A Wizard of Earthsea- review

A Wizard of Earthsea

Ursula LeGuin

Rating: 4.5/5

The short version: This isn’t a story for someone looking for escapist fiction, but it is perfect for people who like fantasy which acts as a metaphor.

This review will contain spoilers.

A Wizard of Earthsea is very different from the fantasy I’m used to reading. There are wizards and dragons and it’s about the journey the protagonist takes, but the way the story is told wasn’t what I was expecting. LeGuin doesn’t go into detail about all the events of Ged’s life, but only focusses on the most important parts. That simplicity puts the focus on Ged’s character and how he develops, and that makes the themes the book explores more compelling.

As a young boy, Duny uses simple magic taught to him by his aunt to repel invaders from his home town. This impressive feat draws the attention of Ogion, a magician, who takes him in as his apprentice- and gives him his true name, Ged. He becomes impatient with Ogion’s teaching and Ogion allows him to leave to study magic on Roke Island. There, although he becomes powerful, his pride and carelessness leads him to make a mistake which unleashes a powerful evil into the world of Earthsea. After he leaves Roke, he goes on a journey to try and right the wrongs he has done.

The journey Ged goes on is as much an inner one as an outer one. Younger children might only appreciate the straightforward story of this book, one of a wizard defeating a monster. This is helped by LeGuin’s narration, which is very sympathetic towards Ged. But it was written for young adults, who will recognise the deeper significance of the defeat; Ged learns to accept the darker side of himself and his behaviour. His failure to even recognise those faults is what led him to unleash the shadow upon the world in the first place, and his journey to accepting them makes it a compelling story of self-discovery and acceptance. It’s something a lot of young adults will find relatable.

Ged can be an unpleasant character, and LeGuin doesn’t deny those parts of him. He is immensely gifted with magic, and unfortunately very aware of it. At the beginning of the book he scorns the idea that learning to understand himself is just as important as learning to control magic, which perfectly shows his pride and stubbornness. But he is never unlikeable; LeGuin presents him in a way which makes his faults seem an inevitable part of his life, and also shows his more likeable side. This is especially apparent in his friendship with Vetch and when he has to accept that he can fight a dragon but can’t save Pechvarry’s son. There is a real sense of peril in the idea of being seized by a gebbeth, but more terrifying is the idea that Ged will not change. His progress towards recognising his own limitations and finding the best way to help the world is always engaging for the reader, because Ged is a sympathetic character with similarities to most people who will read the book.

A Wizard of Earthsea also emphasises the importance of friendship. Ged’s friend Vetch is an average wizard with a much easier life than Ged, but he is crucial to the story. Without him, Ged wouldn’t have the courage to face the shadow and wouldn’t even trust himself. Vetch is there to show him that despite his mistakes, he is still worthy of affection and he is still capable of changing things. There are characters like Vetch in most fantasy novels, but they are never less endearing for their less potent ability, and their loyalty is often one of the most positive parts of the book. I came away from Earthsea thinking that I’d rather be as good a friend as Vetch than as good with magic as Ged.

There’s a lot of A Wizard of Earthsea that will be familiar to anyone who reads a lot of fantasy and coming-of-age fiction. It features dragons, epic journeys, magic, loyal companions, characters growing up and even schools of wizardry. But most of those stories lack the simplicity and elegance of A Wizard of Earthsea, and its moral outlook and racial diversity are something that of often lacking even from fantasy today. Ged’s journey felt like one that anyone who has been a teenager and struggled to find their place in the world will recognise. I really wish I’d read it before now.