I’m a longtime fan of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea books, and so when I saw this graphic novel adaptation, I jumped at the chance to review an early copy. It absolutely blew me away. I couldn’t have imagined a graphic novel that could so flawlessly encapsulate the magic of A Wizard of Earthsea, but this one does so in gorgeous full-color, immersing me so utterly in this world it felt more like an illustrated version of the original than any sort of adaptation. Each page is such a beautiful, complete work of art that I would honestly love any of them as a poster or screensaver. I don’t recall ever reading a graphic novel where every illustration contains such a precise attention to detail, creating an atmospheric and absorbing experience that I fell in love with all over again every time I turned a page.

The adaptation of the text itself is also superb. Fred Fordham was clearly fiercely committed to Ursula K. Le Guin’s work; nearly every line is pulled verbatim from the original text, and the changes that are made—whether abridgements or alterations—are so seamless that the reader scarcely notices their presence. Upon finishing this book, I didn’t feel as though anything was missing; rather, it was although, through the illustrations, I had been able to absorb all the details and moments of the story not explicitly spelled out. This is truly the most beautiful graphic novel adaptation I’ve ever read. Whether you’re new to Earthsea or an enduring fan, I can’t recommend A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel highly enough!

I have never read Ursula K. Le Guin's book A Wizard of Earthsea, so I cannot compare it, but this is a beautiful, beautiful graphic novel. I read a digital copy and cannot wait to have the physical copy in my library. The story follows the young boy Sparrowhawk who becomes the great sorcerer Ged through his turmoils of growing into his powers. In his pride, he released a shadow on to the earth. To resolve it he must go on a journey of learning and travel through beautiful landscapes and many characters including dragons, familiars, and demons. I cannot stress again how beautiful this art is! I am thankful to the publishers and Net Galley for this ARC.

Fred Fordham’s art style lends itself well to the world of Earthsea for this graphic novel adaptation of such a beloved fantasy classic. The watercolor artwork was especially compelling in depictions of the sea and sky and, of course, the Ged’s encounter with dragons.

I loved seeing different parts of this story come to life with the art, and it was interesting to see how Fred interpreted what happens to Ged. I also appreciate that the dialogue and text is taken directly from the original novel.

My only complaint is that sometimes the side characters blended together, and I wanted a little more distinction with their designs. I appreciate that Fred stayed true to Le Guin's original vision for a diverse world, though.

Overall, the artwork is stunning and this adaptation is a great supplement to the original story, but it shouldn’t be read as a substitution.

This adaptation of A Wizard of Earthsea features beautiful watercolour illustrations, I spent a lot of time lingering over several of the pages to enjoy the artwork - particularly scenes of boats in the ocean, and the dragons. It really is gorgeous. There was a nice, gradual build-up in the story, which features mainly original text from the novel and is all the stronger for it, though I did feel like the ending felt rushed. I flipped through the last few pages again to make sure I hadn't missed something and skipped a page by mistake. All in all, a great adaptation, one I think any who have read the novel will appreciate and admire.

Abosolutely stunning. Each panel is so highly detailed and many pages have details that stopped my reading to appreciate the artwork. Forham has captured Le Guin's work so marvelously that I can see myself reding this over and over again.

I was excited to see a graphic adaptation of Ursula K. LeGuin's work, and explore her worlds. However, I was hesitant to read an adaptation by Fred Fordham, as I was disappointed by both his Great Gatsby and Brave New World.

The adaptation and pacing of the story were done well, showing the contemplative side of a fantasy world. But I was bothered by the contrast between the gorgeously illustrated ocean page-spreads and the panels too dark to see what was happening. Living in a world of darkness is fine, but I couldn't tell who is doing what in many of the panels. The climax felt like a letdown as I flipped through multiple pages of shimmering lights...?

Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. I really enjoyed this graphic novel adaptation, probably even more than the original. The illustrations are stunning and are very much in tune with the text, sticking very close to the original. Those who pick up this copy and are unaware that the original story came way before, would never know. That’s how seamlessly the story and art intertwine. Looking forward to the rest of the series in this format!

GORGEOUS take on A Wizard of Earthsea. Highly recommend for anyone who loved this series growing up as a kid. I don't think the text was edited too much, and that art is beautiful

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-graphic novel arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not read the Tales of Earthsea series, but figured I would dip my toes in the water before investing in the novels, and after reading the graphic novel, I am 100% in on starting the series!

