Worlds Of Exile And Illusion: Rocannon's World, Planet Of Exile, City Of Illusions (1996) - Plot & Excerpts
The short version first . . .Ursula K. Le Guin is one of today's most famous living science fiction/fantasy authors. The titles of her works are frequently in contention for if not announced as winners of the coveted Hugo and Nebula Awards for Excellence in Science Fiction. Her writing consistently reflects her adherence to the cutting edge of the hard sciences, so her works are imminently believable as well as plausible. Her fans and critics have named a group of her works as “The Hainish Cycle,” something which Ms. Le Guin refutes consistently. Goodreads profile of the Hainish Cycle or Saga or series quotes Ms. Le Guin specifically saying, “People write me nice letters asking what order they ought to read my science fiction books in — the ones that are called the Hainish or Ekumen cycle or saga or something. The thing is, they aren't a cycle or a saga. They do not form a coherent history. There are some clear connections among them, yes, but also some extremely murky ones. And some great discontinuities..." > Regardless of its correct “status,” there are currently 10 primary of 16 total works related in some degree to the Hainish or the Ekumen, a governance body of the Hainish explorations. The three books compiled to create Worlds of Exile and Illusion are considered to be the both the beginning of the Hainish Cycle as well as some of the initial works regarded by many as Ms. Le Guin's groundbreaking initial contributions in the field of science fiction. The titles included in the compilation are Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, and City of Illusion. Next, let's look at each of these works individually and then how they carry the markers for the Hainish.Book 1 - Rocannon's World -- the longer versionIn Rocannon's World, the reader will find a small reconnaissance team from the “benevolent” side (the Hain) in an ongoing conflict between two interstellar civilizations exploring planets for their possible use for colonization and for basing construction privileges. The Hain sent a small team who selected one member Rocannon, who (in the past) worked as an ethnologist on the planet under investigation. Rocannon approaches the mission with anticipation and the comfort that comes from working in the past on this world rich with intelligent life forms. Rocannon's work results in a series of adventures both involved and taxing in which he learns the meaning of knowing too much about events to come, caring too much about the “locals,” and fearing too much about being left marooned in the midst of indigenous peoples who suddenly turn from benevolent to belligerent. Similar in many ways to some of the away and shore party missions of the Trekiverse, Rocannon experiences first hand his own response to Trek's Kobayashi Maru test, with undesirable results in most respects. While he might expect help from home, faster than light technology cannot transport living beings and expect them to live over the experience. While ansible (a special transmitter) communication is instantaneous, it is an 8 year, one-way trip to rescue Rocannon. As the title implies, the world bears his name as recognition for his service and sacrifice for the peoples of “his” world. I finished Rocannon's World on August 22, 2015.Book 2 -- Planet of Exile -- the longer versionImagine. . .you are the leader of a colony of spacefarers who have been placed on a planet that Is specifically proscribed as far as the use of your superior technology. In fact, you are being exiled here never again to return to your former existence. The level of civilization is early medieval Europe at the best, and barely above cave men at the worst. There are indigenous high-intelligence life forms (HILFs) and indigenous predatory lifeforms as well. You can keep only the technology that is not under sanction by the accords of the League of Worlds. In short you have been exiled to a world many centuries of time behind in technological prowess. You must adapt or die. This is the setting for Ursula K. Le Guin's Planet of Exile.There are three diverse groups that appear in Planet of Exile, the Tevarans, the farborn (exiles), and the Gaal. The Tevarans have an early medieval lifestyle where management of community farms and herds of animals is the primary means of existence. They have some specialists in some of the societal arts, but for the most part it is primarily an agrarian community who have banded together for mutual protection and support. The farborn are exiles from the League of Worlds and the Ekumen (although the term is never used in the book), the basic elements of the Hainish Cycle appear early and often. Mindspeech is a form of telepathic communication that the farborn use with frequency and with almost everyone and everything, at least those that can understand. The name of the farborn leader is Jakob Agat Alterra. The use of the name “Alterra” to refer to the “farborns” is also an indication of Hainish or League of Worlds involvement with the “farborns.” The invading Gaal are beings that inhabit the northern areas of the planet. The problem with their location for living is that for half of the orbit of the planet, the northern reaches are uninhabitable due to the storms and incredibly cold conditions. In addition to the migration, the Gaal also forage as they migrate taking the harvests and herds of others for their own use leaving desolation and carcasses in their wake, and leaving any survivors ill equipped and under fed to stand up to the fierce winter ahead, resulting in starvation and death for the weak, ill, or injured. There are loose connections between the books' groups into the Hainish Cycle the explorers/colonizers called the Starlords in Rocannon's World