A Wizard of Earthsea

A Wizard of Earthsea is the first book in Ursula Le Guin’s six-volume Earthsea Cycle, a dreamlike fantasy series set on a fictional pre-industrial mountain island. The story involves the coming-of-age journey of young boy (Ged) who from a very early age displays great powers of wizardry but is held back by an immature impulsiveness. While the story’s Manichean simplicity causes it to strike a lesser note than Le Guin’s more realistic masterpieces, her book has an enchanting setting and richly-developed characters. As a result, while it was ostensibly written for children and young adults, it holds up well for adults too.