A Wizard of Earthsea, 1 (Earthsea Cycle, #1)

by Ursula K. Le Guin

[empressbrooke]

I waver between giving this 2 and 3 stars; it's very dry and not written in the most readable style, but I almost feel like giving it two stars denies its historic importance to the fantasy genre.

Despite clocking in under 200 pages, it's not really a quick read. Like I've noted before in some of Ray Bradbury's books, the language is poetic but doesn't flow like you expect it to, so you have to read slowly and absorb each word. I spent more time with it than I wanted to, and by the time I was done, I couldn't say that I really enjoyed Ged's journey. The end is both expected and anticlimactic, and never once did I feel like there was really anything at stake.

I'm not yet sure if I'll continue with the series. I'll probably read some reviews first and find out of it improves (and I completely welcome fans' thoughts about whether I'd enjoy later ones if I was only so-so on this one).