I am really surprised at how late this suggested read has come into my life. Ursula Le Guin was a trailblazing writer of her time. The Earthsea Cycle series is a typical and atypical fantasy as far as fantasies go. It has Magic, Archmages, Mages, Sorcerers, Healers, Witches, Demons, Dragons, and touches on the afterlife, but the concept of how each of those rank in the Archipelago world is a little different than other books. Throughout the stories, one main character, Sparrowhawk (or Ged), ties every book together with a common thread. Each book covers a different antagonist and hero and Book 5, Tales from Earthsea, gives a history of the Archipelago and how magic and dragons came about in this world. Each story is very linear and follows history chronologically. Unlike most of the Brandon Sanderson books, Earthsea stays on track with one storyline and one timeline at a time. As a result it is very easy to follow and increases the reading speed of the series. I often felt like the telling of these characters and the description of the land was much like a fireside tale of times past. Every tale is intriguing and subtly brings in world issues of racism, sexism, people of various abilities, religion, & self acceptance so the reader can relate them to current time within the 30 years it took her to complete them. Le Guin does not push an “agenda” or make it uncomfortable to read about. She writes about these topics as if it were any other story, but shows how the characters deal with their marginalized personas.

One other thing that surprised me about every Earthsea series was the Afterword of the author in each book. Not only was Le Guin a prolific fantasy writer; she was also a profound writer of real life & current events and she clearly explains her inspiration for each story. I enjoyed reading her own personal words at the end of each book, just as much as I loved reading the stories of the Archipelago. I recommend this book to young adults and adults alike. I am glad someone recommended this series to me. I hope many more will enjoy it as much as I did.