Cornflower Book Group 2011: Volume 8

 

    Right then, I've taken your advice and decided to give the book group a break in August, so after we've talked about The Good Soldier this coming Saturday (30th. July), we can relax a bit and have an unhurried and what looks to be a rather less perplexing read(!) for our September title. B.R. Wombat suggested Ursula Le Guin's 1968 classic of fantasy literature A Wizard of Earthsea, so let's read it - it will certainly be something new for me.

    "The island of Gont is a land famous for wizards. Of these, some say the greatest - and surely the greatest voyager - is the man called Sparrowhawk. As a reckless, awkward boy, he discovered the great power that was in him - with terrifying consequences. Tempted by pride to try spells beyond his means, Sparrowhawk lets loose an evil shadow-beast in his land. Only he can destroy it, and the quest leads him to the farthest corner of Earthsea."

    Likened to Tolkien's Middle Earth and Lewis's Narnia, the award-winning Earthsea novels depict an imaginary world which draws the reader in. I'm particularly interested in the fact that, apparently, "Le Guin challenges her readers to think about the power of language, how in the act of naming the world around us we actually create that world"; I'll look out for that aspect.

    I hope that even if you're not in the habit of reading this type of book you'll be willing to give it a try. I should think it will be available in shops and libraries everywhere (as far as I can see there isn't an e-book edition, though), and for those who want to go the whole hog, there is the omnibus The Earthsea Quartet. In the event you can't lay hands on a copy, The Book Depository will, as always, send it anywhere post free.

    Let's set the discussion date for Saturday, 24th. September, and do please all join in - the more, the merrier!