children books

Until now, I haven't read a fantasy or SF book by LeGuin that I didn't like. And this one, I love too. I've got the sequels next to my bed, ready to be devoured at night.

I love the epical language (some people seem to have problems with that and the 'hard' words, but what are dictionaries for, and I am even Dutch, so English is my second language), the character development, the heroic view on how life should be.

I love the idea of the powers of magic as depicted in this book. So much more realistic and modest than Tolkien. It makes it much more powerful to me.

What strikes me in this book, as well in the books of Exile and Illusion of LeGuin, is her love for travel stories. The main character always goes on a big quest to find something, to accomplish a goal. And each time it is different, it is written so well that you feel that this next long journey is necessary for character and story development. It deepens the plot, it pictures a strange world that is still quite similar to ours. LeGuin's books are not for the 'heavy action lovers', where long battles occur.

Special as well is the development of the shadow that is unleashed by Geb. It develops into a real human being, it is it's own shadow, and it is finally united with Geb. It makes me think of Yin and Yang.

This is a different fantasy story than what I am used to. Fantasy often involves page after page of trolls, dwarfs, elves and wizards with strange names locked in epic wars and quests. While that formula is all fine and good, by keeping action to a minimum and philosophy to a maximum, Ursula K. le Guin departs from it somewhat in the story "A Wizard of Earthsea."

The story involves the early exploits of the powerful archmage Ged, when he was a young man named Sparrowhawk. At a young age he is living with an abusive guardian, when he discovers he has magical powers. He then leaves this abusive person and goes off to wizard school to be learned in the arts of magery (sound familiar Potter fans?). There he befriends a fellow prentice named Vetch, and enters into a rivalry with another wizard prentice by the name of Jasper. This rivalry results in the release of a dark, evil shadow from the realm of "unlife" during a "wizard duel," when Ged casts a spell beyond his control. Ged then spends the length of the book first running from the shadow, which seeks to posses him, and then pursuing the shadow, seeking to destroy it, trying to undo the evil he had begun in a moment of stupid pride.

I have often felt that a good fantasy formula is pitting a fallible character(s) against the deeds of his errant actions. This formula is used in the Narnia books and also in Tolkien's stories. It is repeated in this book and works very well. While the obvious lack of action (although when there is action it happens with some amount of violence) may alienate traditional fantasy readers, the philosophy of the book and the examination of the balances between good and evil should appeal to adults and older children alike. The inclusion of maps and the well developed magic system, and the unique emphasis on names, also contributes to the plausibility of the book and gives it the characteristic feel of a good fantasy story. An excellent, highly-recommended book.

Reading the Earthsea Trilogy was one of the highlights of my childhood. Discovering that it had become the Earthsea Quartet and now Quintet is one of the highlights of life today. Why it's still being featured as a trilogy when there are two further books to be read, I don't understand!

Le Guin is the daughter of anthropologists and through all her fiction there is a deep, ingrained understanding of societies work and how they are built and evolve (or disintegrate). It's very interesting to see how her own interests have matured and deepened over the decades of writing this series - the latest Earthsea Title - The Other Wind is a fabulous rendition of concerns about gender/sexism/prejudice and the very nature of things. BUT that's for the grown ups, what really matters is that underneath all her incisive intelligence Ursula Le Guin tells a gripping, exciting and devastating series of stories that come at one in a rush of tight telling and delicately realised plots. She is simply one of the greatest writers for older children - or anyone! So start with the Wizard himself, then read on and on....