are the farborn in this work Same general idea, just a different way of saying it owing to the lower level of technology on Planet of Exile rather than Rocannon's World. There are inferences to telepathic communications, referred to as mindspeach in both works. While it proves useful in both situations, Planet of Exile shows it in action in several scenes. This increasing of the knowledge and capabilities of indigenous societies to be taught these techniques is a common thread at least through the first three books of the series. The introduction of forested worlds also appears to be a common thread with later books allude to forested planets such as in the title of Hainish Cycle # 6 The Word for World is Forest.Although Ms. Le Guin claims there is no Hainish Cycle, per se, it has still become a de facto series in the eyes of some sci-fi groups and book groups, as well as a large following of her fans. The Hain and their League of Worlds bring a relatively innocuous group of explorers to a planet first using remote sensing to gather as much information from orbit as possible. The explorers followed by small reconnaissance teams (usually only one person or possibly two) who come down to look and learn first hand from the highly intelligent life forms (HILFs or hilfs) about their customs, culture, and level of technological sophistication. Their actions are similar to those used by the United Federation of Planets (the Federation) familiar to those who have watched any of the films or television series in the Star Trek franchise. Adherence to their “Prime Directive” of non-interference in more primitive cultures is similar to the League of Worlds mandate of no technology on a planet more advanced than the existing culture knows and uses on its own volition and initiative. So what does all this mean?It means that technology in its various forms can provide the means and the impetus for a civilization to reach for the stars, destroy itself, or maybe a bit of both. On Earth, the both has taken us to the brink of the catastrophe of World War III on several occasions, to all the planets of our star system and beyond, to the depths of the oceans on our planet, and to the surfaces of the inner rocky planets as well as comets and some asteroids. In the case of the Hain and the League of Worlds, it seems to have taken them to the edge of destruction and quite possibly through it. As the Planet of Exile ends, we see the victors emerge into a new world. A world that in many ways is not like the old one, and in some ways it is more barren than any world has ever been before.Recommendations? Well, the nicest part about reading work by Ms. Le Guin is the fact that you do not have to wade through a morass of profanity, depravity, horror, or anything that is questionable. There may be a scene or two of adults being adults, but nothing is ever overt. Her writing style emphasizes the beauty of existence, the wonder of the human condition, and the optimism that we will be alright in the end. If a reader can handle her vocabulary, they can read this book with very little difficulty. Its story is one of overcoming evil in whatever form it might take, survival in the worst conditions imaginable, and ingenuity that is the hallmark of men and women everywhere. I give it a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars in rating. I finished this book on August 30, 2015.Book 3 – City of Illusions -- the longer versionYou find yourself emerging from darkness and unconsciousness into a world of light, trees, and lifeforms. You can’t remember your name, how you got here, and what was in the past. All you know is you are here as a blank slate of a person, a true Homo tabula rasa. This is condition the antagonist of Ursula K. Le Guin’s City of Illusions finds himself. He has total amnesia, no home, no companions, no food, no water, and very little hope. He is befriended by the indigenous population who teach him the ways of the forest, the companionship of the hearth, and the beginnings of to whom he is indebted for his survival and continued existence. The new friends name him Falk and a young girl named Parth helps to train him in things academic of sorts, while Jove helps him learn skills along with others who teach him a form of fieldcraft suitable for survival from the land. In the teachings, Falk learns of a city called Es Toch, and he discovers that others similar to himself may be found there.The majority of the first half of the book covers Falk’s trek to the west to find Es Toch. As he travels he has been given a laser gun which were considered essential to use in the survival training he had. He also learned how to construct shelter from available materials at hand. He encounters more primitive cultures and equivalent cultures in technology but far more primitive in social graces as well. Falk eventually meets up with a Wanderer and Estrel, a girl with a keen sense of survival as well as how to deal with an individual like Falk. They share the journey west together, becoming closer as the miles and time pass. In their travels that cross through the Kansas Enclave, Mzurra Clan, and Basnasskan Tribe.They eventually make it to Es Toch, and the reception is far from friendly. Torture, both mental and physical, are the norm from the beginning of their time there. Falk and Estrel are separated early and are never really re-united in any true sense of the word. For reasons beyond understanding, after the torture and mistreatment, Falk is eventually accepted with what amounts to open arms. The individuals are now accommodating and pleasant. He is given food, water, clothing, a private room, and basically what amounts to a “vacation” of sorts, all alone. He is introduced to a person quite similar to himself in physical characteristics (eyes, skin color, etc.) but