A Wizard of Earthsea

by Ursula LeGuin

This appears on most lists of “Fantasy Novels You Have to Read Sometime,” which meant it was another book for the train ride. Short, quick, and it had a map in the front.

Strangely disappointing, though.

I thought the story would be more intricate and the world much more interesting, since I’d heard it compared to a cross between Middle-Earth and Narnia. Not even close. And there were several long-ish passages of the main character analyzing himself, or being lost in his own thoughts, which usually spanned a page or two of excessively long paragraphs. I hate (for the most part) long paragraphs in fiction, and I hate (for the most part) having to read a lot of the main character’s inner thoughts and reflections (Crime & Punishment is an exception).

At the beginning, the book seemed to have a lot of potential. I was enjoying it. Then I somehow lost my interest and kept reading only because…what else was I going to do on the train? Take another LSAT practice test?

In all fairness, though, I will probably give LeGuin’s other Earthsea novels a try. (Her books being so much shorter, I’m willing to do for her what I refuse to do for Robert Jordan.)