In reply to John Ww:
I've re-read (and read aloud) the Earthsea books several times. I'm always struck by the elegance of the writing and the surprisingly deep and adult themes they deal with.
Yes, there's magic, but it has strict rules and consequences. Its power is not limitless and the magician pays the price for overreaching. There's so much about pride, guilt, self-knowledge, pointless religious sacrifice, the decline of moral order and authority, multiculturalism, the environmental cost of personal selfishness, the nature of death... and bloody great dragons!
Post edited at 16:23