several years younger. This child, Har Orry, calls him Prech Ramarren, a type of honorific resulting in Orry treating him with much respect and honor. Falk takes this situation in stride, but a bit taken aback as the attitude toward his presence appears to have been totally changed, admittedly for the better, but still inexplicably changed.As the story progresses, Falk discovers that he is indeed one of two survivors of a space vessel that crash landed on the planet. The other is the boy Har Orry. Falk realizes also that he is truly Prech Ramarren as Orry has said from the beginning of their time together. They also discover that the planet beneath their feet is Earth, the planet that Ramarren, the crew of the ship, Alterra, and its passengers were part of an exploration expedition that was shot from the sky by an invading alien race called the Shing. Not only that, but in Chapter 7, the entire first two books of the compendium are summarized into a cohesive lead-in to the current read. So what are the connections? What do the citizen of Es Toch expect from Ramarren? What do they expect from Ramarren? Are the Shing involved in some way? You will need to read the book for the answer to these and many more questions.Highly recommended, City of Illusions is fully deserving of my 5 stars as well. If anything brings the first three books together to beg to be called a series or cycle, it is Chapter 7 of this work. It clearly sums up the works as part and parcel of a unified exploration by a group called the League of Worlds who share common philosophy, common threats, and a diverse but similar (up to a point) biology. A fitting culmination to a great first three books of the “Hainish cycle.” I finished this book on September 9, 2015.As a total compendium, Worlds of Exile and Illusion by Ursula K. Le Guin provides an excellent way to “get one's feet wet” in the Hainish works of Ms. Le Guin. Her writing style is unmatched in its serenity, beauty, and clarity. It is at one time calm, and the next deadly, then switching to surprising, and her transitions from scene to scene are so well developed, you cannot help but marvel at how things can move and resolve in the ways that they do. It is truly her artistry and her talent that allows the fortunate reader to be transported by her work to the worlds of exile and illusion. The only question left to ask is “what is reality and how can that be?” Remarkable talent, superior writer, and consummate story teller, this is a one-=cover trilogy that really delivers!! Strong recommendation for any and all readers old enough to understand the vocabulary. Trust me – it will be a sweet read!!! Review of Ursula K. Le Guin's Rocannon's World (Hainish Cycle # 1) by Richard W. Buro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Based on a work at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16052381-worlds-of-exile-and-illusion.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.tor.com. Review of Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin by Richard Buro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Based on a work at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201882.Planet_of_Exile.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.tor.com. Review of City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin by Richard Buro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Based on a work at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16052381-worlds-of-exile-and-illusion.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at
I know it's a crime that I've never read any Ursula K. Le Guin, and I also know that none of the three books contained in this omnibus are considered her finest work, up to the level of her well-known classics, but I was still happy to receive it as a gift so I could finally see what all the fuss was about.Rocannon's World is an interesting hybrid of science fiction and fantasy, taking a very traditional high fantasy setting and presenting it through the lens of an ethnologist (Rocannon), who views the creatures as alien species. The combination of spaceships and dwarves causes more cognitive dissonance than I hoped, largely because of Le Guin's dense prose that leans more toward summary than scene and rarely explains what's going on. In fact, I almost never had any idea what was going on or what the actual plot was or what Rocannon's character arc was supposed to be as he went through the motions of a typical fantasy adventure. The fantasy elements were so generic and familiar; it was the science fiction elements that interested me. This is the book that coined "ansible," for crying out loud! I love the ansibles in the Enderverse! I didn’t realize Le Guin created them! But I never cared about the story at all and in the end it kind of felt like a White Savior narrative, which left a bad taste in my mouth.Planet of Exile causes less cognitive dissonance since it doesn’t use so many high fantasy tropes, even though it feels like the climax of A Song of Ice and Fire in that it's about putting aside the conflict between two realms to focus on fighting off a common invading force. Le Guin again provides a neat perspective, as the two main races are the native humans of the planet and the "farborn" aliens...who are also basically humans as far as I can tell. But darker. And with telepathy. Each one considers the other, well, Other, which provides some unspoken racial commentary. At the center is a star-crossed romance, and also lots of battles. The plot is a bit easier to follow here, and the characters feel like characters and not walking archetypes. I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this one; again, Le Guin's science fiction concepts and ideas are really interesting. Out of the three books, it's the shortest and most