A Wizard of Earthsea

The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1

By: Ursula K. Le Guin

Narrated by: Rob Inglis

"The shapeless mass of darkness split apart. It sundered, and a pale spindle of light gleamed between his open arms. In the oval of light there moved a human shape: a tall woman...beautiful, and sorrowful, and full of fear." - from A Wizard of Earthsea, first in a tetralogy that includes The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore, introduces the listener to Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, known also as Sparrowhawk. When Sparrowhawk casts a spell that saves his village from destruction at the hands of the invading Kargs, Ogion, the Mage of Re Albi, encourages the boy to apprentice himself in the art of wizardry. So, at the age of 13, the boy receives his true name - Ged - and gives himself over to the gentle tutelage of the Master Ogion. But impatient with the slowness of his studies and infatuated with glory, Ged embarks for the Island of Roke, where the highest arts of wizardry are taught. There, Ged's natural talents enable him to surpass his classmates in little time. But when his vanity prompts him to summon Elfarran, the fair lady of the Deed of Enlad, he unleashes a shapeless mass of darkness - the shadow.

©1968 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)1992 Recorded Books, LLC

An old favorite beautifully realized

I had forgotten how beautiful and spare LeGuin's writing can be. Here she's like a cross between Tolkien and Hemingway: lyrical, but no extraneous cruft.

I am a big fan of the performer/narrator, Rob Inglis, who can also be heard reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I was so happy to find more opportunities to listen to him read to me.

Truly Wonderful

I love Tolkien & R R Martin for descriptive story writing that transports me into another world. Only now I discover what many have known for decades .. that Le Quin's writing is equally brilliant! I love Rob Inglis's voice so for me the narration is perfect. The only complaint I have is that the old tape recording woman's voice message to change from side 1 to side 2 wasn't deleted when making the audio book version so that is a bit jarring.

The movie was better!

A great majority of the time, the book is better. The only time I had a clue where the story was, was when I recognized something from the movie. It's no wonder the Harry Potter series sold so much better. This book was a chore to follow. A better reader might have helped, but even then I think the reader (or listener) would find themselves lost.

Fabulous and beautiful

What a stunningly woven metaphor for the inner quest, true power, fear, love, and overcoming our own shadows. Really moved me and inspires me in my own journey.

incredible.

Rob Inglis brings anything he reads to life in a spectacular way. and this book was already bursting with life all its own. I highly reccomend this book to any and everyone who enjoys High Fantasy.

similar to Lord of the rings

I enjoyed reading this book. It reminds me of a gap that Bridges between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I'll go on and read the other two books

Great book and a great read!

Thanks for making this audio book. I really enjoyed listening to it, thanks again. Enjoy!

Words fail me

I could try to describe all the times I read the physical copy of this book, before going on to talk about how that book was lost and in my adulthood I bought it, only to listen and rewind and repeat those same parts simply to hear the beauty of language used in each description. The depth of which he's able to describe shadow, and the vividness of thought which makes one feel as if they're in the actual story is as magic itself. Should I never have read it I would not believed such a story existed. There are no words to describe it which I have yet to find in my own lexicon. Thus, it is safe to say that one must read, and experience this story in it's entirety. Nothing else will do.

Excellent escapism in the Time of Corona!

_A Wizard of Earthsea_ by Ursula K. Le Guin receives 4 stars from me. I listened to a recorded version during the Time of Corona, and it was what I needed.

The reader: The reader for this text was Rob Inglis. First let me say he's a good reader, good voice, good intonation. His voice is very neutral almost like a journalist reading the news in the evening. Normally, I like a more dramatic reading, but I felt that Inglis' interpretation was nice and told the story well. I would buy a book read by Inglis again.

The book.

First, I appreciate being taken away to another world in this stressful time of Corona. Le Guin builds an interesting world of islands. The setting was great. I enjoyed the constant comparisons of sea and land, and how these two intermixed. The islands feel a bit isolated from each other, with some having lots of contact with a few and no contact with the majority. She creates a sense of unease of not knowing what's out there far away.

For me, this book has lots of themes. I recognized: Power, use of Power, responsibility, coming of age, but for me the most interesting was the treatment of Identity. Le Guin does this by the use of names. Each thing that is alive has a true name (I could be wrong and that it is all things have a true name). This name is hidden from the world and only shared with close friends. Knowing the name of something gives power over it. It reminds me of if you can name your demon you can overcome it. For me, the aspect of the name is tied with identity. A person isn't given a true name at birth, rather that comes later. This suggest names match who the person is. I felt that the main character is on a journey to clearly identify who he is. He is given choices many times, and these choices he bases on who he is at his core, his values.

Recommended: yes.

A fun read!

This book was very predictable but well written and a really fun read. I am looking forward to the next!