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Quick answer: If you loved Earthsea, read Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, then Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three, then Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising, and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn. All are thoughtful, classic fantasy.
Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea began with A Wizard of Earthsea in 1968 and follows a young wizard who must face the shadow he unleashed. These picks share its depth and calm.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Wizard of Earthsea | Ursula K. Le Guin | All ages | readers who prefer shorter books |
| The Left Hand of Darkness | Ursula K. Le Guin | Adult | readers who want depth |
| The Dispossessed | Ursula K. Le Guin | Adult | readers who like ideas about society |
| The Book of Three | Lloyd Alexander | 9-13 | readers who want a quest |
| The Dark Is Rising | Susan Cooper | 10-14 | readers who like British folklore |
| The Lord of the Rings | J.R.R. Tolkien | All ages | readers who want the source |
| The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | 9-14 | a classic dragon story |
| The Last Unicorn | Peter S. Beagle | Adult | readers who want a classic |
| The Goblin Emperor | Katherine Addison | Adult | readers who like courtly drama |
| Piranesi | Susanna Clarke | Adult | readers who like puzzles |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke | Adult | patient readers |
| The Mists of Avalon | Marion Zimmer Bradley | Adult | readers who want a novel |
| Graceling | Kristin Cashore | 13+ | readers who like independent heroines |
| The Neverending Story | Michael Ende | Teen/Adult | readers who love books about books |
| Magician | Raymond E. Feist | Adult | readers who want a classic |
1. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Ged, a talented young wizard, unleashes a shadow. A short and wise classic.
Best for: readers who prefer shorter books.
2. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
An envoy visits a world where people have no fixed gender. A classic of social science fiction.
Best for: readers who want depth.
3. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
A physicist travels between a utopian anarchist moon and its wealthy neighbor. Political and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like ideas about society.
4. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Taran, a pig-keeper, becomes a hero in the land of Prydain. The first of a classic fantasy series.
Best for: readers who want a quest.
5. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
Will Stanton learns he is the last of the Old Ones on his eleventh birthday. Atmospheric and mythic.
Best for: readers who like British folklore.
6. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The founding epic of modern fantasy. A quest to destroy the One Ring.
Best for: readers who want the source.
7. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins leaves his comfortable hole to join thirteen dwarves and the wizard Gandalf in reclaiming treasure guarded by the dragon Smaug. The original dragon quest and a good read-aloud.
Best for: a classic dragon story.
8. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
A unicorn leaves her forest to find the others of her kind, with the help of a magician. Lyrical and bittersweet.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
9. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Maia, a half-goblin, becomes emperor and must survive court intrigue. Kind, quiet and gripping.
Best for: readers who like courtly drama.
10. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A man lives in a vast house of statues and tides and slowly learns the truth about his world. Strange, quiet and brilliant.
Best for: readers who like puzzles.
11. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two magicians revive English magic during the Napoleonic wars. Long, dry-witted and rich.
Best for: patient readers.
12. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The King Arthur story told from the women's perspective. Long, rich and influential.
Best for: readers who want a novel.
13. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Katsa is born with a Grace that makes her a deadly fighter, and she works for her king until she meets a prince who changes her view. Strong heroine, quiet romance.
Best for: readers who like independent heroines.
14. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Bastian reads a book that pulls him into the land of Fantastica. A story about stories, with big ideas.
Best for: readers who love books about books.
15. Magician by Raymond E. Feist
Pug, a boy at a castle, becomes a powerful magician as two worlds fight. A classic of epic fantasy.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Earthsea: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Earthsea. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For more Le Guin, read The Left Hand of Darkness or The Dispossessed. For classic quests, try The Book of Three. For modern fantasy, pick The Goblin Emperor or Piranesi.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Earthsea?
Ursula K. Le Guin.
When did it begin?
With A Wizard of Earthsea in 1968.
Where do I start?
With A Wizard of Earthsea.