# A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

6 Hacker News commenters recommended A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended for its well-crafted story and writing, and for teaching readers something about themselves.

## Why people recommend it

- Well crafted story and writing (2 comments): "the story and the writing itself are both so well crafted" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49145448)) "Ursula LeGuin is amazing, "A Wizard of Earthsea"" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577))
- Personal, enjoyable reading experience (2 comments): "it's less about a "message" and more about learning something about yourself." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46940038)) "Earthsea remains one of my pleasures." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46933983))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lord-of-the-rings.md): 66 recommend
- [The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hobbit.md): 49 recommend
- [Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dungeon-crawler-carl.md): 48 recommend
- [Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality.md): 19 recommend
- [Piranesi by Susanna Clarke](https://hackerapproved.com/p/piranesi.md): 12 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553262505?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780553262506) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin", https://hackerapproved.com/p/a-wizard-of-earthsea/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).