A Wizard Of Earthsea

240 pages

English language

Published Jan. 18, 2012

ISBN:
978-0-544-08437-7
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(3 reviews)

Originally published in 1968, Ursula K. Le Guin's "A Wizard of Earthsea" marks the first of the six now beloved Earthsea titles. Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tumultuous 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.

73 editions

Чарівник Земномор'я

Авторка недарма є легендою жанру фентезі, доволі класичний для підліткового фентезі набір кліше вона змогла піднести на новий рівень.

Кожен аспект книги заслуговує на похвалу: і детально продумана світобудова та система магії, що чудово її доповнює, і персонажі зі своїми реалістичними недоліками та цікавими арками, і таємничий, і в тому жахаючий, аспект противника головного героя, а також чудовий темп та ритм історії, що не виснажує, але і дозволяє проковтнути історію за один день.

Не можу не згадати важливий аспект книги, що полягає у конфронтації читача з певними упепедженнями. Про це згадується не одразу і на цьому не загострюється увага, але більшість персонажів мають землисто-червону або і темнішу шкіру. Що цікаво, багато видавців та ілюстраторів не пройшли цей своєрідний тест, і на ілюстраціях до багатьох видань зображені білі люди. Що й казати, в адаптації 2004 року Геда зіграв Шон Ешмор - буквально Айсмен😅

reviewed A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #1)

Slow-paced and enoyable read

I enjoyed reading this. With her thoughtful writing style, the author did a wizardly job in creating the perfect mood for this slow-paced, sombre, yet hopeful adventure. I could feel Ged's unease and determination as if I had been with him.

I was enchanted by the interesting concept of magic in Earthsea. And I also liked that we accompany Ged, of whom we know from the start that he will be a great wizard, from his very beginnings of his magical journey, when he was still inexperienced and short-tempered.

The cherry on top was the world building, which was a real charm! On Ged's voyage, I often could grasp the feeling of being on the open sea, a remote island or at the edge of the world.

Very enjoyable but of its time

I did really enjoy reading this, and will almost certainly go on to read the other Earthsea books.

I came to Earthsea after reading several of Le Guin's Hainish cycle books and short stories, including some of the earliest ones like Rocannon's World. I can see similarities with the earliest Hainish cycle works, from around the same time - an emphasis on male characters, for example - which I am sure would have been handled differently by the same author had she written them later on. But there are still a lot of great ideas here, and it is far more open-minded than most fantasy literature of its era.