Inga Hobbs, girl, age 37, from Bristol, United Kingdom, on 19th November 2008. Rating: 10/10
Well, I read this book at age eleven after finding it on the desk of an empty classroom at school, and I have to say that I still consider it to be one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read fairly widely. I will always return to this book and I rank it as far superior to "The Lord of The Rings", which I consider to be an overrated dusty tome. Ursula le Guin's understanding of the balance and pattern far surpasses any drivel that JK Rowling may cite in her potboilers, Rowling's judicious use of latin aside. I was hooked by "A Wizard of Earthsea" from page one, and went out into the mist in the small village where I lived to see if I could call any wild beats to me, such is the joy of unfettered youth. Anyone who loves this book as I do should also try reading anything by Alan Garner, particularly "Elidor", and "The Owl Service". Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" sequence is also worthy of note. All of these books were written in the 1960's, and it seems to me that they contain an element of care that is sadly lacking in much modern literature.
B-boy Charlie B., boy, age 13, from London, Canada, on 5th November 2008. Rating: 10/10
My review is well nothing more than a perfect. My reasons well let me start off with how big the scale of the world is. I love how she kept referring to the world and where he was, every time a location like an island or so came up I would turn to the map to see where it was. Also the world is not just there randomly, it is there for a reason, if you look from location to location, and the reason why Ged was there it all adds up and fits together. This is book is very complicated, it confuses me from time to time, but I read it over and I understood why and so on. This book is a lot darker than most books. This has other things contributing to it feeling real, and maybe possible. Where Ged/Sparrowhawk, came from is very explained and thought through, such as all of the other characters, they are all explained, and all have their own personality. I love how the poem at the beginning of the book come in at the end. I beleive how everything comes together, the world, "magic" which is all really knowledge of names and different things than the classic mumbo jumbo, and the personalities of different characters, makes an amazing experience for any reader looking for deep story. All I'm really sayin' is that this book is recommended to those with the mental capacity to handle loads of information and is interested in the creativity of author.
Anonymous, boy, age 12, from United States, on 5th October 2008. Rating: 10/10
A Wizard Of Earthsea was one of the greatest books I have ever read so far, and in my opinion, better than the Harry Potter books. Earthsea kept me flipping its pages over and over... I just couldn't stop. If I actually had the time, I would have read the whole book without ever taking a break! So... between Harry and Earthsea, just as Fro said, Earthsea is more deeper and darker, where you have to really think about what is given (my type of book), while the Harry Potter books serve information on a silver platter, allowing a wide audience. Anyways, I can't wait to get the next Earthsea book in the series: Tombs of Atuan! I would recommend stopping over at your library and reading the first few pages, see if you like A Wizard Of Earthsea~ For Earthsea fans... check out the movie Tales From Earthsea, directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki.
Angela, girl, age 14, from Canada, on 17th June 2007. Rating: 1/10
I thought this book was terriable! Not only was chiaroscuro extremly obvious in this book but it was such a boring read! i thought it was extremly easy to read, in comparison with the literature that's out now a days.
tori, girl, age 16, from st johns, Canada, on 9th June 2006. Rating: 2/10
Ok my class is reading this for a novel study...and i found this website trying to find a summary of wizard of earthsea because i dont understand it!!...i am not finished the book and i am drreading to have to read the rest of.....i mean what i have read so0 far speaks for itself ..i would say it does start to get a bit better after the first couple chapters but it isnt sumthing i would recomend...my whole class seems to have the same opinion about how hard to understand it is....but i guess i have no choice because i have an exams tomorow and unless you are also in this position i would not pick this up to read
Juanita, girl, age 15, from undisclosed, Canada, on 22nd May 2006. Rating: 10/10
First of all my class is reading this fopr gr.9 and many people actually find it rather difficult so I'm pretty amazed that there are so many younger readers than me. Jk Rowling actually based her book mjuch on this as you may hjave noticed and has in fact stated that. i prefer these to harry Potter books because it just seems a little more real and less disney-ish some people may not like it due to the language or how it is a little bit darker. We were doing a literary analysis on it base on Carl Jung's 5 characteristics of self(ego,shadow,personnae,anima and self) which was pretty awesome and helped us look at the multiple plots operating . This was the first time I read like this and now i feel like a better reader because of ursula le Guin's inventive writing.
