I’ve read a lot of books in the last couple of years. These are some fiction books that I have read recently. I’ve included the Amazon blurb for each, as well as a link to the Amazon listing for the book.
Reviews
“A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle Series Book 1)” by Ursula K. Le Guin
A friend recommended this to me. It was a quick read – maybe four hours – and I liked it enough to immediately buy the two sequels and finish all three of them in a day and a half. Worth reading.
(Reviewed January 2025)
Amazon description: The first novel of Ursula K. Le Guin’s must-read Earthsea Cycle.
Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world.
This is the tumultuous tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death’s threshold to restore the balance.
With stories as perennial and universally beloved as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of The Rings – but also unlike anything but themselves – Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels are some of the most acclaimed and awarded works in literature. They have received accolades such as the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor, the Nebula Award, and many more honors, commemorating their enduring place in the hearts and minds of readers and the literary world alike.
Join the millions of fantasy readers who have explored these lands. As The Guardian put it: “Ursula Le Guin’s world of Earthsea is a tangled skein of tiny islands cast on a vast sea. The islands’ names pull at my heart like no others: Roke, Perilane, Osskil…”
“The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle Series Book 2)” by Ursula K. Le Guin
A friend recommended this series to me. The first novel was a quick read – maybe four hours – and I liked it enough to immediately buy the two sequels and finish all three of them in a day and a half. Worth reading.
(Reviewed January 2025)
Amazon description: One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time
The Newbery Honor-winning second novel in the renowned Earthsea series from Ursula K. LeGuin.
In this second novel in the Earthsea series, Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, and everything is taken from her – home, family, possessions, even her name. She is now known only as Arha, the Eaten One, and guards the shadowy, labyrinthine Tombs of Atuan.
Then a wizard, Ged Sparrowhawk, comes to steal the Tombs’ greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. Tenar’s duty is to protect the Ring, but Ged possesses the light of magic and tales of a world that Tenar has never known. Will Tenar risk everything to escape from the darkness that has become her domain?
With millions of copies sold worldwide, Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle has earned a treasured place on the shelves of fantasy lovers everywhere, alongside the works of such beloved authors as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
“The Farthest Shore (The Earthsea Cycle Series Book 3)” by Ursula K. Le Guin
A friend recommended this series to me. The first novel was a quick read – maybe four hours – and I liked it enough to immediately buy the two sequels and finish all three of them in a day and a half. Worth reading.
(Reviewed January 2025)
Amazon description: The National Book Award-winning third novel in the renowned Earthsea series from Ursula K. LeGuin.
In this third book in the Earthsea series, darkness threatens to overtake Earthsea: The world and its wizards are losing their magic. But Ged Sparrohawk – Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord – is determined to discover the source of this devastating loss.
Aided by Enlad’s young Prince Arren, Ged embarks on a treacherous journey that will test their strength and will. Because to restore magic, the two warriors must venture to the farthest reaches of their world – and even beyond the realm of death.
With millions of copies sold worldwide, Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle has earned a treasured place on the shelves of fantasy lovers everywhere, alongside the works of such beloved authors as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
“Tehanu: Book Four (The Earthsea Cycle Series 4)” by Ursula K. Le Guin
As with the other five books in this series, the Earthsea Cycle is an interesting exercise in fantasy worldbuilding. I don’t often read fantasy, perhaps due to my evangelical roots which still tickle with “magic bad, avoid at all costs” vibes. But I enjoyed this read – obviously since I read all six books in the series. I appreciated the particular concepts here, especially the idea of the importance of a private name, which thanks to this book series (as far as I can tell) is now standard lore in the fantasy realm. Also, as I’ve moved away from evangelicalism, I am beginning to appreciate explorations of morality that are not strictly coupled with Christianity or Jesus or the Ten Commandments; it becomes useful to explore how the heart of a humans works to motivate them towards good or evil, and I think the use of magic and easy access to raw power offers a way of exposing the deeper motivations of a human in ways that other genres cannot.
(Reviewed February 2025)
Amazon description: The Nebula and Locus Award–winning fourth novel in the renowned Earthsea series from Ursula K. LeGuin gets a beautiful new repackage.
In this fourth novel in the Earthsea series, we rejoin the young priestess the Tenar and powerful wizard Ged. Years before, they had helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Together, they shared an adventure like no other. Tenar has since embraced the simple pleasures of an ordinary life, while Ged mourns the powers lost to him through no choice of his own.
Now the two must join forces again and help another in need – the physically, emotionally scarred child whose own destiny has yet to be revealed.
