Ursula Le Guin made fantasy history with "A Wizard of Earthsea," a spare but strangely entrancing story about a young wizard coming of age. Despite a rather distant writing style, Le Guin's story is still a classic that is generally put on the same shelf as Lewis and Tolkien. 
 Ged was born in a village in Earthsea -- a grouping of many, many small islands -- in Gont. The boy soon shows signs of great power, the ability to call animals and to laugh even when his tongue has been bound by a spell. A mage named Ogion apprentices Ged--who is known as Sparrowhawk, as knowledge of his true name would give anyone power over him. But Ogion's discipline and lessons are full of silence and self-examination, something which soon sends Ged to the school for mages in Roke. 
 A rival finally mocks Ged into a magical duel, and a monstrous creature made of shadow attacks Ged, nearly killing him. But upon the completion of his studies, the now-wiser wizard sets off to an island to seek the Dragon of Pendor. As the shadow closes in on Ged and his life becomes increasingly imperiled, he must discern what -- and who -- it is, to make himself truly whole. 
 Le Guin's book has a lot of things in it that tend to annoy readers in most books-- several years are skipped in a few pages, and few of Ged's thoughts and emotions aside from "Ged felt this" and "Ged thought that" are revealed to us. But the spare mythic style and quiet philosophical bent add an extra dimension to a straightforward fantasy story, and keep it from ever getting tangled in itself. 
 Le Guin's story spans several years in Ged's life, taking him from a little boy in a dirty village to a powerful and respected mage. But she also spins in Eastern philosophy, in the form of the "shadow" that stalks Ged for many years -- in some ways, the final explanation for what the shadow is seems fitting. As the story unfolds, we also are taken through Earthsea's wild, earthy settings, where magic is a strange and unknowable thing. 
 Ged has the makings of a classic hero: he is talented and initially hot-headed, but through his misfortunes is tempered into a more selfless, albeit scarred person (both physically and emotionally). And while his misfortunes are mostly of his own making, you never feel dislike for him. Most of the supporting characters don't appear long enough to get much development, although Ged's buddy Vetch comes across as a sweetheart. 
 Ursula Le Guin's "Wizard of Earthsea" is a memorable story about a boy becoming a man, and a man coming to terms with himself. A unique story, and one worthy of being called a classic.