david, boy, age 14 , from N Ireland, United Kingdom, on 28th March 2006. Rating: 10/10
I read this book when I was 14; I am older now. I just wanted to point out that The Wizard of Earthsea was written many years before Harry Potter, so if there is any influence on anyone it was JK Rowling who was influenced. But in fact the two books are in my view very different. For those who try "wizard" and dont get into it try again later. Some books have to be read first at the right age. And what the "right age" is varies from person to person. Also you can be too old for a book as well as too young. The TV film of Earthsea was a travesty; The Harry Potter films are really good fun. Part of the point of Harry Potter is that the Wizard world is mixed in with the Muggle world. Rowling has good fun with this. The W of E takes place in a separate, imagined world working to its own Laws.
Bree, girl, age 14, from Sydney, Australia, on 4th March 2006. Rating: 5/10
It's okay I guess I think I prefer the Harry Potter books, but this is a fairly good book to read. J.K Rowling has a better knowlodge of magic than Ursula Le Guin, and some of the things are hard to understand. Liked the book a fair bit though.
annonymous, girl, age 14, from Toowoomba QLD, Australia, on 23rd November 2005. Rating: 2/10
I think this is the most boring book ive ever had to read. We were given this book to read for an English Assignment, and ive tried to read the book but i just can't. The words and storyline are so complicated, but im going to attempt and try and read it tonight as my essay exam is tomorrow. I suggest to everybody else,dont waste your time.
Jesse soza, boy, age 13, from Austin , United States, on 20th November 2005. Rating:
I loved the wizard of earthsea it was abit extreme at times but it was good on the over all. The story line was great and the character lay outs was very wonderful. The book is the type of book that keeps you up at night wondering what is going to happen next.
[Anonymous], girl, age 10, from London, United Kingdom, on 10th September 2005. Rating: 8/10
I'm still in the middle of reading this book, but so far it has been very exciting. It was a bit confusing to start with, but I soon got use it. If choose to read this book, I think will be picking a very good book!
Julie, girl, age 14, from Oxford, United Kingdom, on 28th August 2005. Rating: 3/10
I really think this book is quite like Harry Potter... a little too much. I can't believe not many have noticed this, altough I do think Harry Potter is alot better. I came across this book because it was a summer reading book for my school. I just hope I dont mix stuff up with Harry Potter when I take the tests.
frase, boy, age 14, from auckland, New Zealand, on 9th August 2005. Rating: 2/10
this book is all right but at some areas it getss a bit boring and it sum times gets sad.
Daniel, boy, age 13, from Eastern, United States, on 22nd June 2005. Rating:
I Liked this book because it was very intresting than what i thought it will be when i first got it. Then i was very proud to see how he had overcome his promblems. This was because it had a lot of details to show the whole book from begining to the end.
Afeworki Alem, boy, age 15, from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on 21st June 2005. Rating: 8/10
I THINK THAT THIS BOOK REALLY DRAWS YOU IN ALL THE WAY TIL' THE END! GREAT JOB THERE URSULA!!
Kody, boy, age 15, from coldsping, United States, on 21st May 2005. Rating:
I liked the intro I can't wait to actuly read the book oh and I've seen the moovie.
Daniel, boy, age 17, from Wellington, New Zealand, on 10th April 2005. Rating: 10/10
This book is a classic. It is a fantasy Bildungsroman, telling the story of a young man's journey of spiritual, moral, psychological and social development. This novel is in one word beautiful. Sparrowhawk is still a young naive boy when he arrives to the island of Roke where the wizards are taught. This is where he unleashes an unspeakable evil unpon the world which only he can banish. There are, as many other people have pointed out, certain parallels to Harry Potter. The school for wizards, speaking of words to work spells, both boys are orphans etc.... But there is one difference that sets these two stories apart, that is that Earthsea is a demanding, serious High Fantasy which stands with the great authors such as Tolkien, Jordan, Feist, Eddings, Peake, Martin etc...(I seriously suggest that if you haven't heard of these authors pick up a copy of one of their books), where's Harry Potter is a humorous in intent and tone Low Fantasy. Although Earthsea is aimed at a younger audience it is a far more demading and abstract book.