“Tales from Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle Series Book 5)” by Ursula K. Le Guin
As with the other five books in this series, the Earthsea Cycle is an interesting exercise in fantasy worldbuilding. I don’t often read fantasy, perhaps due to my evangelical roots which still tickle with “magic bad, avoid at all costs” vibes. But I enjoyed this read – obviously since I read all six books in the series. I appreciated the particular concepts here, especially the idea of the importance of a private name, which thanks to this book series (as far as I can tell) is now standard lore in the fantasy realm. Also, as I’ve moved away from evangelicalism, I am beginning to appreciate explorations of morality that are not strictly coupled with Christianity or Jesus or the Ten Commandments; it becomes useful to explore how the heart of a humans works to motivate them towards good or evil, and I think the use of magic and easy access to raw power offers a way of exposing the deeper motivations of a human in ways that other genres cannot.
(Reviewed February 2025)
Amazon description: The tales of this book explore and extend the world established by Ursula K. Le Guin’s must-read Books of Earthsea.
This collection contains the novella “The Finder” and the short stories “The Bones of the Earth,” “Darkrose and Diamond,” “On the High Marsh,” and “Dragonfly.” Concluding with an account of Earthsea’s history, people, languages, literature, and magic, this edition also features two new maps of Earthsea.
With stories as perennial and universally beloved as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings – but also unlike anything but themselves – Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels are some of the most acclaimed and awarded works in literature. They have received accolades such as the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor, the Nebula Award, and many more honors, commemorating their enduring place in the hearts and minds of readers and the literary world alike.
“The Other Wind (The Earthsea Cycle Series Book 6)” by Ursula K. Le Guin
As with the other five books in this series, the Earthsea Cycle is an interesting exercise in fantasy worldbuilding. I don’t often read fantasy, perhaps due to my evangelical roots which still tickle with “magic bad, avoid at all costs” vibes. But I enjoyed this read – obviously since I read all six books in the series. I appreciated the particular concepts here, especially the idea of the importance of a private name, which thanks to this book series (as far as I can tell) is now standard lore in the fantasy realm. Also, as I’ve moved away from evangelicalism, I am beginning to appreciate explorations of morality that are not strictly coupled with Christianity or Jesus or the Ten Commandments; it becomes useful to explore how the heart of a humans works to motivate them towards good or evil, and I think the use of magic and easy access to raw power offers a way of exposing the deeper motivations of a human in ways that other genres cannot.
(Reviewed February 2025)
Amazon description: The final book in Ursula K. Le Guin’s must-read Books of Earthsea.
The sorcerer Alder fears sleep. The dead are pulling him to them at night. Through him they may free themselves and invade Earthsea.
Alder seeks advice from Ged, once Archmage. Ged tells him to go to Tenar, Tehanu, and the young king at Havnor. They are joined by amber-eyed Irian, a fierce dragon able to assume the shape of a woman. The threat can be confronted only in the Immanent Grove on Roke, the holiest place in the world, and there the king, hero, sage, wizard, and dragon make a last stand.
In this final book of the Books of Earthsea, Le Guin combines her magical fantasy with a profoundly human, earthly, humble touch.
With stories as perennial and universally beloved as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of The Rings – but also unlike anything but themselves – Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels are some of the most acclaimed and awarded works in literature. They have received accolades such as the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor, the Nebula Award, and many more honors, commemorating their enduring place in the hearts and minds of readers and the literary world alike.
“The Eye of the World: Book One of The Wheel of Time” by Robert Jordan
This book was recommended by a friend after I read the Earthsea Cycle series, as a similar fantasy realm. It was a LONG book, but a generally satisfying read. However, it has a LOT of echoes of Lord of the Rings, and in some sense perhaps that was intentional – some people say it was a tribute to Tolkien, others say direct plagiarism. It was similar enough that it kept dragging me out of the story into thinking about LoTR lore – probably a couple dozen direct points of comparison. I’m sure book reports by students have been done on these similarities. Some people say that the similarities fade after this first book, so maybe I’ll try the second and see if it continues to distract me. If nothing else, it was good to get out of the nonfiction realm for a few days, in the midst of crazy politics in this season, and this book was just fine for that purpose, keeping me engaged and compelling me to continue reading. And at some level, that’s good enough for any fiction.
(Reviewed March 2025)
Amazon description: The Eye of the World, the first novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, follows Moiraine Damodred as she arrives in Emond’s Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One.
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the Two Rivers seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.
Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.
“Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus” by Orson Scott Card
I’ve been an OSC fan for a very long time, actually since first reading Ender’s Game over 40 years ago. This book is right up there with his quality writing. It’s a slightly different take on the time travel and time viewing genre, which was refreshing, but it did have a few plot holes in my view. Nonetheless, it’s a good book. I read this after reading his short story about a fictional historical Noah, how someone in the early Bronze Age might have perceived what was happening, and how that human’s journey could have morphed into a Biblical tale we all know today. That story can be found at http://www.hatrack.com/osc/stories/atlantis.shtml
(Reviewed April 2025)
Amazon description: In one of the most powerful and thought-provoking novels of his remarkable career, Orson Scott Card’s Pastwatch interweaves a compelling portrait of Christopher Columbus with the story of a future scientist who believes she can alter human history from a tragedy of bloodshed and brutality to a world filled with hope and healing.
I’ll update this list as my reading continues.
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