LeGuin, Ursula K. Books - Page 2

Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume--Rocannon's World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

City of Illusions 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I read this book over a year ago, and usually after that amount of time I can barely remember the plot of a book let alone the details. Yet I was amazed with the City of Illusions story in this book. This is by far my favorite story by Ursula K. Le Guin, even over the Left Hand of Darkness or any of the Earthsea series.

one of my favorite books in the world 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 18 people found this review helpful.

i've read this a while ago, but it's amazing how some book just follow you through life. this book certenly flollow my life, but in it's styple and description and also with it's intention and massage.

written originaly as 3 saparated novels, the 3 diffrent stories, who doesn't happend on the same planets or times, interact one several levels, the concepts of the joined alience of menkind throughout the universe, mind reading and the meaning of being an explorer and an alien in a diffrent planet. are meaningful not only to the sience fiction side of the story, but also, and perhaps mostly to the way we precive ourself, both as indeviduals and within a society. each story takes a diffrent view and plot line exsamening those issues and adding to them, it's own world and atmospher.

what i loved mostly about this book is that, unlike many other books, which take their scenery from know situation and sets, like period in earth's history, or from movies and myth. those worlds are recreated all new - the people, places, and societies are unknown to the reader and so, every page's a surprise, and at no point is seem predictable or familier.

it took my a long time to get used to that style, this book doesn't match a ganere and is a very indevidual unique creation. it stimulate the mind and senses and creativity. i highly recomand it

Editorial Review:

Ursula K. Le Guin is one of the greatest science fiction writers and many times the winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards. her career as a novelist was launched by the three novels contained in Worlds of Exile and Illusion. These novels, Rocannon's world, Planet of Exile, and City of Illusions, are set in the same universe as Le Guin's groundbreaking classic, The Left hand of Darkness.

Tor is pleased to return these previously unavailable works to print in this attractive new edition.

Voices (Annals of the Western Shore)

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Courtesy of Teens Read Too 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A companion novel to Le Guin's GIFTS, VOICES looks in on the life of a teen growing up in a city controlled by an enemy people. Memer has never known a life when hostile soldiers didn't patrol the streets and the possession of a book was not a crime punishable by death. The invading army believes that written words are evil, and that the city of Ansul is full of demons. But Memer knows that the Waylord, the man who raised her after her mother's death, has a hidden library in his house. There, he teaches her to read, and then, to use her understanding to help the city face its greatest crisis.

For a novel that has a lot to do with story-telling and reading, VOICES has more action and excitement than readers might expect. The arrival of Orrec, a great storyteller (and the narrator of GIFTS), rekindles the courage of Ansul's people, and they attempt to rebel against their oppressors. Memer finds herself caught in the middle, torn between her loyalty to the Waylord, who wishes to find a peaceful solution, and her hatred for the soldiers who destroyed so many things that she treasured. With many twists and turns along the way, VOICES delivers a conclusion that is both satisfying and unpredictable.

Perhaps the strongest element of the novel, however, is the way it moves from black and white to shades of gray. Orrec believes that all people have some good in them, and as Memer is forced to get to know the invaders she despises, she realizes that they are not all terrible and cruel. Some of them are simply different, and unable to understand her way of life. The message seems to be that it is far better to reach an understanding with others, even if you dislike them, than to take revenge. In a time when cultural and religious clashes make news almost every day, this should hit home with many readers.

VOICES is not a perfect book. It slows down a little more than I'd have liked before reaching its conclusion, and Memer was not as active in those events as I expect from a main character. But those flaws are minor compared to everything else about the novel: the distinctive setting and culture, the vivid language and personalities, and a voice that suggests, softly, without preaching, that there is more than one way to win a war.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

Editorial Review:

Ansul was once a peaceful town filled with libraries, schools, and temples. But that was long ago, and the conquerors of this coastal city consider reading and writing to be acts punishable by death. And they believe the Oracle House, where the last few undestroyed books are hidden, is seething with demons. But to seventeen-year-old Memer, the house is the only place where she feels truly safe.