The story is about a young boy named Sparrowhawk who comes into his magical powers and is determined to learn more and prove himself and become a great wizard. The story leans into self-reflection and is very philosophical in nature. Sometimes the writing is a little "flowery" in the old fantasy way, but it provides a charm to it.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, and the illustrator really helped to create a detailed journey with Sparrowhawk.

I think anyone who has read the series will really enjoy this, and even if you're like me and have never read the first book, give it a try as it may pique your interest to start!

Beautiful adaptation of the beloved series! I am a longtime fan of Ursula K Le Guin and especially the Earths series, so when I saw that it was getting a graphic novel adaptation, I was thrilled. This is perfect for new and old fans alike!

It's been long-told that LeGuin's Earthsea series is a great alternative to a certain other boy wizard we no longer discuss, so its been on my TBR for a long time. When I saw a graphic novel version of book one on Netgalley, I jumped on it. And I'm so glad I did!

The story follows Ged in the fictional lans of Earthsea. Ged discovers early on that he in magical and is apprenticed to a wizard. From there, he travels to the wizarding school on Roke Island where it's implied that he might be the most powerful wizard in the world. While being taunted by a classmate, he awakens an evil, unnamed shadow that hunts him for his power. In book one, he must confront his shadow in order to be free of it.

For starters, the artwork and graphic storytelling is phenomenal. Fordham has done an amazing job adapting this to the format.

I'm intrigued by the world LeGuin created and drawn to Ged, who is incredibly powerful but also still just a boy who gets cocky, impatient, and makes mistakes.

I'm hopeful that Fordham will make book two. Either way, I plan on continuing to explore the series.

I received this ARC from @netgalley and publisher @harperkids. The opinions are my own.

A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel will be released on March 11, 2025.

This graphic novel is not just an absolute feast for the eyes, which it absolutely is: the watercolor work is both magical and absolutely rock-solid, creating a sense of place so real that you believe in in instantly. It's also a damn good adaptation: a way to experience a story known and beloved by many in a manner that's full of love to and care for Ursula le Guin's text. I read them side by side, the novel and the graphic novel, and I had to admire the precision with which the lines were lifted -- and what scenes the artists drew to carry those lines -- to make the experience feel so true to the book. It had to leave out and condense some things, by the limitations of medium and page size, but I think it makes a strong adaptation regardless, especially in the first 2/3 rds of the story. If I had to nitpick, maybe the ending (or the last third) feeled a little too compressed? But it also fits so much development and journeying, both internal and external, for the protagonist that I can see why that aspect would feel harder to render. I would happily buy this on paper as a gift for myself and friends, the art is simply too gorgeous.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an early copy for review. It was a delightful read.

I received an electronic ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books through NetGalley.
I felt this adaptation stayed true to the first book in the series. Obviously, it could not capture every episode but it kept the storyline. The artwork was interesting to study with a mysterious feel. The characters were realistically drawn but readers could still shape them to their own imaginings. Ged's humanness and his powers were presented well.

I understand for people who have read the series how this might be dry and not as a good of an experience. However, if you view it through the lens of someone who hasn't read the series, but does enjoy fantasy and epic tales, but might struggle with a lot of written word, this graphic novel was incredible. I'm so glad that it will finally be published. Excellent, incredible work.

4 stars

Ged's journey is one with which many incoming readers may be quite familiar, but they won't have experienced it in this format previously.

As a graphic novel, this contemporary classic really comes to life.

Since fantasy isn't my top genre, when I first encountered the original version of this work many years ago, I struggled to connect with the characters and general storyline. This version, I know, would have sent me on a different path and helped me establish more affinity for this great work much earlier. While I wish it had come sooner, I'm glad I got to connect in a new way through this distinct experience.

I really appreciate the note from the author's son at the start of the text, covering the decisions made and the journey to arrive at this final product. The conversation about Ged's representation is particularly meaningful.

This graphic novel version will add a lot to new and seasoned readers' experiences alike.

The art in this adaptation is so lovely. There were several pages I just paused and took a while to appreciate. Overall, the adaptation was solid, including all the key points of the story without leaving out too much detail in the transfer to the graphic novel medium. I appreciated the use of visual storytelling whenever possible taking full advantage of the medium rather than just relying on an abundance of text to tell the story. That being said, there were a few areas that got a bit wordy for the format, especially since the font was rather small, so those more wordy parts were kinda a pain to get through. However, these passages were needed background information, especially for readers who may be discovering this story for the first time in this format. I think it is wonderful that this beautiful adaptation exists, and can't wait to introduce this story to today's young readers!

