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__Plot Summary__ "A Wizard of Earthsea" By Ursula K. Le Guin

"A Wizard of Earthsea" is about young boy born on the island of Gont in the world of Earthsea. The book is about how he grows into a powerful wizard and his adventures. The boy starts out as the son of the Ten Alders blacksmith and is named Duny. He has six brothers and no mother. When his aunt learns he can work magic, she teaches him everything she knows, which is not much for she is just a village witch. Using these small powers, he rids the village of the barbaric Kargs who invade his land. Word spreads through Gont of the small boy who had enough power to ward off the invaders and is now in a trance-like state. Soon, the mage of Re Albi comes to heal the boy and later name him as Ged. Ogion, the mage, takes the boy to his home to teach him. After awhile of not actually learning magic, Ged becomes frustrated and bored. His curiosity gets the better of him and he opens an ancient book which brings forth shadows. Ogion comes in and gets rid of the shadows, which leads to him offering to send Ged to Roke, a place where wizards learn. Ged agrees, wanting more power and leaves. When he gets to Roke, he is made fun of by a young boy named Jasper. They soon become enemies but Ged also makes a friend named Vetch. Later in their schooling, Ged challenges Jasper saying he is just as powerful as him. This leads to Ged calling a shadow, the main protagonist in this story. Ged barely survives. Soon after his recovery, Vetch comes to Ged and tells him his true name, Estarriol, something one should not give away easily. Vetch leaves to his first task as a wizard and Ged continues his studies. Ged's first task as a wizard is protecting Low Torning, in the Ninety Isles, from the dragon of Pendor and its hatchlings. There he helps the villagers and makes a new friend. His friend, whose name is Pechvarry, asks Ged for help when his son is ill. In helping Pechvarry's son, Ged comes across the shadow, throwing him into a state of fear. Anxious to leave, Ged sets out to find the dragons. Since he knows the dragon's name, he is successful and flees to the north. There, he meets a stranger who tells him to find the Court of Terrenon. Ged follows the man's advice, only to be cornered by the shadow on his way. After the shadow chases him, someone offers him help and once he is safe, he passes out. Later, he finds his safe haven is the Court of Terrenon and learns of its prize jewel, a Stone more ancient than the world itself. The evil power of the Stone makes him wary and this leads to the truth of an evil plot. Ged flees in the form of a hawk, finding himself in the care of Ogion again. Ogion advises him to hunt the shadow down. He takes that counsel and heads back to where he last saw the shadow. Upon encountering the shadow, it flees from Ged and leads him on a wild goose chase. After many days, he corners the shadow but it flees again, this time creating a bond with Ged. Ged rests in Iffish, where he finds Vetch. Vetch offers Ged help. They set out again, going southeast, and end up in the open sea where no one dares venture. As the shadow gets closer, Ged goes farther away from the world everyone else sees. In the middle of the ocean, they run aground, and the shadow is there. Ged attacks the shadow after they speak each other's name, which is the same name. This causes them to become one, making Ged a whole man again. Ged and Estarriol head back to Iffish and are greeted by the warmth of home. I quite enjoyed this plot. It was a new idea to me, as I haven't really read anything like it. The story was about Ged's growth from a young boy to a man and really shows how we develop and grow. The conflict between the shadow and himself was very well thought out and was really more of a conflict between himself. The resolution and climax of him and the shadow joining was unexpected but all the more interesting. Though the title, "A Wizard of Earthsea" is very straightforward, the book is not one to judge by its cover.