    

Then an Uplands poet named Orrec and his wife, Gry, arrive, and everything in Memer's life begins to change. Will she and the people of Ansul at last be brave enough to rebel against their oppressors?

    

Includes an interview with the author and a teaser to the third book in the series, Powers.

Gifts (Annals of the Western Shore)

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Usually I love an Ursula Le Guin Novel . . . 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Usually I love an Ursula Le Guin novel, but I just couldn't get into Gifts. The writing is beautiful, as we expect from Le Guin (therefore 4 stars), but I found this novel too dull for me.

Most of the story is told by Orrec as it happened in the past (a technique I just couldn't appreciate), and he relates several stories that his mother told him. Orrec and his best friend Gry live in a culture where magical gifts are used for destructive purposes and they are pressured by their parents to develop these powers. They refuse, and Orrec even blindfolds himself so he won't be able to destroy anything. This makes for a lovely philosophy, but not much action, and even fewer happy moments. I guess I was in the mood for something else. But, there's a lot of interesting potential in the culture of The Annals of the Western Shore, and I may decide to try the next one.

BTW, I listened to this on audio; it was well done.
-FanLit.net

Editorial Review:

Scattered among poor, desolate farms, the clans of the Uplands possess gifts. Wondrous gifts: the ability--with a glance, a gesture, a word--to summon animals, bring forth fire, move the land. Fearsome gifts: They can twist a limb, chain a mind, inflict a wasting illness. The Uplanders live in constant fear that one family might unleash its gift against another. Two young people, friends since childhood, decide not to use their gifts. One, a girl, refuses to bring animals to their death in the hunt. The other, a boy, wears a blindfold lest his eyes and his anger kill.

In this beautifully crafted story, Ursula K. Le Guin writes of the proud cruelty of power, of how hard it is to grow up, and of how much harder still it is to find, in the world's darkness, gifts of light.

Includes a reader's guide and a sample chapter from the companion title Voices.

The Earthsea Trilogy

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Exclusive 3-in-1 harcover book. Includes A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA: The windswept isles of Earthsea were famous for wizards, and the greatest of all was Ged, called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon and crossed deaths threshold to restore the balance. THE TOMBS OF ATUAN: Chosen to serve the Ancient and Nameless Powers of the Earth, Tenar is taken away from her home and family to become Arha, the Priestess Ever Reborn, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. While learning her way through the gloomy Labyrinth that is her domain, she encounters Ged, a wizard come to steal the Tombs greatest treasure. But Ged also brings with him the light of magic, a light as forbidden in the Tombs as wizards are in the Kargad Lands.... THE FARTHEST SHORE: Ill-tidings have arrived on the Isle of the Wise: The springs of wizardry are drying up. Driven to seek the source of the trouble, Archmage Ged embarks on a perilous journey with the boy-prince, Arren. Their travels take them to a land cursed with a strange soul sickness, to an encounter with Orm Embar, the greatest of the worlds dragons, and into the realm of death itself. For if the balance of magic is not restored, darkness will overtake the world. Jacket art by Leo and Diane Dillon. (422 pp.)

The Dispossessed: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

No bosses, no bankers, no owners, no wars... 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.

There is no better work of fiction that describes what a society based on true anarchy might be like. You soon see that it certainly would not be chaos. That is because a society without leaders and laws is not a society without order- it is just that the order comes from within. That is true order. People work and sacrifice because they recognize that it is in everybody's best interest. Society should be brotherhood of equals, a big family. In a sense, the world of Anarres reminded me of one great farm where family members realize from an early age that they are needed for work that must be done. Either that, or I would describe it as an old-style kibbutz on a planetary scale. It isn't a perfect system. Vigilance is needed to make sure that unofficial tyranny from peer pressure and individual corruption do not set in, but it comes across as workable and believable.

