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.

this is a really old book

it's a short book that skips around all over the place. hard to keep track of I've listened to this like twice and it was ok both times not really worth the credit though