A Wizard of Earthsea cover art

A Wizard of Earthsea

The First Book of Earthsea

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A Wizard of Earthsea

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
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About this listen

Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.

Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.

Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

©2018 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group Classics Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

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All stars
Most relevant  
Amazing tale of being human, of facing our fears and of mastering them. A remarkable work and why I have only come to it aged 41 I do not know.

My first experience of Earthsea, truly excellent.

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Le Guin can take a relatively concise description and score it on your brain indelibly. This is fantasy of the highest calibre.

Reputation well deserved

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This is one of my favorite books, easily one of the best fantasy novels ever written, and brought to life beautifully by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Highly recommended.

The Tao: dark and light in balance

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read the book as a child. rediscovering the story was good as I had forget elements of the tale.

Rediscovering a Childhood story

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The story follows the early life of a young wizard, from boy to young man, as he attempts to deal with a mysterious pursuing force.

The setting is fairly unique; an archipelago with mountains breaching the clouds surrounded by vast seas. The islands are inhabited by differing peoples with differing languages and cultures. Throughout his journey though, few words are exchanged and whilst he meets folk along the way, most of the journeying is undertaken alone - it's very much a lonely tale.

The magic system has its quirks but ultimately feels a little limited in the Brandon Sanderson era. Importantly though there are costs associated with magic use.

Whilst not full of raw excitement, the story is filled with magnificent journeys which prompt much thought and reflection. Overall, a very appealing listen.

Very appealing

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It's a nice story, good telling, slow to start but this also the beginning of the series so I'm interested in seeing how it goes.

Good

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Would have enjoye it more if the narration were better. A bit disappointed and will be returning this.

Great wisdom from this book...

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I had heard of these stories but never tried them. Picked this up on curiosity. Brilliant writing, compelling narrative. Definitely stands the test of time.

Kobna Holdbrook Smith’s narration is also brilliant; characterful and powerful. This the first time a reader has made me prefer the audiobook over a hard copy.

Excellent story elevated by an amazing reader

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Narrator slapped! Story was great with engaging characters. Writing style prevented me from really getting hooked as the story was told in broad strokes, I would have liked a little more filler and character interactions to get to really know the characters. This was likely the authors intent though as the story is written like a parable with characters really only presenting their surface characteristics. Despite this though I found myself really looking forward to seeing what happened next and can't wait to read the next installment!

Brilliant reading of a great book!

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This is a masterful and inspired work. Beneath the beautifully told story and wonderful writing it feels like there is a deep wisdom and truth being expressed. Ursula K. Le Guin connected with a rare understanding of life and the universe, and it comes through in this magically woven tale. Thank you Ursula ❤️‍🔥

A master work

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