.Virtual Book Club

A Wizard of Earthsea

by Ursula K. Le Guin

From the author's website: 

Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tumultuous 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.

Winner of the 1969 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction
Winner of the 1979 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
One of TIME’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time

Originally published in 1968 by Parnassus Press, Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea is the first of the six beloved Earthsea titles.

Like this book? Check out other books in the series, other Ursula K. Le Guin works, and related sci-fi/fantasy classics available from USF Libraries. Some examples are listed below. If you need help exploring more, we are here to help!

*** WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! ***

Each week, VBC discusses sections of the book together. Below is a collection of weekly discussion questions posed by VBC leadership and members. Be aware that these likely include spoilers, so please do not scroll further if you have not read the book.

• Had you read this book, or any other works by Ursula K. Le Guin before? What were your expectations before reading?
• On the first page of the novel, we learn that Ged will eventually become Archmage and dragonlord. Doesn't this undercut a certain amount of suspense? Why would Le Guin tell us this? 
• In the book, names are of huge importance. “Who knows a man's name, holds that man's life in his keeping. Thus to Ged, who had lost faith in himself, Vetch had given him that gift that only a friend can give, the proof of unshaken, unshakeable trust.” Do names in reality hold power? Does giving your name to someone show some level of trust in them?
• How do the various communities and lands within Earthsea differ from each other? Which land and culture did you connect most with? Which land and culture was most shocking to you?
• Le Guin is known for choosing not to write about the conflict between good and evil, but about inner conflicts. Do you feel as though the inner conflict in the story outweighs the outer conflict?
• This book was first published in 1968. Can you see its influence in any more contemporary books you have read? What sticks out?
• Why do you think this book became a classic of young adult and fantasy literature?