satisfying. Strangely enough, this story also seemed to end up being about a man finding a sense of belonging in a foreign land.City of Illusions begins with a family who discovers a mysterious stranger with catlike eyes and no memory of who he is. The family is completely irrelevant, however, as the story focuses on the man, Falk, who goes in search of his true identity. It's a typical quest narrative, complete with quaint forest folk and talking animals...except this is the first book in the series that takes place on Earth. A lot has changed on Earth, it seems. Like Rocannon's World, it feels like fantasy disguised as science fiction, and it's similarly meandering and kind of boring. But halfway through the book, Falk reaches his destination, and he finds out what happened to him, and there are Big Reveals—that connect this book to Planet of Exile in a very cool way, making it a real treat to have read these books together—and it becomes All Science Fiction All the Time, telling a story about intergalactic civilizations, the evolution of humanity, and personal identity. There are more plot twists in the second half of this book than in all three books combined. Shame about that incredibly dull first half.It's clear Ursula K. Le Guin is incredible at worldbuilding; I loved that the three books were set in the same world, but in very different times and locations. And the hard sci-fi is great. But I felt like the compelling ideas about humanity, aliens, colonialism, and the like were buried under less than engaging characters and plots. It was rare that I felt an actual urge to continue reading. Part of it is that Le Guin throws so much information at the reader without bothering to explain; part of it is that so much is summarized that the prose becomes incredibly dense.If I didn't know that the true classics awaited me, this book wouldn't have me rushing out to read more Le Guin, as I'm not sure her style works for me. But the classics are classics for a reason, I presume, and I hope they're more accessible.
What do You think about Worlds Of Exile And Illusion: Rocannon's World, Planet Of Exile, City Of Illusions (1996)?
The short version first . . .Ursula K. Le Guin is one of today's most famous living science fiction/fantasy authors. The titles of her works are frequently in contention for if not announced as winners of the coveted Hugo and Nebula Awards for Excellence in Science Fiction. Her writing consistently reflects her adherence to the cutting edge of the hard sciences, so her works are imminently believable as well as plausible. Her fans and critics have named a group of her works as “The Hainish Cycle,” something which Ms. Le Guin refutes consistently. Goodreads profile of the Hainish Cycle or Saga or series quotes Ms. Le Guin specifically saying, “People write me nice letters asking what order they ought to read my science fiction books in — the ones that are called the Hainish or Ekumen cycle or saga or something. The thing is, they aren't a cycle or a saga. They do not form a coherent history. There are some clear connections among them, yes, but also some extremely murky ones. And some great discontinuities..." > Regardless of its correct “status,” there are currently 10 primary of 16 total works related in some degree to the Hainish or the Ekumen, a governance body of the Hainish explorations. The three books compiled to create Worlds of Exile and Illusion are considered to be both the beginning of the Hainish Cycle as well as some of the initial works regarded by many as Ms. Le Guin's groundbreaking initial contributions in the field of science fiction. The titles included in the compilation are Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, and City of Illusion. Next, let's look at each of these works individually and then how they carry the markers for the Hainish.In Rocannon's World, the reader will find a small reconnaissance team from the “benevolent” side (the Hain) in an ongoing conflict between two interstellar civilizations exploring planets for their possible use for colonization and for basing construction privileges. The Hain sent a small team who selected one member Rocannon, who (in the past) worked as an ethnologist on the planet under investigation. Rocannon approaches the mission with anticipation and the comfort that comes from working in the past on this world rich with intelligent life forms. Rocannon's work results in a series of adventures both involved and taxing in which he learns the meaning of knowing too much about events to come, caring too much about the “locals,” and fearing too much about being left marooned in the midst of indigenous peoples who suddenly turn from benevolent to belligerent. Similar in many ways to some of the away and shore party missions of the Trekiverse, Rocannon experiences first hand his own response to Trek's Kobayashi Maru test, with undesirable results in most respects. While he might expect help from home, faster than light technology cannot transport living beings and expect them to live over the experience. While ansible (a special transmitter) communication is instantaneous, it is an 8 year, one-way trip to rescue Rocannon. As the title implies, the world bears his name as recognition for his service and sacrifice for the peoples of “his” world. I finished Rocannon's World on August 22, 2015.The short version first . . .Imagine. . .you are the leader of a colony of spacefarers who have been placed on a planet that Is specifically proscribed as far as the use of your superior technology. In fact, you are being exiled here never again to return to your former existence. The level of civilization is early medieval Europe at the best, and barely above cave men at the worst. There are indigenous high-intelligence life forms (HILFs) and indigenous predatory lifeforms