Finally, an Ursula Le Guin book I can say that I've enjoyed. I've dabbled in her work before, but the writing style was a major hurdle for me. Her writing focuses more on setting up a scene and introspection, with little dialogue to break these moments up, leading to several instances where my eyes tend to glaze over. This happened to me with Left Hand of Darkness and Voices.

And, to be honest, it happened here and there in this book as well, but Ged's characterization, arc, and ultimate confrontation with the Shadow at the end more than made it worthwhile. I loved the emphasis of an emotional catharsis and self acceptance over a drawn-out physical conflict that pits the typical good vs. evil. Le Guin makes the tale more nuanced, opting for an ending that, while anticlimactic to some, perfectly delivers the overall theme and beliefs that make up the heart of Earthsea. 

<spoilers> By giving the Shadow his name, Ged brings the culmination of all his mistakes, his pride, his selfishness, his yearning to be known and have power, into himself and makes them a part of who he is. In Earthsea, the most treasured belief is that of Equilibrium, total balance. As Ged accepts and becomes aware of the misdeeds of his past, he becomes a more knowledgeable and capable wizard. He is both light and dark, and it will be interesting to see if that is explored in future installments in the series. </spoilers>

There are some things that I think could have been shown a little more effectively: his rivalry with his schoolmate Jasper, his friendship with Vetch, basically just his relationships to the other characters, as we see so much of him alone that it's hard to become attached to the others. But really I don't think there's anything else to improve upon, other than yeah, Le Guin really struggled with writing women in this series didn't she? Seeing how progressive her works are, I was surprised that there weren't any capable female wizards and the ones that we saw were either evil or using a weaker kind of magic. Researching it, it seems that came more out of a need to write more from the male gaze, as that's what publishers wanted in the 60s, which is a darn shame. Still, it's understandable why this book is seen as foundational in children's fantasy and the genre as a whole. It knocks down so many typical fantasy conventions, while also taking inspiration from fairy tales and legends of old, culminating in a story that's sure to last in the hearts and minds of readers young and old.