A Wizard of Earthsea vs The Face in the Frost: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Wizards, Young Adult, Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Children's fiction, Fiction
A Wizard of Earthsea
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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…
The Face in the Frost
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The Face in the Frost is a fantasy classic, defying categorization with its richly imaginative story of two separate kingdoms of wizards, stymied by a power that is beyond their control. A tall, skinny misfit of a…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate A Wizard of Earthsea highest: A Wizard of Earthsea 4.0 · The Face in the Frost 3.8.
- A Wizard of Earthsea has the widest readership — 374862 ratings behind its score.
- The Face in the Frost runs the darker storyline; A Wizard of Earthsea stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| A Wizard of Earthsea | The Face in the Frost | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (374862) | 3.8 (2545) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (1535) | 3.7 (13) |
| Google Books | 1.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (216) | 4.0 (18) |
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Reception
| A Wizard of Earthsea | The Face in the Frost | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 374862 | 2545 |
| Editions | 87 | 16 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 342214 | 3487 |
| Reading it now | — | 299 |
| Written reviews | 22239 | 332 |
| Wikipedia attention | 18721 | 484 |
| Pages | 191 | 174 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Wizard of Earthsea or The Face in the Frost?
A Wizard of Earthsea has the higher combined reader rating across sources (A Wizard of Earthsea 4.0/5, The Face in the Frost 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Wizard of Earthsea or The Face in the Frost?
The Face in the Frost is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Face in the Frost (174 pages, ≈ 3 h 13 m); A Wizard of Earthsea (191 pages, ≈ 3 h 32 m).
Which is harder to read: A Wizard of Earthsea or The Face in the Frost?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Wizard of Earthsea: Light; The Face in the Frost: Light.