The Big Read: A Wizard Of Earthsea Book Review Sample

A Wizard of Earthsea is the first of the all time favorite six books that form the famous Earthsea series of author Ursula K. Le Guin. The book narrates the story of Ged, the boy hero of the novel who was born in a tiny village that forms part of a group of islands. He learns magic from his aunt and discovers his great talent for magic. He utilizes his magical power to save his village from a group of enemies. Sadly, his magical power makes him proud and stupid. He finds a mentor who takes him to a wizard school where they teach more magic. In the school he meets a real friend and a hateful enemy. Once during a fight with his enemy, Ged uses his magical power to call upon a monster that continues to chase him in the form of a shadow for the rest of his life. The monster shadow chases him through dangerous places filled with deadly dragons. Finally, he escapes the monster by transforming into a falcon. Luckily, he finds a broken ring that proves to be helpful to chase away the shadow. Le Guin unties the final knot of the story which turns out to be a great surprise to her delighted readers. Yes, the shadow Ged finally wins over is his own. Le Guin has woven a fine coming of age tale in which the hero discovers his darker side that has been challenging him all through. “Fight the enemy in yourself” is the author’s inspiring message to youngsters through the first book of the Earthsea series.
One of the most thrilling children’s novel, which later inspired the famous Harry potter series is narrated in a very simple manner. The young and immature hero of the novel symbolizes ordinary youngsters with dreams in life. He does what exactly individuals with a strong ambition to achieve their dream goals do. The boy Ged learns magic and masters the art by putting hard efforts. Power and fame blinds his eyes, shuts his mind, and motivates him to misuse it. Towards the end, he learns how to use power most effectively. In addition to its entertainment value, the novel induces growing children to think deeply to find the inner meaning of life. For instance, Le Guin leaves certain unforgettable questions about life, power, accountability and death to her audience before revealing the reality and truth about life at the end. Le Guin leaves to her readers innumerable ways of reflecting upon her powerful little book; certainly, discovering one’s real shadow and overcoming it is the key to conquer many challenges human beings of all age groups and economic status confront in their lives.
The book takes the young readers on an interesting journey. Young readers going through the pages of the book would definitely feel like the boy Ged himself as he takes on his journey filled with many wonders and life-threatening dangers. More often, the choice one takes in life during difficult times shapes his personality and how he faces the rest of his life. Those who learn valuable lessons from the wrong choices they make in their life, and change their attitude finally win. Ged exactly does the same towards the end of the story. Ged learns that the talent he has learned is of no use unless he uses the talent in a positive and creative way so as to protect, and not destroy others. However, a major limitation of the book is that the author very rarely gives a chance to the boy hero Ged either to think deeply or express his true emotions. She compresses several years of experience of the boy wizard into less than 200 pages. Thus, many times the character Ged appears like a puppet controlled by his creator, Le Guin, the author.
Even though the book is praised as one of the finest children’s novel ever, it suits all age groups because of the powerful message it carries. The memorable story simply introduces a boy and shows how he grows up. It demonstrates how he learns a new art through hard work. It later narrates the boy’s choices that brings him lot of troubles. Finally, the story reveals how the hero discovers his other personality that has been responsible for all his problems. The story ends with the hero Ged discovering that his wrong attitude is responsible for all his problems. No wonder, the story is worthy of being known as a true classic.