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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'
A Wizard of Earthsea: The First Book of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
54 reviews
pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Ursula Le Guin's writing is simply phenomenal. This book has so many great lessons to teach, about friendship, about living in tandem with nature, about discovering oneself.
I had a feeling the shadow's name was going to be Ged, that it would represent an aspect of himself that he had yet to accept. When that did happen in the end, it felt very cathartic to me. Like a coming-of-age story, Ged had finally understood who he was and who he needed to be, for himself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
departedglories's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Child death
verytwilly's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed the story, big scope with a small page count, plus an engaging writing style that wasn’t too YA beyond the characterization itself. Mostly I’m excited to continue reading the stories in this world and see how Le Guin’s perspectives develop as she suggested in the foreword for my compiled and illustrated version. Overall, this is a good start to the series, and I’m hoping to see more depth and intrigue in the sequels.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Child death
necroplasm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ged hard carried this book for me tbh! like the storytelling itself wasn't BAD don't get me wrong but he was such a compelling protagonist and if the main character had been someone more boring then i fear i would have dnf'd this........ just a very wordy book with a lot of worldbuilding the characters are really what got me thru this one
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
emototronic's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
I enjoyed the story of this book. But I never entirely adjusted to Le Guin's distanced style of storytelling. For me, a book to read once and enjoy, but not one to reread and love.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexism, and Blood
Minor: Child abuse, Slavery, Death of parent, Murder, and War
alicebutton's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An exciting enough story that moves along at a fast pace, although sometimes the prose slowed me down. I enjoy how much Ged's temper and ego move the story, but I wish the book had spent more time building up the other characters. It spends a lot of time quickly summarizing large portions of his life, and while I'm glad it didn't get bogged down in the minutiae of his school years, it leaves relationships feeling undeveloped. Even tragic events get glossed over.
The world is where Earthsea really shines. I'm not one to pore over maps myself, but a carefully crafted map still adds a ton of immersion. The places and details mentioned in Ged's travels place him in a real world, not just an empty ocean. The magic is simple enough but enticing, tied to the world's history. It makes the mythos part of the story in an organic way.
The patriarchal setting, and the fact that wizardry is restricted to men and boys is an uncomfortable element, but one I can personally forgive.
It's not perfect, but like other reviewers I'm interested to see where the sequels go.
The world is where Earthsea really shines. I'm not one to pore over maps myself, but a carefully crafted map still adds a ton of immersion. The places and details mentioned in Ged's travels place him in a real world, not just an empty ocean. The magic is simple enough but enticing, tied to the world's history. It makes the mythos part of the story in an organic way.
The patriarchal setting, and the fact that wizardry is restricted to men and boys is an uncomfortable element, but one I can personally forgive.
It's not perfect, but like other reviewers I'm interested to see where the sequels go.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and War
Minor: Child death, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
willoughby's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexism, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Slavery, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse and Suicidal thoughts
moonlitemuseum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The only thing that stops this from being a sure-fire five stars is the strange and unwelcome undercurrent of sexism, not only in the story itself but in that story's world. It feels hollow and untrue, especially considering the aching kindness that Earthsea offers, the determination to flip standards upside down. It is a simple story told well and fast. Reading it, I felt like a child again, only with the adult perspective to approach how skilfully the tale was woven. I can't recommend this enough.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death