as well. You can keep only the technology that is not under sanction by the accords of the League of Worlds. In short you have been exiled to a world many centuries of time behind in technological prowess. You must adapt or die. This is the setting for Ursula K. Le Guin's Planet of Exile.There are three diverse groups that appear in Planet of Exile, the Tevarans, the farborn (exiles), and the Gaal. The Tevarans have an early medieval lifestyle where management of community farms and herds of animals is the primary means of existence. They have some specialists in some of the societal arts, but for the most part it is primarily an agrarian community who have banded together for mutual protection and support. The farborn are exiles from the League of Worlds and the Ekumen (although the term is never used in the book). The use of mindspeech is a tell-tale signature for members of the Ekumen or the Hain and is one of the basic elements of the Hainish Cycle which appear early and often. For example, the use of the name “Alterra” to refer to the “farborns” is also an indication of Hainish or League of Worlds involvement with the “farborns” as is the presence of their “city” of Landin and its the black obelisk-like structure (the Stack) on the beach that serves as a refuge of last resort for the “farborns.” The invading Gaal are beings that inhabit the northern areas of the planet. The Gaal migrate south at the beginning of winter similar several animal species on Earth. The migration usually is not as vast nor as concentrated as it becomes this time. In addition to the migration, the Gaal also forage as they migrate, taking the harvests and herds of others for their own use leaving desolation and carcasses in their wake, leaving mostly the dead with any survivors ill equipped and under fed to stand up to the fierce winter ahead. As we can see, the Gaals are not welcomed anywhere in the Northern Reaches.There are loose connections between the books' groups into the Hainish Cycle the explorers/colonizers called the Starlords in Rocannon's World are the farborn in this work Same general idea, just a different way of saying it owing to the lower level of technology on Planet of Exile rather than Rocannon's World. There are inferences to telepathic communications, referred to as mindspeach in both works. While it proves useful in both situations, Planet of Exile shows it in action in several scenes. This increasing of the knowledge and capabilities of indigenous societies to be taught these techniques is a common thread at least through the first three books of the series.Although Ms. Le Guin claims there is no Hainish Cycle, per-se, it has still become a de=facto series in the eyes of some sci-fi groups and book groups, as well as a large following of her fans. As the Planet of Exile ends, the aftermath of the aggressive migration results in a world that it is more barren than any world has ever been before.Recommendations? Well, the nicest part about reading work by Ms. Le Guin is her writing style which emphasizes the beauty of existence, the wonder of the human condition, and the optimism that we will be alright in the end. If a reader can handle her vocabulary, they can read this book with very little difficulty. Its story is one of overcoming evil in whatever form it might take, survival in the worst conditions imaginable, and ingenuity that is a hallmark of men and women everywhere. I give it a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars in rating, and if more were available, I would rate it as high as possible. Ms. Le Guin is a masterful story teller who writes with economy, elan, and panache. She develops her characters beautifully, and writing style is one of the elemental, the ethereal, wonder and amazement. She knows just how to grab you and pull you into the story. And when she lets you go at the end, you don't want it to be the end. You want more beyond the book, and you can't wait to read some more of her marvelous work again. Truly deserving of the many awards and accolades she has received, Ms. Le Guin is one author of whom you will never tire and with whom you will learn all the mystical magic that is our universe. I finished Planet of Exile on August 31, 2015.The review of City of Illusion will follow as the reading for each is completed.As a total compendium, Worlds of Exile and Illusion by Ursula K. Le Guin provides an excellent way to “get one's feet wet” in the Hainish works of Ms. Le Guin. Her writing style is unmatched in its serenity, beauty, and clarity. It is at one time calm, and the next deadly, then switching to surprising, and her transitions from scene to scene are so well developed, you cannot help but marvel at how things can move and resolve in the ways that they do. It is truly her artistry and her talent that allows the fortunate reader to be transported by her work to the worlds of exile and illusion. The only question left to ask is “what is reality and how can that be?” Remarkable talent, superior writer, and consummate story teller, this is a one-=cover trilogy that really delivers!! Strong recommendation for any and all readers old enough to understand the vocabulary. Trust me – it will be a sweet read!!! Review of Ursula K. Le Guin's Rocannon's World (Hainish Cycle # 1) by Richard W. Buro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Based on a work at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16052381-worlds-of-exile-and-illusion.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.tor.com. Review of Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin by Richard Buro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Based on a work at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201882.Planet_of_Exile.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.tor.com.
