A Wizard of Earthsea

Rating: 2.5/5

I'm more than a little conflicted about this book. I understand how important it was (and still is) to the genre of fantasy, but it is difficult to enjoy.

The plot is consistently interesting throughout the story and moves very quickly. However, it reads less like a novel and more like a friend summarizing their favorite novel they read a year ago. There is very little dialogue (sometimes 10 pages at a time without it), and you rarely get insight into the main character's thoughts.

The main character has little personality. We are told he grows from being young and arrogant to being older and wiser. The side characters have even less depth.

My favorite part was the setting. Earthsea seems to be dominated by water, with the main habitable lands being chains of islands. I also really liked how the magic tied together with the land, though the explanation behind that was a little shaky.

All in all, this was a quick and enjoyable read, though I do not plan on continuing the series.