A Wizard of Earthsea vs The Tombs of Atuan: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Wizards in fiction, Magic in fiction, Wizards, Young Adult, Magic, Fantasy 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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The Tombs of Atuan
Arha's isolated existence as high priestess in the tombs of Atuan is jarred by a thief who seeks a special treasure.
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- A Wizard of Earthsea has the widest readership — 374862 ratings behind its score.
- The Tombs of Atuan runs the darker storyline; A Wizard of Earthsea stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| A Wizard of Earthsea | The Tombs of Atuan | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (374862) | 4.1 (141012) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (1535) | 4.1 (672) |
| Google Books | 1.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (216) | 4.5 (263) |
Reception
| A Wizard of Earthsea | The Tombs of Atuan | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 374862 | 141012 |
| Editions | 87 | 67 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 342214 | 49252 |
| Reading it now | — | 3569 |
| Written reviews | 22239 | 7831 |
| Wikipedia attention | 18721 | 4771 |
| Pages | 191 | 181 |