I adore Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series. The first novel, A Wizard of Earthsea, arguably invented many core fantasy tropes, such as a wizard ing school and the importance of names, that would later be popularized by Harry Potter. Le Guin’s lyrical writing gives her tales a sense of timelessness nearly 60 years after the book was published. Yet, Earthsea has had terrible luck with adaptations. The Sci-Fi Channel TV miniseries whitewashed Le Guin’s brown-skinned characters. Studio Ghibli later made a movie that combined plot elements from several of the Earthsea novels (covered in my upcoming book). So I was excited to see how this new graphic novel would adapt the story…

The Earthsea series is set on a fantasy world filled with islands, which Le Guin has said was inspired by Pacific islander cultures. The first novel is about a young wizard named Sparrowhawk (or Ged) who goes to a wizarding school on the island of Roke. While there, he succumbs to temptation to cast a forbidden spell and inadvertently summons a shadow creature. Ged must track down the creature and undo his mistake. Yet, unlike many other Young Adult fantasy novels, A Wizard of Earthsea has little action or typical heroics. Ged’s journey is a quiet, introspective one, and his quest is one of learning rather than combat.


The artwork is definitely the highlight of this graphic novel. Fred Fordham’s artwork is pretty close to how I imagined the people and places of Earthsea when I first read the novel years ago. The muted color palette and lack of defined linework fit Le Guin’s ethereal and often morally ambiguous world. In veering away from realism, Fordham’s rendering imbues the story with an almost mythic quality. Even in Le Guin’s text, there’s a strangeness to the world, an impenetrability that the stylized artwork captures. Several pages of the graphic novel have no text, just artwork letting the reader join Ged’s travels across the world.

Importantly, the graphic novel is true to Le Guin’s vision by depicting Ged and most other characters as brown-skinned. To Le Guin, this was not just about skin color. She saw the race of her characters as a way to encourage her predominantly white readership to empathize with people who did not look like them. In a critique of the Sci-Fi Channel version, she wrote:

My people could be any color I liked, and I like red and brown and black. I was a little wily about my color scheme. I figured some white kids (the books were published for “young adults”) might not identify straight off with a brown kid, so I kind of eased the information about skin color in by degrees—hoping that the reader would get “into Ged’s skin” and only then discover it wasn’t a white one.

As much as I enjoyed the graphic novel, I’m not sure I would have appreciated the story if I had not read Le Guin’s novel first. This adaptation has very little text, which means readers don’t get as much access to the thoughts of the characters, which can be a barrier for a story that so introspective. Fordham partly makes up for this with closeups of Ged’s face showing his shame and frustration, but it might be difficult for readers to interpret the images without the context provided by text.

I would strongly recommend reading A Wizard of Earthsea first and then reading this graphic novel. For those who have read the novel, this adaptation is a quick and immersive way to revisit the world.

A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel will be published on March 11. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for illustrator Fred Fordham’s interpretation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s classic fantasy tale justice and he completely exceeded my wildest expectations.

Gorgeously illustrated and masterfully adapted from prose to graphic novel, A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel is perfect for YA and adult readers alike.

I will be adding other Fred Fordham graphic novel adaptations to my reading queue.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This review reflects my personal and independent opinion.

I was initially skeptical of this graphic novel adaptation of one of my favorite fantasy novels. A Wizard of Earthsea isn’t what you’d call easily adaptable. Although there is action, the story is largely introspective, contemplative and nuanced instead of stark and straight forward. The primary antagonist isn’t a dark lord or a dragon but the shadow of the main character’s own hubris. The magic system isn’t flashy compared to most other fantasy. For reference, an important part of wizard school in this universe is going to an island and memorizing the names of every island, inlet, bay, and geographic feature of a sprawling archipelago.

My reservations were quickly and soundly put to rest however. This is a wonderful adaptation. The story is shortened only where it logically makes sense to do so. The key beats of the narrative, the Karg invasion, Ged’s time at Roke, his battle with the dragons, are all give appropriate weight and rendered beautifully in the artwork. The art itself aids the adaptation admirably. Careful rendering of details along with vague, almost hazy, watercolor, landscapes grant a palpable sense of scale to the world.
This was a great read and obviously done with a deep understanding of and love for the source material.

This is the graphic novel of Ursula K. Le Guin’s classic A Wizard of Earthsea. The story of the wizard Sparrowhawk gaining knowledge and mastery of magic and of his self. I liked the pacing and space the pages of only art left to give you a few beats to absorb the story – both the adventure and the internal battle. I think it is a great companion to the novel and will inspire new readers to pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this DRC.
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