A Wizard of Earthsea

Executive Summary: A fun story that I probably would have liked even more as a teenager, but I can still appreciate as an adult.Full ReviewSo books published before say the 90's (or maybe 80's for certain authors) and I don't tend to see eye to eye. Whether it's one of those “well they are just a product of their times” type of books, or just something so different from what modern SFF writers do, I just don't like most of it.So I was a little bit concerned coming into this book. I needn't have been. Yes it's different than what I normally read. It's much shorter. There isn't a ton of depth or world building here. But it's a fun story that sets up some interesting ideas that I hope to find time to continue exploring.The prose are something I don't usually spend much time, but I'd be remiss not to mention it. They are absolutely beautiful. Some people have said it distracts from the story, but that wasn't the case for me.This books reminds me a lot of [b:The Name of the Wind 186074 The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) Patrick Rothfuss https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1270352123s/186074.jpg 2502879]. I'd be shocked if [a:Patrick Rothfuss 108424 Patrick Rothfuss https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1351307341p2/108424.jpg] doesn't cite this series/Ms. Le Guin as one of his influences.In fact now that I've read it, I see how this series has likely influenced many series that have come after it. I wish I had first read this as a teenager rather than as an adult. I think I would appreciate it more. However, as a fantasy fan I can certainly appreciate and enjoy what is here.The story moves along at a pretty good pace for most of the book, but does slow down a bit in the last third or so.My only other complaint is less a complaint more than a puzzlement. Ms. Le Guin decided to break from the norm and have most of her characters be people of color. Yet she has almost no women, and the ones that are there are thin stereotypes. It doesn't ruin the book by any means, but as a female author it is a bit surprising to me.Overall I found this enjoyable, and now I need to find time to read the rest of the series.3.5 Stars rounded up because I really enjoyed most of it.