As for her sister world, Urras, it is a place of both the plutocratic-oligarchic state, as well as, the centralized communist dictatorship, locked in perpetual struggle. It is a world where men are forced and coerced to obey their leaders. It is our world. Urras is archism, Anarres is anarchism. You are forced to examine first hand the fundamental differences. It is the difference between a society of true individuals and a society of slaves.

The hero, Shevek, is both a physicist and a philosopher. His was a mind capable of reconciling not only the seeming incompatibility of the simultaneous and sequential nature of time, but also of the conflicting drives of human nature. Both required the freedom of mind of a true revolutionary.

I first read this novel over 25 years ago. It came as a shock to me to realize how much I must have internalized the character of Shevek.

Editorial Review:

Centuries ago, the moon Anarres was settled by utopian anarchists who left the Earthlike planet Urras in search of a better world, a new beginning. Now a brilliant physicist, Shevek, determines to reunite the two civilizations that have been separated by hatred since long before he was born.

The Dispossessed is a penetrating examination of society and humanity -- and one man's brave undertaking to question the unquestionable and ignite the fires of change.

The Birthday of the World: And Other Stories

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Noble Failure 2 out of 5 stars.
9 of 23 people found this review helpful.

"Birthday of the World" isn't up to the usual standard of Ms. LeGuin's writing -- not in its present form, at any rate.

So, you might be asking: why do I feel this way?

Simple. It's too graphic in spots, and it's way too violent, and finally, the "f-word" is used repeatedly in a jarring manner for no apparent reason other than to shock.

Ms. LeGuin is above this sort of thing; she doesn't _need_ to make her points this way, and further, it wasn't at all what I expected when I opened this collection.

I'm a big fan of her work; I love "Lathe of Heaven" and "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed" and "The Wizard of Earthsea," and enjoyed everything else she's ever written.

And I suspect that if I had encountered these stories one on one, I would have liked them very much, and would have considered them thought-provoking and interesting (and probably wouldn't have been as put off by the graphic violence and swearing, either).

However, only three of these stories _work_ in this collection; the one about the kemmerhouse and the two about the folks living on O (the ones who make four-sided marriages). The other five all need expansion, in my opinion, and four of the five look like they could and should have been made into novels. The fifth, the final story (a novella, "Paradises Lost"), also needed at least 5,000 more words to explain various things left unfinished in the story, such as why the woman in it made the marriage she did and the like.

Those five stories, if I'd read them separately, might have evoked some of the same responses -- after all, I'm not _used_ to graphic violence in Ms. LeGuin's work, and I don't like the unnecessary bad language, either. But all five of 'em put together made me viscerally dislike and despise this book far more than I have disliked anything in the past ten years, mostly because there's just _too much_ going on.

Also, there's an odd juxtaposition of "message stories" going on. Simply put: I do not need to be bludgeoned about the head and shoulders to get the point, and so many "message stories" and stuff being _told_ to me rather than being _shown_ to me was distracting and displeasing.

And finally, between all the swearing (really, why did Ms. LeGuin have to use the term "f***ery" anyway? Why not just say "male brothel?" It's the same thing!) and the unnecessary uses of the term "be aware" in the last four stories (in one story, fine, but all the rest of 'em? Please!) which threw me right out of the reader's trance every time I saw it, I absolutely cannot recommend this work.

If you want to read it anyway, be aware that there is graphic violence in at least three of the stories, bad language in most of 'em, and that it is absolutely _not_ recommended for children under age 16 without parental supervision.

And if you're still insistent on reading it, my advice is to take these stories separately, and read 'em one at a time. Preferably one every few days to a week; that way you won't be _as_ upset when you're done reading this book.

Two stars.

Barb Caffrey

Editorial Review:

The recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, five Hugo Awards and five Nebula Awards, the renowned writer Ursula K. Le Guin has, in each story and novel, created a provocative, ever-evolving universe filled with diverse worlds and rich characters reminiscent of our earthly selves. Now, in The Birthday of the World, this gifted artist returns to these worlds in eight brilliant short works, including a never-before-published novella, each of which probes the essence of humanity.

