This award-winning and influential fantasy novel, aimed at children, was first published in 1968 and is the first of the Earthsea series. I re-read it, after finding an unread Puffin edition in a charity shop, but I found the same issues with it that I had in 2002, when I struggled through the quartet. I’ve read a few of Le Guin’s books now and although I appreciate the ideas and concepts in her fiction, it takes itself so seriously. Occasionally the characters might make a joke or laugh at each other, but there are no funny moments whatsoever. It’s a very grim world, of the medieval type, where most people are poor and simple, with access to help from a witch or wizard if they are lucky. A Wizard of Earthsea is a chronicle of the youth of a great mage, Ged, also known as Sparrowhawk. From humble beginnings, he goes to wizard school, but pride and hate are his downfall. In a feat of uncontrolled magic, he lets in an evil shadow creature, which he must conquer even if he spends his whole life wandering Earthsea.

It’s a coming of age novel and also a metaphor for the struggle with and acceptance of the dark side of human nature. I felt that the ending was rather disappointing but I suppose it couldn’t have been any other way. I also felt that too much text was devoted to naming the many, many islands, and not enough was dialogue or interesting details. The magic spells were vague and even the time at wizarding school, which in any other book would have been the fun part, was quite gloomy. The male-centric society and wizards being more powerful than witches were also a little disappointing, as Le Guin is known as a feminist writer, but then this is an early work. I’m not going to read the rest of the series, but I don’t regret re-reading the first book.

Published by Puffin, 2016.