A perfectly fine book with an unwavering and boring outlook; sceptical to an unexpected fault.

A darker and more confined narrative that takes several quite unexpected turns.

An eccentric novel with a steep learning curve, but if you can push through, the eccentricities pay off and the plot reveals some intriguing ideas.

A disjointed yet intriguing collection of anecdotes from the academic side of conservation and environmental research.

A masterclass in narrative, action, and – in particular – design. 

An amateur yet heartfelt and true expansion of the epic tale, with some surprisingly solid practical effects.

Fictional stories from real wars, told with a kind of brutal honesty, but without any clear motivating point (for the most part). And maybe that's okay.

A tightly woven tale wrapped around some excellent character work that help sell the otherwise outlandish central premise.

Chaotic neutral in film form, which makes it very hard to pin down.

A slower, more measured, more mature tale of Earthsea, but one with just as much character and depth.

Just listen to No Such Thing as a Fish if you want some additional QI knowledge and fact-finding. This ain't it.

So. Many. References! And yet it still hangs together (just about).