A+Wizard+of+Earthsea



Le Guin, U.K. (1968). //A Wizard of Earthsea//. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Co.

Plot: Sparrowhawk was born on the island of Gont in the land of Earthsea, where dragons and magical creatures live and it is commonplace for each village to have its own wizard or mage. It was apparent from early on that he was gifted in the ways of the wizard. Tales of the magic he performed reached Ogion the Silent, the Mage of Rei Albi. On his thirteenth birthday the ceremony of Passage was held and Sparrowhawk was given his true name of Ged by Ogion, which he must only share with those he holds closest. Ged left his village to become prentice to Ogion. His early experiences with wizardry and the ease of which he was able to learn it made him arrogant and not an easy prentice for the quiet and more methodical Ogion. One day, while Ogion was out, Ged eager to create magic used an ancient book of Ogions and read the runes to perform a spell of summoning the spirits of the dead. A shadow appeared in the room, but Ogion burst through the door and destroyed it. It was clear that Ged was not going to work out as Ogion's prentice, so he chose to go to Roke Island, to attend a school for wizards.

Once at the school on Roke Ged made friends with two other boys, Vetch and Jasper. Both boys were older and while Vetch became a true friend, Jasper's adeptness at the high arts was too much for Ged's arrogance to bear. The boys were fiercely competitive. One night when this competitiveness had reached it's peak, Jasper challenged Ged to show his talents and raise a spirit from the dead. Ged not wanting to back down performed the spell he had learned from Ogion's ancient book and did so, but along with the spirit came something much worse. Here was the dark shadow once again, but this time it scratched and clawed at Ged trying to destroy him. It would have too if the head wizard of the school, Archmage Nemmerle, hadn't appeared and fought it off. This fight drained the Archmage of all of his power, eventually killing him and Ged was unconscious and bedridden for months. When he was finally well again, Ged, with his face now scarred with the scratches of the shadow, continued on with his studies, but was no longer the cocky boy he had once been.

Ged left Roke to become the wizard of a town, but he was always in fear of the shadow. It haunted him in his dreams and he feared he was jeopardizing the townspeople's safety by him being there. He set off back to Roke to seek the advice of the the Archmage of the wizard school, but he was unable to return because of the evil shadow attached to him is not able to get through Roke's defenses. Panicked, Ged heads to Osskil where he meets a stranger willing to take him to the Court of the Terrenon, where he heard he would be able to discover the name of the shadow, which would enable Ged to destroy it once and for all. He realizes too late that the stranger leading him to the court has been possessed by the shadow and comes after Ged, speaking Ged's true name. He is rescued by the lady of the court only to realize that he is not out of danger, he was lured to the court by evil forces. Escaping, Ged takes the form of a hawk and returns to Ogion.

Ogion helps Ged to realize that he must become the hunter of the shadow, not the hunted. Only then will he be able to overcome it. Ged sets off on a journey chasing after the shadow in an effort to reverse his fate. Along the way he encounters Vetch, who vows to go with Ged on his journey. They sail on to the edges of Earthsea always a step behind the shadow. Ged is finally able to confront the shadow, walking on water to meet him. The thing he once believed nameless, Ged realizes is part of himself and saying his own name of "Ged" at the same moment as the shadow forces them into one being, light and darkness becoming one, making Ged whole.

Personal Thoughts: This book is an incredible journey through the struggle between light and dark present in each of us. Le Guin shows how the arrogance of a young boy overcame him and began to lead to his eventual destruction. The perseverance and wisdom of Ged enabled him to overcome that which he feared most, the darkness within himself. The land that Le Guin creates is fascinating. Earthsea is full of many islands, treacherous waters, fantastical creatures, and magic.

Genre: fantasy, adventure

Reading Level: Ages 9 - 12

Series Information: A Wizard of Earthsea is the first book in Le Guin's series, "The Earthsea Cycle."

Miniseries Information: A miniseries produced on Sci-Fi Channel was released in 2004 named //Earthsea//, based on "The Earthsea Cycle."

Awards: The series has won several awards: 1972 Newbery Silver Medal for //The Tombs of Atuan// 1972 National Book Award for Children's Books for //The Farthest Shore// <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">1979 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for //A Wizard of Earthsea// <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">1990 Nebula Award for //Tehanu//

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Reviews: //New York Times Abstracts// (1973, February 18). <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">//USA Today// "Science Fiction Book Club's Top 10" (2003, March 3). <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">//The Guardian.// (2003, September 24). Fantasy Book News, retrieved from: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://www.fantasybooknews.com/2009/05/review-a-wizard-of-earthsea-by-ursula-k-le-guin/ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">//Horn Book Magazine// (2010, January/February). //The Herald// "Top Ten" (2010, July 13).

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Character List: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ged (Sparrohawk, Duny): Born as Duny, but called Sparrowhawk because of his familiarity with animals, named Ged by Ogion on his 13th birthday; Ged is arrogant because of his great skill of magic at a young age, through this arrogance he unleashes a dark force onto Earthsea, which he must destroy <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ogion the Silent: Master to Ged; skilled wizard; takes Ged in as an apprentice, but Ged's arrogance and lack of patience forces Ogion to let him go <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Vetch (Estarriol): Vetch is Ged's only true friend; attends the wizard school on Roke; Wizard of Ismay; assists Ged in destroying his shadow <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Jasper: Attends the school on Roke with Ged and Vetch; challenges Ged to raise the spirit from the dead <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Shadow: a force Ged releases onto Earthsea when he raises a spirit from the dead; Ged must destroy the shadow before it possesses him and uses his power to bring darkness to Earthsea

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Annotation: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ged a young man, skilled at magic, must spend his life chasing down his shadow unleashed through his own arrogance and destroy it before it can bring greater harm to Earthsea.