richard dawson, boy, age 56, from traverse city, mi, United States, on 9th February 2005. Rating: 10/10
After readin only a few pages of "A Wizard of Earthsea" I could see where J.K. Rowling got her ideas from and fine-tuned the story so Harry Potter would live. I can't beleive I don't hear more about this....it is so very obvious!!!!
tyler soares, boy, age 13, from oregon , United States, on 18th December 2004. Rating: 9/10
ursila guien transmits us into her imaginative mind. the gibbit floats in our dark dreams while ged runs from it.
andrea (dredre), girl, age 26, from ny, United States, on 25th November 2004. Rating: 7/10
I thought I'd reply to the thread concernign comparisons between Wizard of EarthSea and Harry Potter. While comments have been made suggesting that a comparison is, perhaps, obsolete because of dissimilar writing styles, I would argue that "style" is very different from "plot" or "content," and on this basis the two novels can clearly be compared. While most epic books begin with types of characters (e.g. the basic romance plot) I would argue that amongst all of the fantasy books I have read, none holds greater similarity to Harry Potter than Wizard of EarthSea. 1. Ursula was a *legend* by the time that rowlings got around to penning Potter. 2. They're both written by women, which would create an implied kinship in a genre otherwise dominated by male writers. 3. Both the Ged and Harry characters are motherless (Ged is treated as a more or less orphan). 4. Both Ged and Harry are scared by an evil power (on their face). 5. Wizard school (I believe that Ursula is the first to write a novel sending her character to wizard school). 6. Both Ged and Harry end up in the wizard hospital after batteling a dark shadow creature. 7. Both Ged and Harry have deep rivalries with a blond hair youth they school with. (and it must be said, I'm extremely excited to read the second book in the trilogy) a.
Jim, boy, age 16, from Melbourne, Australia, on 20th November 2004. Rating:
I don't think that Wizrd of Earthsea can be compared to Harry Potter at all because the writing methods are so different it is impossible. In this book although, at times, it can become slightly tedious and off plot the writer manages to portray a young and independent wizard out on his own. On the other hand J.K.Rowling tells the story of one who is still AT school preparing his knowledge to cope with the outside world. Were the Harry Potter books to continue into Harry's older the life then the similarities may become apparent but until then both stories remain unique and totally individual works.
Fro, boy, age 21, from Taru, Estonia, on 28th October 2004. Rating: 10/10
This book cannot be "an idea", as an arealier comment stated. Harry Potter is explained and written so openly that everyone can understand it, be they young or old, experienced in fantasy literature or not. The Earthsea series is deep and makes you think, not explaining everything but letting you think on it and understand. I am reading it the fourth time, I am on 46th page, and I have already found something that I did not understand earlier. there are similarieties with the Harry Potter books- both can be read too quickly, both are too good and the new books are not printed fast enough... Two thumbs eg. ten fingers up.
LB, girl, age 16, from London, United Kingdom, on 11th September 2004. Rating: 8/10
I think this book is very original and is really like no other. You can't really compare Harry potter to this book because apart from the fact they both include wizards, they have completely different aims. I thought this book was quite hard to get into at first but once you start reading it then you really can't put it down. You follow a yound lad through his emotions not only of growing up but of growing into a powerful wizard. It is a good read for those who like mythical stories and who will stick with a book even if it takes a lot of patience, I really do think this is a very good read.
farnoush, girl, age 15, from sydney, Australia, on 16th August 2004. Rating: 1/10
Opposing to the summary of the book thats be said, I think this book is pretty boaring and there is no similarities between this book and Hary Potter, the idea might be similar but the way that harry potter has been described, is totaly different to a wizard of earthsea.This book sounds more like an idea and thoughts that someone has written out as a book than an atractive and magical story there is no attraction and or in this book whereas, as we know harry potter is one of the most succesful books in the world and I personally think that the idea had to be in the hands of a writer who knows how to put the words together. As I said it is a good idea but not a story, and defenetly not worth while.
Mairim, girl, age 25, from Entre Rios, Argentina, on 29th July 2004. Rating: 8/10
It is an interesting book, when you start reading it is nice to try to imaging all his adventures and may be his personality make you feel strong enough to go on with your life (for example when you have problems and you try to escape from them but you know that the best solution is to face them)
