Įarly concepts for the Earthsea setting were developed in two short stories, ' The Rule of Names' (1964) and ' The Word of Unbinding' (1964), both published in Fantastic. George Slusser described the series as a 'work of high style and imagination', while Amanda Craig said that A Wizard of Earthsea was 'the most thrilling, wise, and beautiful children's novel ever'. Le Guin wrote five subsequent books that are collectively referred to as the Earthsea Cycle, together with A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (1971), The Farthest Shore (1972), Tehanu (1990), The Other Wind (2001), and Tales from Earthsea (2001). Margaret Atwood called it one of the 'wellsprings' of fantasy literature. It won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in 1969 and was one of the final recipients of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1979.

The structure of the story is similar to that of a traditional epic, although critics have also described it as subverting this genre in many ways, such as by making the protagonist dark-skinned in contrast to more typical white-skinned.Ī Wizard of Earthsea received highly positive reviews, initially as a work for children and later among a general audience.

The novel also carries Taoist themes about a fundamental balance in the universe of Earthsea, which wizards are supposed to maintain, closely tied to the idea that language and names have power to affect the material world and alter this balance. The book has often been described as a Bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story, as it explores Ged's process of learning to cope with power and come to terms with death. The novel follows Ged's journey as he seeks to be free of the creature. During a magical duel, Ged's spell goes awry and releases a shadow creature that attacks him. He displays great power while still a boy and joins a school of wizardry, where his prickly nature drives him into conflict with a fellow student. The story is set in the fictional archipelago of Earthsea and centers on a young mage named Ged, born in a village on the island of Gont. It is regarded as a classic of children's literature and of fantasy, within which it is widely influential. Le Guin and first published by the small press Parnassus in 1968.

A Wizard of Earthsea is a fantasy novel written by American author Ursula K.

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