Very Far Away from Anywhere Else

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Worth reading at any age! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This short novel speaks volumes to anyone who has ever felt different, not quite fitting in, but afraid to truly break away from the herd. Owen's doubts, fears and deep longing to be his own person are all too familiar and honest; his struggle toward real manhood, as opposed to the shallow, self-absorbed macho model of his peers, is even more relevant today.

Natalie's determination to create and follow her own path is inspiring, never denying the hard work and sacrifice required, but never denying its joys, either.

Together, theirs is a genuine relationship, rich, rewarding, transforming. Well worth reading at any age.

Possibly my favorite book of all time 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I first read this novella when I was in high school. I've read it several times since. It's just one I always come back to. The story speaks to everyone who has ever felt excluded or misunderstood and it speaks to the yearning in each of us to find SOMEONE who understands just a little bit. In some ways, this is a romance, but really it's a story of finding a connection in the wide world. And it always makes me cry... but in a good way.

I've read hundreds, perhaps thousands of books in my life and I'm sure I'll read thousands more, but this one has a special place in my heart.

Editorial Review:

Owen is seventeen and smart. He knows what he wants to do with his life. But then he meets Natalie and he realizes he doesn't know anything much at all.

A slender, realistic story of a young man's coming of age, Very Far Away from Anywhere Else is one of the most inspiring novels Ursula K. Le Guin has ever published.

Selected Stories of H. G. Wells (Modern Library Classics)

H.G. Wells

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Recently read, and very enjoyable 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I recently read all the stories in this book over a period of a week. They are arranged in a nice, thematic way, so that similar stories are grouped together. I was amazed at the breadth of the subject matter of the stories, having previously restricted myself to Wells' speculative short stories such as "The Land Ironclads". But "The Valley of Spiders" is a spooky story of what apparently are cowboys on a chase, and the first story in the book, "A Slip Under the Microscope", is a realistic story of college students, that shows how little has changed in over 100 years. In fact, if one thing struck me about all the stories it is how modern they all are; there were no anachronisms that spoiled any story, though of course you have to put yourself back before airplanes and tanks were invented in "The Argonauts of the Air" and "The Land Ironclads". Rather than reviewing all the stories individually, I will just say that anyone who enjoys imaginative short stories will surely find much to like here.

Editorial Review:

From the back cover: Le Guin's selection of twenty-six stories showcases Well's genius and reintroduces readers to his singular talent for making the unbelievable seem utterly plausible.

The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Midwest Book Review, February 2005 Issue 5 out of 5 stars.
26 of 27 people found this review helpful.

Having read and enjoyed LeGuin's previous non-fiction works (particularly DANCING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, THE LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT, and her writing book, STEERING THE CRAFT), I expected an interesting and entertaining volume of essays. What I got far exceeded my expectations. I was enchanted from the first words, and I could hardly wait to read as many of these pieces as I could gulp down each night. When I finished, I was unhappy it was all consumed. I wanted more.

The book is a cornucopia of variety. There are serious essays, playful performance pieces, literary commentary, a long and wonderful poem entitled "The Writer on, and at, Her Work," and even some sketches LeGuin has done. The volume is separated into four sections: Personal Matters, Readings, Discussions & Opinions, and On Writing. The first section gives the reader a glimpse of who Ursula LeGuin is. She talks a bit of her family, of her parents' occupations (anthropologist father and biographer mother), and of her love of libraries and islands-imaginary and real. The next two sections cover all sorts of topics. Whether she was discussing awards and gender or the submerged humor of Mark Twain's "Diaries of Adam and Eve" or literacy or rhythm in the works of JRR Tolkien, I felt I was in sure hands. I must admit that I expected the essay, "Stress-Rhythm in Poetry and Prose" to be deadly dull. Instead, I was surprised beyond my wildest imagination to find that for the first time in my entire life, someone had actually explained meter and rhythm so that it made complete sense to me. I had one of those "Aha!" moments, suddenly understanding it in a way that I had never quite managed. (So _that_ is how iambic pentameter works so effectively!) I've been raving ever since about rhythm to all who will listen.

