The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. LeGuin

#1 A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)
#2 The Tombs of Atuan (1971)
#3 The Farthest Shore (1972)
#4 Tehanu (1990)
#5 Tales from Earthsea (2001)
#6 The Other Wind (2001)

In book one, A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged is a little boy who has just discovered his magical abilities. Ged travels to the island of Roke, a place for young boys to learn wizardry. There, Ged becomes a show-off. When he is dared to call up a spirit, he releases an evil shadow from another world and is almost killed. Ged continues his studies, however, and realizes that the shadow he releases is haunting him. To rid it from his life, he sets out to hunt it. The hunt becomes a dangerous journey as Ged fights to confront the shadow and discover what it really is.

Although battles and action are common in the fantasy genre, A Wizard of Earthsea focuses more on Ged’s emotional journey. The question of who or what the shadow is keeps pages turning. The lessons Ged learns about consequences and inner demons are relevant to readers, not just in this fantasy world. The series features more adventures with Ged and other characters, who use their magic to fight evil and darkness. The Earthsea books have heavy moral themes and have often been compared to the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

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