# Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

7 Hacker News commenters recommended Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Admired fantasy series whose philosophy and ideas readers find powerful and thoughtful. Critics find it slow, with a plot that struggles to move forward.

## Why people recommend it

- Philosophy and ideas that resonate (3 comments): "The philosophy underlying that world is exactly the kind that resonates especially well with East Asian readers" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48597170)) "describe acts of kindness as the biggest miracles, is great" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48597342)) "always struck me as such a powerful phrase" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48596927))
- Enjoyed by longtime readers (2 comments): "I enjoyed The Left Hand of Darkness and Earthsea" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46938292)) "I really enjoy the original Earthsea books." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46912215))
- Strong admiration for Le Guin (2 comments): "I discovered Le Guin relatively late in life and I'm so glad I did." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46936707)) "Agree completely on Le Guin" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49145706))

## What people warn about

- Plot struggles to go anywhere (2 comments): "it seems like a very mediocre fantasy novel with a plot that struggles to actually go anywhere" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46939367)) "It goes on and on with explaining things that happen without the showing part." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49147148))
- Explains too much, shows too little (1 comments): "It goes on and on with explaining things that happen without the showing part." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49147148))

## 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/0241956870?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780241956878) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

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