Earthsea — Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea cycle (1968-2001) is the most quietly subversive fantasy series ever written — a world of islands populated by dark-skinned peoples where magic operates through the "true language" of things and power comes from accepting one's mortality. Its first novel, A Wizard of Earthsea, is one of the finest novels ever written for young readers and one of the finest fantasy novels ever written for anyone.