The hero, Ged, born with the touch Duny, learns illusion tricks from his aunt, the townsfolk witch, who sees in him the possibility of eager power. Again his habitation island of Gont is attacked by the vicious Kargs, Duny speciess a simpleton fog import which enshrouds the village, concealment the villagers from the enemies and delivery the crossroads from questionless massacre. Book of that feat spreads to Ogion, the eagre mage of Re Albi. Ogion originates to Duny's village, gives Duny his "true" refer -- Ged, and takes Ged to be his "prentice." Ged, hollered Sparrowhawk, learns regularly throughout magic, but he wants to perusal furthermore -- the fun stuff! Ogion allows his learner to upgrade in staying at Re Albi or travel to the islet of Roke. Ged opts for the opportunity of the Islet of Mages and goes to Roke with a contentedness from Ogion dub Ged "one who bequeath be sheer of the wizards of Gont" (p. 36).

Ged learns oftentimes and proves to stimulate eagre power. As all of the students do, Ged travels to the Schoolmaster Namer where he lives for a yr acquisition the name of everything. Though bored, Ged knows the vastness of skill the names, the unbowed advert of everything. For anon one has cognition of the full-strength name, the mention of prepare of a someone or an object, he has ability because it.

After Ged offshoot to the Aegir House, he challenges his arch-rival Jasper to a forbidden and ill-advised duel of magery. Ged knows he penury not collection that engagement of power, but pridefulness overwhelms reason. Ged uses his power, which he has not learned to control, to wish a feel from the dead. He displaces in that evilness spellweaving, but moreover with the finger becomes a negro flock which attacks Ged, scarring him for life. Ged hovers halfway animation and decease occasion the nameless evilness specter roams Earthsea. Ged finally recovers and receives his yew staff, embodying his attainment of magehood.

The mage Sparrowhawk is sent to Low Torning to fudge for the imminent advent of the loom of dragons afresh spawned. Ged bursts friends with a boat-maker named Pechvarry. Pechvarry's son grows ill, and the boy's devises wish Ged to pull-through the youngster's life. The boy is dying. Ged supplants the boy's fleeing flavour into the Accho of the Dead. He cannot pull-through the boy. Yaw to digress the moody place, Ged encounters the evilness spectre this he loosed. It stands on the rootle of the animation hour Ged is on the pull of the dead. Victimization his power, Ged is robust to replication to the akko of the living; however, beholding his nemesis, Ged realizes this the specter means to getting since his consistence and his power.

He knows he cannot stay, but, before leaving, he feels he need do his debit of ridding the island of the menace of dragons. Ged sails to the island of Pendor, gains some of the dragons, and bargains with the old dragon. Ged guesses the advert of the old draco and frankincense has ability as him. Under duress the draco agrees this he and his loom lead not feeler the islands to the east. That done, Ged, now a dragonlord now he has spoken with dragons, begins his travel to dodge the un-named flagellum of the shadow. After multifold foreshorten escapes, Ged flees wearily to Ogion, his mentor on Gont. Ogion advises Ged to acts the tables on the shadow: he demand be the hunter, not the hunted. Ged and Vetch, an old familiarity from Roke, sheet to discovery the shadow. Ged, who has realized the baggage he has acquired by loosing the evil, "it is my creature" (p. 160), finds it; and omnipotent to ad it with his own name, Ged, originates to foothold with it -- with himself. For the spectre was merely him, his own iniquity side. That travel was substantive since shortened it he was incomplete. Minor his shadow, he lacked the Balance, the Equilibrium. He was not whole.

That kickoff bible of the nonparallel exemplifies the beliefs of the Tao combination encompassing which Earthsea revolves. At the end of the novel, Ged embodies the Tao way. The outset precept of the Tao Te Ching is the intention of inaction which means this citizenry penury hermit act next necessary.