A Wizard of Earthsea

I think I am enjoying her Hainish Cycle SciFi books more than this fantasy novel, but that is probably purely a matter of personal preference. What spoke to me beyond the story was the world she builds, made up of many islands and dominated by the sea that connects them.

If I didn't know better, it would be possible to think that Eressea (the strategy PBEM) was influenced by this book, and it's made me want to start another game in a setting like this, with more magic and better rules for ships.