The scenes in the magic school reminded me a lot of The Name of the Wind and the Harry Potter series of books (works which I encountered first). I wonder what the first ever instance was in a work of fiction which depicted young people in a magic school setting. Ged, the main character is interesting in that he doesn't fit the stereotype of a 'good' wizard initially. He is prideful, envious, and rash in his actions which eventually leads to all the problems he will confront later on. I like the world-building, but having been exposed to more massive worlds like that in Dune, the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, and the Mistborn trilogy, I am not that enthused about it. What is interesting as well is the 'Archmage' position in the island where the magic school is located, which is the island of Roke. The Archmage is sort of the headmaster of the school and considered the best wizard that currently exists. I think the background stories of Archmages would make for compelling reading. The magic concept of the importance of finding the 'true names' of things I first encountered in 'The Name of the Wind', but I like how it is used in A Wizard of Earthsea, how a society and culture developed around this concept of true names.