I like the fact that LeGuin does not hesitate to address sexism, homophobia, and unfairness. Her piece entitled "Unquestioned Assumptions" is masterful. She talks about the four common varieties of unquestioned assumption (We're all men, white, straight, and Christian), and then adds a fifth which she explores at length: We're all Young. Her analysis of these issues alone was worth the price of the book.

The final section of the book is about writing and was my favorite section. LeGuin addresses many angles of craft and technique. The name of the book, THE WAVE IN THE MIND, refers to an explanation of style that Virginia Woolf once wrote in a letter. Concerning what rhythm is, Woolf had written, "A sight, an emotion, creates this wave in the mind...and then, as it breaks and tumbles in the mind, it makes words to fit it" (p. xii). LeGuin obviously agrees with this. She writes that "every novel has its characteristic rhythm. And that if the writer hasn't listened for that rhythm and followed it, the sentences will be lame, the characters will be puppets, the story will be false. And that if the writer can hold to that rhythm, the book will have some beauty. What the writer has to do is listen for that beat, hear it, keep to it, not let anything interfere with it. Then the reader will hear it too, and be carried by it" (p. 183). This is sage advice.

All of LeGuin's ideas and advice-every chapter of it-is wonderful. I loved this: "Trust your story; trust yourself; trust your readers-but wisely. Trust watchfully, not blindly. Trust flexibly, not rigidly. The whole thing, writing a story, is a high-wire act-there you are out in midair walking on a spiderweb line of words, and down in the darkness people are watching. What can you trust but your sense of balance?" (p. 234).

The examples, stories, and allusions throughout are clear and strong and elegant. Her Voice is powerful and wise, humorous and reflective. Ursula LeGuin quite clearly displays true genius. This is a book to savor, to keep, to read again and again over the years. I cannot recommend it highly enough. ~Lori L. Lake, reviewer for Midwest Book Review and author of the "Gun" series

Editorial Review:

Join Ursula K. Le Guin as she explores a broad array of subjects, ranging from Tolstoy, Twain, and Tolkien to women's shoes, beauty, and family life. With her customary wit, intelligence, and literary craftsmanship, she offers a diverse and highly engaging set of readings. The Wave in the Mind includes some of Le Guin's finest literary criticism, rare autobiographical writings, performance art pieces, and, most centrally, her reflections on the arts of writing and reading.

The Telling

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

puzzled by the response to this book 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I am somewhat puzzled by the lukewarm responses by many readers to this book. I absolutely loved it; Le Guin has many intelligent things to say about the processes of cultural change and economic development, and wraps them in a wonderful story. She also does what many of the supposed science fiction masters are rarely able to do; develop interesting, three dimensional characters to go along with her ideas (male AND female characters to boot! What a concept!). I read this shortly after finishing The Left Hand of Darkness, and I actually enjoyed this one a bit more. Highly recommended for anyone who wants something entertaining and thoughtful, regardless of whether you usually enjoy science fiction.

Editorial Review:

The Left Hand of DarknessSutty, an Observer from Earth for the interstellar Ekumen, has been assigned to a new world-a world in the grips of a stern monolithic state, the Corporation. Embracing the sophisticated technology brought by other worlds and desiring to advance even faster into the future, the Akans recently outlawed the past, the old calligraphy, certain words, all ancient beliefs and ways; every citizen must now be a producer-consumer. Their state, not unlike the China of the Cultural Revolution, is one of secular terrorism. Traveling from city to small town, from loudspeakers to bleating cattle, Sutty discovers the remnants of a banned religion, a hidden culture. As she moves deeper into the countryside and the desolate mountains, she learns more about the Telling-the old faith of the Akans-and more about herself. With her intricate creation of an alien world, Ursula K. Le Guin compels us to reflect on our own recent history.