A Wizard of Earthsea

The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1

De: Ursula K. Le Guin

Narrado por: Rob Inglis

"The shapeless mass of darkness split apart. It sundered, and a pale spindle of light gleamed between his open arms. In the oval of light there moved a human shape: a tall woman...beautiful, and sorrowful, and full of fear." - from A Wizard of Earthsea, first in a tetralogy that includes The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore, introduces the listener to Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, known also as Sparrowhawk. When Sparrowhawk casts a spell that saves his village from destruction at the hands of the invading Kargs, Ogion, the Mage of Re Albi, encourages the boy to apprentice himself in the art of wizardry. So, at the age of 13, the boy receives his true name - Ged - and gives himself over to the gentle tutelage of the Master Ogion. But impatient with the slowness of his studies and infatuated with glory, Ged embarks for the Island of Roke, where the highest arts of wizardry are taught. There, Ged's natural talents enable him to surpass his classmates in little time. But when his vanity prompts him to summon Elfarran, the fair lady of the Deed of Enlad, he unleashes a shapeless mass of darkness - the shadow.

©1968 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)1992 Recorded Books, LLC

An old favorite beautifully realized

I had forgotten how beautiful and spare LeGuin's writing can be. Here she's like a cross between Tolkien and Hemingway: lyrical, but no extraneous cruft.

I am a big fan of the performer/narrator, Rob Inglis, who can also be heard reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I was so happy to find more opportunities to listen to him read to me.

Truly Wonderful

I love Tolkien & R R Martin for descriptive story writing that transports me into another world. Only now I discover what many have known for decades .. that Le Quin's writing is equally brilliant! I love Rob Inglis's voice so for me the narration is perfect. The only complaint I have is that the old tape recording woman's voice message to change from side 1 to side 2 wasn't deleted when making the audio book version so that is a bit jarring.

The movie was better!

A great majority of the time, the book is better. The only time I had a clue where the story was, was when I recognized something from the movie. It's no wonder the Harry Potter series sold so much better. This book was a chore to follow. A better reader might have helped, but even then I think the reader (or listener) would find themselves lost.

Fabulous and beautiful

What a stunningly woven metaphor for the inner quest, true power, fear, love, and overcoming our own shadows. Really moved me and inspires me in my own journey.

incredible.

Rob Inglis brings anything he reads to life in a spectacular way. and this book was already bursting with life all its own. I highly reccomend this book to any and everyone who enjoys High Fantasy.

My all time favorite book and excellent narrator

The best fantasy book out there. Loved every minute of it and it’s the only audiobook I listen to nearly every year. Short and to the point. Excellent ending and awesome storytelling. I love the mystery of the magic and the prose is enchanting.

ENTERTAINING!!

Do you enjoy fantasy? Do you enjoy ANY stories with wizards in them? If you answered yes, then you CANNOT pass up this book.

The only criticism i have of this book is that it's too short. I think the target audience is younger readers, but enjoyed reading it for the first time as an adult. I have never read anything like it from this perspective.

This is the first book I've read by Ursula Le Guin, but so far I love her. She knows how to paint a scene, without being too wordy so that we can actually enjoy a progressing story. *

Love the Narrator; he's perfect for this one.

*I read an article from George R. R. Martin where he basically said if it wasn't for writer's like Ursula Le Guin and her "Wizard of Earthsea" (and a few others), that fantasy wouldn't be where it is today. That says a LOT.

fine

I was a little board when listening to it. Just never feel like anything happened and wasn't given a reason to care about the guy

Not quite what I expected

I came into this book with high hopes, given the praise it usually gets from many well read fantasy readers and that may have been the main reason for my unfavorable opinion. This is one of the most "telly" stories I have listens to. Every time it's show don't tell. I didn't connect to Ged or any of the other characters and the story felt more like a book essay on a larger history book than like an actual story. This may be the classic style of writing, but I found it uncompelling

The narration didn't help with my opinion of the book. Rob Inglis has a nice storytelling voice but it lets tiresome and he even sounded as bored as I was most of the time (often hiding yawns within his narration). Altogether not a great listening, yet not terrible either, just not memorable.

similar to Lord of the rings

I enjoyed reading this book. It reminds me of a gap that Bridges between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I'll go on and read the other two books