—Richard Buro
I liked each novel in this volume better than the last, which is how it should be. About that one, City of Illusions, it felt as much like a mystery novel as science fiction, insofar as the main character spends the duration of the plot trying to find his lost identity through the titular illusions. That being said, I had the same sense of foreboding I always get when I read a mystery: the choices the author makes in wrapping this up are going to determine, retrospectively, how I felt about the experience of reading everything leading up to that ending. This one didn't disappoint, and frankly, I really liked how all three of these stories ended.
—Lucas
Just finished the first of these, Rocannon's World, and enjoyed it a great deal. This is very early LeGuin, and her powers, while evident, are not yet fully developed here. It's rather interesting the number of different societies she sites on this single world, with multiple intelligent building and technology-using species. In many ways it's much more a typical or even formula science fiction story than her usual. But still you can hear her sparse poetic voice, her simple language that goes straight to the heart and spirit, and the power of her words. She was showing us then what she would become, a master writer, adept, wizard, mage. She has the sort of deep and simple wisdom that the earth has, or the water, just a pure and powerful presence that shines through behind and despite, even, the words. All her work comes highly recommended from me. I've started the second novel, Planet of Exile, already.(Later) Planet of Exile is better than the first novel. It was a page turner. Not sure when this was originally published, but it must be an early work of hers because the language is the old sexist language that used to be standard until the 1970s or 80s. She uses "man" for "human" and so on. All the leaders of both societies shown are male. In many ways this is pre-gender-awakened UKL. She did have a great female viewpoint character who was very strong and definite in her choices and actions. I liked her a great deal. We can also see the beginnings of UKL's later moral complexity. Her characters are thoughtful but very much people of their time and place. However, the badguys aren't really shown at all. They aren't given any real humanity in the book, or not that any of her viewpoint characters are exposed to. They are rather like orcs, attacking in huge numbers and pretty easy to kill. This changes later in UKL's work, as pretty much all the characters are shown as real people, and even given sympathetic viewpoints which are nevertheless in conflict with the main characters. That is a hallmark of her later work, I think. In this one there's still a feeling of being more of a standard, normal work of science fiction. Her palpable sense of reality is starting to develop here, and her ability to show nuanced emotions and make us really feel them is still in nascent form. The love story in this one is nice, but not as organic and convincing as her love stories usually are. She's at the early stages, here, of learning how to say so much so powerfully without using words, as she does later. Between the first and second novel in this book, I also reread the Annals of the Western Shore trilogy and loved it. UKL continues to develop as a writer, getting better and better with time. Now on to novel 3 in this book, which is called City of Illusions.(later still) Just finished the last one, City of Illusions, and here she's getting to be a very good writer. I really couldn't put it down from the first to the end. Within the first page I already cared about the viewpoint character, and his family, the group with which he shared a home. By the way, these novels were written in the 1960s, so that explains the jarring sexism that runs through them, even though, obviously, written by a woman. The main characters are mostly male, the actors and do-ers, the ones we identify with. The women are strangely passive throughout, with a few notable exceptions. Hard to believe things can change so profoundly about our worldview in a few decades, and what an enormous relief it is to see how much better things have become in that time.UKL's made up words have always sounded to me not at all made up. They're like Tolkien's words. They're part of the fabric of the world she's telling about, discovered and not invented. In this story, though, while there are many of the organic, realistic names and words, a few strike me as odd and made-up-sounding. There's also a false note of cheeziness introduced by the reference to the Tao Te Ching, all that far in the future long after the fall of any civilization we know. This brought to mind, hilariously, Captain Kirk reciting the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in the year 26 hundred whatever, apparently a cherished document of Federation history. UKL is a philosophical Taoist, of course, and it's rather sweet that she invokes its central text, but also somewhat of a false note to my ear. The more experienced UKL who wrote the Earthsea books never hit any notes that didn't ring completely clear to me. So it's rather neat to see her development. Though I seem to be finding a lot to complain about here, that's deceptive. I loved this third novel, and on the basis of it I believe I'll raise my rating another star. The things that matter most she gets exactly right here. An uncanny ability to make me care about a character within the first couple of pages of the story, and a narrative that has depth, originality, variety, and great interest. Definitely recommended for fans of UKL, and for science fiction fans in general! This is a fascinating read.
—Tatiana
