“But it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them.”

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.

Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.

I love my fair share of fantasy, but I've not run across a fantasy quite like this since The Lord of the Rings. It stands more on world building rather than action, and I didn't mind it one bit. I was sucked into the world of Earthsea and sad when I had to leave and find myself back on Earth.

Ged, known as Sparrowhawk, is wild and reckless and determined to prove himself as a wizard if only to beat out his rival. Instead of proving just what a competent wizard he is, Ged unleashes a great evil on the world which haunts him for years with the intent on killing him. Ged fleas before it until he is advised to instead face it.

At first I didn't care for Ged and wondered how he could become the greatest wizard in Earthsea, by the end of the book I understood. (And what an ending it was!)

This book was beautifully written, almost poet like, and I cannot wait to return to Earthsea on another adventure.