Most fantasy readers are familiar with this novel. I've probably read it half a dozen times, and it never gets old. LeGuin's writing style, so simple on the surface, is elegant, literate, and unique. The story of Ged continually resonates with me, and though our styles and plots are much different from one another, Wizard was certainly an influence on my novel, The High House. Whenever I can't quite find a book that moves me, I return to Earthsea and walk upon it's glistening shores.
The first book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with The Tombs of Atuan, The Furthest Shore and Tehanu
With illustrations from Charles Vess
'[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking' Neil Gaiman
'Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it' David Mitchell
Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.
I read Durbin’s YA novel, Dragonfly, a couple years ago and liked it, so I decided to give this one a try. It’s told from the perspective of a young boy sent to live with his grandmother while his father serves in an unnamed war. In the forest beside the village lies a mysterious group of statues, perhaps hiding a mysterious puzzle. Despite the appearance of a faun, I began to wonder whether there would be a sufficient fantasy element, however, as the book proceeds, it captivates with a resonance of Faery comparable to the works of George MacDonald and Lord Dunsany. This is a multifaceted book, a true gem.
A gorgeous fantasy in the spirit of Pan's Labyrinth “that will appeal to those who loved Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things” (Library Journal, starred review).
Set in a world similar to our own, during a war that parallels World War II, A Green and Ancient Light is the stunning story of a boy who is sent to stay with his grandmother for the summer in a serene fishing village. Their tranquility is shattered by the crash of a bullet-riddled enemy plane, the arrival of grandmother's friend Mr.…
I haven't read Sword and Sorcery in a long time. However, Howard Andrew Jones and I corresponded over the years. Both a writer and editor, he published three of my short stories. His writing career was just taking off when he died far too young. It's a shame, because in this book, the first in a series, he took the cliched Sword and Sorcery motifs and made them exciting again. The book consists of short stories connecting Hanuvar, a hero who is more than just another barbarian swordsman.
The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its treasures plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one.
Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He now travels the length of the Dervan Empire which conquered his homeland, driven by a singular purpose-to find what remains of his people that were carried into slavery across the empire, and…
The infinite house, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit or the stars die. The clocks must be wound or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn—before it is too late—the strange rules of the house. He must travel its winding corridors and secret passages to the myriad countries lying within its walls.
He has little time to act; the Anarchists have seized control of the Doors; the Black River is rising; the Eternity Clock is running down. His actions will determine the fate of Reality. But his enemies are strong, and the Room of Horrors is never far from him.
Winner of the Compton Crook award, finalist as Best Fantasy of the Year by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, and a finalist for the Mythopoeic (Aslan) Award.
