A Wizard of Earthsea vs Tales from Earthsea: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Earthsea, Wizards, Magic, Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Children's fiction
A Wizard of Earthsea
The first novel of Ursula K. Le Guin's must-read Earthsea Cycle. "The magic of Earthsea is primal; the lessons of Earthsea remain as potent, as wise, and as necessary as anyone could dream." (Neil Gaiman) Ged was the…
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Tales from Earthsea
In this final episode of "The Earthsea Cycle", the widowed Tenar finds and nurses her aging friend, Sparrowhawk, a magician who has lost his powers.
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- A Wizard of Earthsea is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 5 for Tales from Earthsea.
- A Wizard of Earthsea has the widest readership — 374862 ratings behind its score.
- Tales from Earthsea runs the darker storyline; A Wizard of Earthsea stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
A Wizard of Earthsea
≈ 3h vs 5h for Tales from Earthsea
Want the crowd-tested pick?
A Wizard of Earthsea
374862 ratings vs 34360 for Tales from Earthsea
In the mood for something dark?
Tales from Earthsea
a darker storyline than A Wizard of Earthsea
Want something lighter?
A Wizard of Earthsea
an easier tone than Tales from Earthsea
Scores by source
| A Wizard of Earthsea | Tales from Earthsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (374862) | 4.1 (34360) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (1535) | 4.0 (187) |
| Google Books | 1.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (216) | 4.5 (24) |
Reception
| A Wizard of Earthsea | Tales from Earthsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 374862 | 34360 |
| Editions | 87 | 27 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 342214 | 32564 |
| Reading it now | — | 2058 |
| Written reviews | 22239 | 2079 |
| Wikipedia attention | 18721 | 24600 |
| Pages | 191 | 317 |