A Wizard of Earthsea
Nothing inspires heated discourse more than an adaptation of a beloved novel with a longstanding fanbase. Will it capture the 
essence of the author’s vision? Is it even possible to do well? Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1968 popular fantasy novel, A Wizard of Earthsea, has been adapted many times before, often in ways disappointing to Le Guin. But seeing that her son, Theo Downes-Le Guin, worked closely with writer and illustrator Fred Fordham, I was intrigued to see this new interpretation.
Downes-Le Guin, now the steward of some of his mother’s books following her passing in 2018, was especially concerned about preserving the language and the diversity of the expansive world of Earthsea. Much to Le Guin’s disappointment, some previous adaptations whitewashed her characters, particularly the main character, Ged, who is described by Le Guin as copper-skinned. Fordham, fortunately, portrays Ged and other characters according to her original vision. He’s a good choice for an adaptation on this scale, having written and illustrated well received adaptations of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, as well as collaborations on other adaptations of classic works.
What initially pulled me into the graphic novel was the stunning cover art. An overhead view of Ged walking alone on an unnamed island shore, waves at his back, his shadow long and blurred behind him is a beautiful, if not mysterious, way to enter into Earthsea. I found myself fast becoming a fan of Fordham’s art, finding it gorgeous and soft, where every line feels precisely placed. The watercolor details give the imagery the right amount of whimsy for a fantasy of this caliber. And as mentioned before, Fordham preserves the diversity of characters, but also location. He plays with color and lighting to give each new place a unique feel.
The text is largely taken directly from the novel, borrowing the grandiose and epic feel of Le Guin’s striking language. I was worried the story couldn’t be told adequately while cutting out enough text to fit the graphic novel format, however, Fordham shows his skill here and accomplishes more with minimal text, and expertly utilizes silence to portray some very poignant moments in the narrative.
The plot follows the book pretty faithfully. Ged, who will one day be known as a great and powerful wizard, starts out life as a proud and impulsive boy on the island of Gont. At a young age Ged shows skill with spells and summoning animals, and while Gont is known to produce wizards, his power seems greater than expected.
He learns what he can of magic from his aunt, the local village witch, but quickly masters all she can teach him. When raiders attack his village he summons an impressive mist, hiding the villagers and terrifying the invaders. The spell saves the day but drains him of his energy, leaving him utterly unresponsive. Once tales of his power reach surrounding villages, Ogion, a kind, elderly wizard intrigued by Ged’s abilities, comes to heal Ged and offers to make him an apprentice. But Ged’s restlessness and urge to master power pushes him to access a dangerous spell. It becomes apparent that Ged might require another path through wizardry, and although he’s formed a deep bond with his master, he opts to leave both Ogion and Gont for the isle of Roke where he will learn from the great masters.
Now a teenager, Ged is introduced to other boys like himself and forms a great friendship in the kindly Vetch, and a great rivalry in the arrogant Jasper. He begins to learn from masterful wizards about the delicate equilibrium of the world and how magic can destroy it if handled recklessly, but his pride still eats at him. Egged on by Jasper, he attempts to prove the strength of his power by summoning an ancient spirit of the dead. In doing so he toys with the balance and summons a mysterious and vicious shadow into the world, putting himself and all those around him in danger.
Filled with regret, Ged quickly grows up under the magical protections on Roke until he finally and solemnly earns his wizard’s staff. Realizing he must leave Roke without knowing how to face the deadly shadow chasing him, he initially decides to flee until he can right the wrong he created. On his journey to discover the secret of the shadow’s demise he finds dragons to battle, old friends and new, and the edges of the known world.
This is a difficult story to distill down, but Fordham does a good job bringing out the important points from the novel to show Ged’s growth and journey. However, whenever adapting a novel like this into a shorter format, some things will get lost in translation. In this case, there is a loss of depth in the storytelling where the graphic novel is not able to fully explore characters, relationships, or situations as well as the novel. I don’t believe this lessens the quality of the story significantly, but I could see someone new to Le Guin finding themselves a little lost in areas where the narrative moves quickly.
The publisher has given an age rating of 13 and up, and I see no reason to disagree. There is very little in the way of content warnings to worry about, but death is depicted and is central to the story, and this includes animal death. Some of this is handled off screen or in silhouette, and as someone who is deeply and easily disturbed by depictions of animal death and harm, I did not struggle with any of the imagery. I found myself wanting to explore more from both Le Guin and Fordham and would recommend A Wizard of Earthsea for any teen or adult graphic novel collection. I think it’s a great way for not only fans, but those new to Earthsea, or maybe those reluctant to read the novel, to get excited about Le Guin’s work.
A Wizard of Earthsea A Graphic Novel
By Ursula K. Le Guin
Art by Fred Fordham
Harper Collins, 2025
ISBN: 9780063285767
Company Age Rating:Â 13+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
