The genre that we know today as “fantasy” (with its various subgenres), even though it has roots going back for millennia, was essentially created by J. R. R. Tolkien. His works – The Hobbit (1937) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954-55) – were certainly the first fantasy novels to achieve major mainstream success, even if the author himself probably couldn’t have cared less.
The vast popularity of Tolkien’s books spawned a myriad of fantasy books and continues to do so today, the worst of which are just run-of-the-mill copies and the best of which have become classics in their own right. One of most prominent examples of the latter was part of the “first wave” of fantasy in the 1960s. Ursula K. Le Guin first created the world of Earthsea for her short story “The Word of Unbinding” (1964), but really came to fame with her novel A Wizard of Earthsea, published in 1968. It was later followed by another four novels (the last of which was published in 2001) and another six short stories, set at various points in the timeline.
The world of Earthsea is an archipelago of innumerable islands in a planet-spanning ocean, populated mainly by humans of various nations and races. At the beginning of the series, there is no strong “secular” government, but each of the populated islands is more or less self-governing. The only thing resembling an “elite” class are the wizards. Talented individuals with latent magical powers are trained at the School of Magic on Roke Island, and fully “graduated” wizards are held in high esteem, although people with magical talents but no formal education are still in demand for more menial tasks where magic is useful.
Magic is of course a central aspect of any fantasy setting, and the magic system in Earthsea has certain important characteristics. It is verbal; all spells are uttered in the “Old Speech”, the language of dragons, and humans cannot lie in the Old Speech, so saying something in that language basically makes it so. If a wizard says “I am an eagle”, he literally becomes that animal.
Power is tied to words, primarily names. Everyone has a “true name” and an everyday “use name”. A person, and especially a wizard, will only reveal their true name to those very close to them, people they know they can trust completely, because knowing someone’s true name – in theory – gives you complete power over them.
Le Guin infuses her magic system with a thinly weiled Taoist message: The only good wizardry is the kind that tries to live in harmony with the surrounding world, whereas wizards who try to upset the balance to achieve their own goals are clearly considered bad or evil.
The main character of the first book is the wizard Ged (pronounced “get”). We first encounter him as a youth discovering his magical powers and being accepted as a student at the Roke School of Magic. As the story progresses, he becomes a catalyst for major changes in the way Earthsea society functions. Interestingly, although Ged pops up in all five novels (the only character to do so), in the four sequels he is relegated to part of the supporting cast, as the narrative is told from other people’s points of view, but he still plays an important part in helping the story along in every single book.
Although the first book in the series was originally marketed as suitable for readers from the age of eleven and up, it is primarily targeted at a younger audience. As the series progresses, however, the novels do become darker in tone and more complex. All the books are written in a language that will engage both children, young adults, and the more mature reader, though. They can all be read as stand-alones, but they also constitute one long story-arch, so read them all – chronologically – and you will get a much better sense of the big picture. They are certainly still worth a read today, for fantasy fans of all ages. Le Guin has won awards for all the books (including a Nebula and a World Fantasy Award), but the greatest testament to the quality of her writing is the immense popularity that her books enjoy to this day, among old and new readers alike.
The Earthsea series (1968-2001) by Ursula K. Le Guin. Approx. 960 pp. All books available on play.com
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