Even though it was my first time reading an Earthsea novel, something about A Wizard of Earthsea felt nostalgic and comforting, as if I had read it long before. Maybe it's the familiarity that comes with it being an inspiration for many novels that I love well. Perhaps it's the core of the story and the universality of this coming of age story. Our hero, Sparrowhawk, struggles with many things - great power, great expectations, peers and, sooner rather than later, the consequences that arise out of the amalgamation of all of these factors. His greatest enemy is no army, no evil human that lusts after his powers, it's a monster that is tied to him, his greatest and worst creation. Most readers will have such a shadow of their own - even if it's origin isn't their own doing, it has latched on to them over the years and caused them and their loved ones grief. It's for this reason that the book doesn't quite feel like a book for younger readers, but also why it's so important that it is. It's a book about growing up, and becoming your own self.

The writing is not as grandiose as I am used to from other fantasy authors and stories. Whilst he literally goes to the end of the world to confront his shadow, it feels somber and lonesome, with hopefulness speckling the dark skies like a few stars who have lost their way. Sparrowhawk isn't the defining example of wizards in Earthsea, despite him being on the path to becoming the most powerful one: he makes a big mistake and soon he is just _a_ wizard of Earthsea, instead of _the_ wizard of Earthsea. He, too, is oftentimes powerless. It's for this choice and this characterization that I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series (and rereading this one as well).