Paperback, 183 pages
English language
Published Sept. 28, 2004 by Spectra.
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.
Gainontzekoak irakurri ostean iruzkinduko dut istorio osoa, baina labur esanda: itzela izan daiteke!
I first read these books when I was actually in the target age group, but I have re-read them countless times since then, they are timeless and ageless. "A Wizard of Earthsea", with its superb world-building and archetypal story of shadow and light. "The Tombs of Atuan", with its marvelous sexual imagery and tentative exploration of female themes. And "The Farthest Shore", where Ged takes on life and the afterlife.
Ursula le Guin was like the leader of my tribe. I regret not seeing her in person, she was a regular a SF conventions, but she left behind a superb body of work which I am still discovering.
A must-read in the collection of fantasy classics
Prose is slim and considered, the imagery vivid without being exhausting, but I did not feel engaged with Ged, personally, philosophically, etc.
I appreciate how concise and capable a novel this is; that it is in its way rubbing against the grain of what, in 1969 especially, are the expectations of a fantasy novel and setting.
But I read it today, in a different cultural milieu. While Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed still felt compelling and relevant, Wizard of Earthsea is something I can only imagine once having a greater potency.
