soul.” — p. 129
I have enjoyed this short read and will continue with the rest of the books in the Earthsea Cycle series: The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu—all in my TBR (to-be-read) pile.
Related Posts:
The Tombs of Atuan (Book 2 of the Earthsea Cycle series)
The Farthest Shore (Book 3 of the Earthsea Cycle series)
Tehanu (Book 4 of the Earthsea Cycle series)
