Book Annotation-Fantasy

Author: Ursula K. LeGuin

Title: A Wizard of Earthsea

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: 1968

Number of Pages: 182

Geographical Setting: The Archipelago, Earthsea (fictional place)

Time Period: NA

Series: The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1

Subject Headings: Fantasy, Magic, Wizards, Fiction

Appeal Terms: Classics, Fantasy fiction, High fantasy, Flawed, Introspective, World-building, Atmospheric, Suspenseful, Compelling, Richly detailed

Plot Summary:

Sparrowhawk, whose true name is Ged, is born the youngest child of a bronze smith in the northern reaches of the world of Earthsea.  Early on Sparrowhawk shows a natural ability for wizardry and works a fantastic feat of magic that saves his village from armed invaders when only 12 years of age.  Later Sparrowhawk is sent to be educated on the Isle of the Wise and there, in pride and hatred of a schoolfellow, uses his as yet immature abilities to work a spell that nearly costs him his life and allows a creature from the land of the dead to cross over to Earthsea.  Through a series of adventures Sparrowhawk comes to realize he must face the creature or be turned to its evil will, becoming a force for destruction and death in the world.

LeGuin’s book exhibits many aspects of the fantasy genre.  Central to the story is the power of magic, which is Saricks’ main defining feature of any fantasy story (2009).  This is revealed in the title and even the first few lines of the book that speak of wizards and magical creatures like dragons.  Beyond that, though, there are several other aspects found in A Wizard of Earthsea that root it in the Fantasy tradition. 

The book speaks at length about the idea of balance and equilibrium in the world and establishes through these discussions the “relational” nature of the story’s main character, Sparrowhawk, and his magical abilities to everything else in the world (Saricks, 2009).  LeGuin also gives us a complex character with flaws in Sparrowhawk, but also one that is assuredly “good” versus other forces that are assuredly “evil,” another hallmark of Fantasy (Saricks, 2009).  Lastly, LeGuin’s book has an “affirming” ending set in a world that “never could be,” while supplying details of the setting that “ground the story” while also “world-building” around a core of magical powers (Saricks, 2009).   

Fiction Read-Alikes:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

For those interested in Fantasy Classics, Tolkien’s book, much like LeGuin’s, is a must-read.  Sharing a similar quest-like story line and appeal factors relating to the Fantasy genre as well as World-Building, Bilbo Baggins, the reluctant adventurer, serves as a nice counterpoint to Sparrowhawk, the over-eager young wizard.

Flyte by Angie Sage, Septimus Heap, Book 2

A story of friendship and danger revolving around the use of magic and the young wizard’s apprentice, Septimus Heap, Sage’s book shares themes of facing one’s fears and qualifying oneself for one’s destiny with LeGuin’s book.  Flyte also shares the appeal factors of Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy, World-building, and Suspenseful with A Wizard of Earthsea.  Though with more of a sense of humor than LeGuin, Sage’s series promises a long immersion in a world apart from our own seen from multiple perspectives much like LeGuin’s Earthsea Cycle.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, Book 6

Another classic of Fantasy, though more modern, the story of a young wizard discovering more and more of his ability while operating under a heavy doom ties this book closely to LeGuin’s.  Sharing the appeal factors of Fantasy fiction, World-building, Suspenseful, and Compelling the plot of Rowling’s book weaves tragedy, self-discovery, and action/adventure around a core of magical spells, creatures, and schoolmasters not unlike LeGuin’s 9 Masters of Roke and the Archmage.

Nonfiction Read-Alike:

Merlin: the Prophet and his History by Geoffrey Ashe

Ashe’s book delves into the magical stories of the medieval world, cataloging and organizing folklore about Merlin, the Arthurian wizard.  The book also follows the thread of the real life of Myrddin Emrys, the Welsh prophet, upon whom many of the stories of Merlin seem to be based.  This anthropological work, though concerned with facts and myths from an objective outside view, promises to open up another world of thought and history much like Fantasy does in the fiction realm.

Work Cited:

Saricks, J. (2009). The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.