Our ongoing series reviewing audio adaptations of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror works. Note that these reviews may contain spoilers.
Reviewed by John J. Joex
Book Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Audiobook Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
A Wizard of Earthsea is the first of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea books and gives us an epic tale of fantasy and magic with a bit of commentary and introspection as well. It focuses on the character Sparrowhawk (who we will also come to know as Ged) who will one day grow to be a great mage in the world of Earthsea. As a boy, he shows great prowess with the magical arts and the Mage Ogion takes him under his tutelage and also gives him his true name (Ged). However, the young apprentice grows weary of his protracted studies and finds himself disappointed that he learns little in the way of real magic. Then he finds himself taunted by a witch’s daughter into using a spell that he does not understand and that summons up a shadow that casts an impending darkness over him. Ogion, angered at Ged’s actions, gives him the choice of continuing his studies there or going to the school for wizards on the island of Roke where he can truly learn to control his abilities. Ged finds it a difficult decision, but chooses to go to Roke. There, he undertakes advanced studies, but once again finds himself the victim of his own brashness. Another student, Jasper, taunts Ged who has received much recognition in the school for his innate abilities. Challenged by Jasper to show what he can go, Ged casts a summoning spell which gives form to the shadow he previously summoned (making it into what is known as a Gebbeth) and it nearly kills him. It takes all the power of the Archmage to fend it off, and the old wizard dies from his efforts. Ged recovers after an extended illness and eventually resumes his studies. But he knows that this shadow creature will continue to pursue him once he leaves the protection of Roke and that he must one day face the evil he has brought into the world.
With A Wizard of Earthsea, the immensely talented Le Guin crafts a story that mixes fantasy with didactic and gives us one of the most literary works in the genre since Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. It has many of the archetypal traits of a fantasy story like wizards, dragons, and quests, but she uses those familiar trappings to carry forward the bigger story she wants to convey in her work. This book is very much about the responsibility the goes with having power and consequences of actions. And it even seems to have a slight environmental bent to it as well. But you need not delve too deeply into the underlying messages to enjoy the book. It works perfectly well as a fantasy tale on its own. But those themes that carry Le Guin’s core message make this a much more complete tale and also allows it to resonate with the readers long after they have finished the book. Simply said, I rank this as one of the greatest fantasy books of all time.
And you can see how much this novel, published in 1968, must have affected other readers as well because many of its themes have found themselves repeated in literature and other genre works in the years that followed. This can easily be looked at as the Harry Potter of its time as it follows a young wizard who goes to a school for magic and must learn to overcome his own ambitions and to use his power wisely. And the brashness and impatience that we see in Ged has become a common trait in the flawed heroes that have been so prevalent in Science Fiction and Fantasy over the past forty years. Plus, much of the teachings around magic practiced by the Mages of Roke also suggest the philosophy that George Lucas would later inject into the Force. And actually, the tale of Ged would have offered a much better origin story for Darth Vader than the watered down one Lucas gave us in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The young Ged was similar in many ways to Anakyn Skywalker, and his reckless act of magic could have eventually overcome him and turned him to the ways of evil. If only Lucas had added an element similar to this to explain Anakyn’s eventual shift to the Dark Side, the trilogy would have given us a much more satisfying resolution.
When I first downloaded the audio version of A Wizard of Earthsea from Audible.com, I did not pay attention to the narrator. Then as it began to play on my radio it announced that Le Guin herself would narrate along with Harlan Ellison. That came as a pleasant surprise and elevated this audio production to the next level. Le Guin actually does very little, only reading the very beginning and end, with Ellison doing the rest of the voice work. And that’s a good thing. I have heard Ellison narrate an audio book once before (a collection of his own stories) and this is just another feather in the hat of the multi-talented man. Ellison could have made a career out of narrating books, and he actually has quite a few under his belt. He gives a very animated reading of the tale that brings it to life sort of like you are listening to a great story-teller while sitting around a campfire. Ellison does not just read the words, he immerses himself in the story and brings it to life. As a slight knock, his voice does have an almost comedic tone at times that some may feel does not quite fit the material, but this rarely bothered me while listening to the audio book. And I might listen to this one all over again just to hear Ellison’s vibrant and energetic performance. Unfortunately, this audio book is no longer available on Audible.com as it has been supplanted by another version with a different narrator. You may have to do some searching for it, but I definitely recommend trying to track it down.
A Wizard of Earthsea is the first of Le Guin’s books to take place on the island world known as Earthsea and the two that follow, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore, make up a trilogy along with this one. But this book tells a complete tale in itself, though you will definitely want to continue to follow the adventures of Ged in her subsequent books (she has also done two more beyond the original trilogy). This is a must read for Fantasy fans and Science Fiction aficionados as well for its great story for the themes that have continued to reappear in the genre since its publication.
One final note on A Wizard of Earthsea: avoid the Syfy mini-series adaptation at all coasts. This was a horrible mauling of Le Guin’s excellent books and even the author distanced herself from that televised travesty.
