A Wizard of Earthsea Author:Ursula K. Le Guin This book is a tale of wizards, dragons, and shadows, played out in a world like and unlike our world, in an Archipelago of imagined islands. The geography is exact, as are the laws and limits of the magic used by the wizards of the isles — The young boy Sparrowhawk realizes his own uncommon powers while defendinghis village against an enemy hord... more »e. He ecomes apprentice to Gont Island's Master Wizard; but impatience to learn faster takes him far from home to Roke Island where he enters the School at Roke--the School for Wizards famous throughout Earthsea. As a student of magic Sparrowhawk exceeds his years in accomplishment. Pride and Jealousy drive the boy to try certain dangerous powsers too soon, and a terrible evil is let loose in the land. Thus begins the chase and the hunt between young wizard and shadow-beast across the stone-peaked islands and the farthest unknown wters of Earthsea.
This is an adventure story, a Quest, a tale of a proud, incautious boy who meddles too early with the Dark. It is a pure fantasy telling about a real thing; a boy coming into his poer and his manhood, coming of age.« less
Classic in fantasy literature. Boy wizard, school of magic, quest to save the world from an unknown evil, speaking with dragons, magic-driven sailing. Published in 1968, she was ahead of her time.