To perform magic, then, is to take on a heavy responsibility: One literally disturbs the balance of the universe. They recognize that the cosmos relies on equilibrium, appropriateness, and 'balance'-the very name Earthsea suggests such balance-and that every action bears consequences.

Indeed, the greatest wizards do all they can to avoid using their skill. Understanding the nature of things, not possessing power over them, is the ultimate goal of magic. 'A mage,' we are told, 'can control only what is near him, what he can name exactly and wholly.' In Earthsea, to know a person's true name is to gain power over him or her. To work a spell one must know an object or person's 'true name,' which is nothing less than that object or person's fundamental essence. Songs, poems, runes, spells-words matter a great deal in Earthsea, especially those in the 'Old Speech' now spoken only by dragons and wizards. Earthsea may not be a 'real' world but it is one that our souls recognize as meaningful and 'true.' Actions there possess an epic grandeur, a mythic resonance that we associate with romance and fairy tale. Earthsea-composed of an archipelago of many islands-is a land of the imagination, like Oz, Faerie, or the dream-like realm of our unconscious.

The book's elegant diction, geographical sweep, and mounting suspense are quite irresistible. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) is arguably the most widely admired American fantasy novel of the past fifty years. 'To me a novel can be as beautiful as any symphony, as beautiful as the sea.' -from her book The Wave in the Mind Le Guin didn’t publish her first novel until the age of 37, after which she went on to win numerous distinguished awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy awards (each more than once), as well as the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters and the Library of Congress’s Living Legend Award. It poses the deep questions about life, death, power and responsibility that children need answering” ( The Guardian). “The most thrilling, wise and beautiful children's novel ever, it is written in prose as taut and clean as a ship's sail…. This award-winning, introspective fantasy novel – the first of six, collectively referred to as the “Earthsea Cycle” – follows the early life of a boy from a remote village whose magical powers, intelligence, and determination get him accepted to wizard school where his pride plunges him into darkness and he must journey far to face his demon. This title is no longer available for programming after the 2021-2022 grant year.Ī Wizard of Earthsea is “the best young adult novel of all time” with a heroic protagonist that’s “Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter and Peter Parker and Frodo Baggins all wrapped up into one,” writes Entertainment Weekly.

The wizard of earthsea trilogy