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david611's review against another edition
4.0
Average rating: 3.87
Eight short stories, good ones. While two of them were a reread for me (both Amazing: [b:Vaster Than Empires and More Slow|6337247|Vaster Than Empires and More Slow|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371024138s/6337247.jpg|6523125] and [b:Direction of the Road|22174641|Direction of the Road|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|41521644]), the others were nice and it seems they all need a re-read at some point to grasp the deep essences underlying them. All of them have a philosophical bent somewhere, which is something Le Guin is well-known for.
This was my third book-read of her short story compilations and yet still, I have to confess, I haven't been able to understand some of her short stories completely as one should. There is something much deeper to look out for in these ! :)
Eight short stories, good ones. While two of them were a reread for me (both Amazing: [b:Vaster Than Empires and More Slow|6337247|Vaster Than Empires and More Slow|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371024138s/6337247.jpg|6523125] and [b:Direction of the Road|22174641|Direction of the Road|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|41521644]), the others were nice and it seems they all need a re-read at some point to grasp the deep essences underlying them. All of them have a philosophical bent somewhere, which is something Le Guin is well-known for.
This was my third book-read of her short story compilations and yet still, I have to confess, I haven't been able to understand some of her short stories completely as one should. There is something much deeper to look out for in these ! :)
nobodyatall's review against another edition
4.0
There is a Hugo winner and a Nebula winner included in this collection, they're the last two stories and I was really looking forward to getting to them. To be honest though, I think they were the weakest in the collection, still good, but not the best. Makes me wonder what else was on the shortlists throughout the 60s & 70s. Apparently I have a lot more books to read!
This is a great collection of stories demonstrating the breadth and depth of Le Guin's talent. They're all introduced by the author with a few paragraphs about them which was really interesting.
This is a great collection of stories demonstrating the breadth and depth of Le Guin's talent. They're all introduced by the author with a few paragraphs about them which was really interesting.
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
If they wish to see death visibly in the world, that is their business, not mine. I will not act Eternity for them. Let them not turn to trees for death. If that is what they want to see, let them look into one another's eyes and see it there. (from "Direction of the Road")
Ursula K. Le Guin is more than a science fiction writer. Yes, her stories have won Hugo and Nebula awards, but she is also the recipient of a number of literary prizes including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, and the Pushcart Prize. Her complete collection, The Wind's Twelve Quarters (1975), includes "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" which won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1974. Her collection includes introductions to each piece, which describe her experiences and inspirations which influenced each story. I particularly like her introduction to "Omelas" which tells us that the name was inspired by seeing "Salem, Oregon" backwards in her rear view mirror. "[… People ask me] 'Where do you get your ideas from, Ms. Le Guin?' From forgetting Dostoyevsky and reading road signs backwards, naturally. Where else?"
The particular edition I read is The Wind's Twelve Quarters, Vol. 2. It contains eight of the seventeen stories found in the hardback edition. Apparently Granada Publishing wanted to get as much out of the property as they could and divided the paperback edition into two volumes. These stories explore everything from human values and emotions to basic survival to explorations of outer space and the inner man. Le Guin's work is, on the whole, lyrical and provocative. She is hard to classify. Her stories are more speculative than science, though she does use science to advantage when needed.
If all of the stories were as stunning as "The Stars Below," "Direction of the Road," and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" then this would be a five-star book, no question. "Vaster than Empires and More Slow" and "Field of Vision" are also quite good, though not (for me) as affecting. Many readers also cite "The Day Before the Revolution"--but I found it (even as a short story) long and my attention was easily distracted. I couldn't put the book down on any of the previously mentioned stories. ★★★ and a half for the entire collection.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Ursula K. Le Guin is more than a science fiction writer. Yes, her stories have won Hugo and Nebula awards, but she is also the recipient of a number of literary prizes including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, and the Pushcart Prize. Her complete collection, The Wind's Twelve Quarters (1975), includes "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" which won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1974. Her collection includes introductions to each piece, which describe her experiences and inspirations which influenced each story. I particularly like her introduction to "Omelas" which tells us that the name was inspired by seeing "Salem, Oregon" backwards in her rear view mirror. "[… People ask me] 'Where do you get your ideas from, Ms. Le Guin?' From forgetting Dostoyevsky and reading road signs backwards, naturally. Where else?"
The particular edition I read is The Wind's Twelve Quarters, Vol. 2. It contains eight of the seventeen stories found in the hardback edition. Apparently Granada Publishing wanted to get as much out of the property as they could and divided the paperback edition into two volumes. These stories explore everything from human values and emotions to basic survival to explorations of outer space and the inner man. Le Guin's work is, on the whole, lyrical and provocative. She is hard to classify. Her stories are more speculative than science, though she does use science to advantage when needed.
If all of the stories were as stunning as "The Stars Below," "Direction of the Road," and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" then this would be a five-star book, no question. "Vaster than Empires and More Slow" and "Field of Vision" are also quite good, though not (for me) as affecting. Many readers also cite "The Day Before the Revolution"--but I found it (even as a short story) long and my attention was easily distracted. I couldn't put the book down on any of the previously mentioned stories. ★★★ and a half for the entire collection.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
lukaseichmann's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
zerocredibility's review
4.0
Favourite stories: "Things", "The Stars Below" and "The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas".
lordofthemoon's review
4.0
This was a solid collection of fairly early(ish) stories from one of the greats of SF, one who did a lot to show that it could be more than pulp and could be real literature. Here, we have stories like Things, which has one man refusing to acknowledge the End of Things; The Stars Below about an early scientist who runs afoul of the religious authorities of his age and finds shelter in a worked-out mine; and, of course, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, possibly one of the most famous SF short stories. Hauntingly beautiful, we're led from the description of a happy, prosperous city, step by step to the dark secret that underpins it all.
In amongst these beautiful pieces, there are more journeyman works. Vaster Than Empires and More Slow has a great premise and tackles interesting issues, but the psychological analyses are of its time. The Field of Vision is another very interesting story but I must confess that it rather lost me by the end. The Day Before the Revolution is a prequel to [b: The Dispossessed|13651|The Dispossessed|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353467455s/13651.jpg|2684122], telling the story of Laia Odo, one of the key figures in the society of the novel. There's also space for some more fun work. Direction of the Road is a humorous piece that I've read before and enjoyed every time. The only real misfire for me in this collection was A Trip to the Head, which seems to have themes of memory and identity, or maybe just drugs, I really wasn't sure.
In amongst these beautiful pieces, there are more journeyman works. Vaster Than Empires and More Slow has a great premise and tackles interesting issues, but the psychological analyses are of its time. The Field of Vision is another very interesting story but I must confess that it rather lost me by the end. The Day Before the Revolution is a prequel to [b: The Dispossessed|13651|The Dispossessed|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353467455s/13651.jpg|2684122], telling the story of Laia Odo, one of the key figures in the society of the novel. There's also space for some more fun work. Direction of the Road is a humorous piece that I've read before and enjoyed every time. The only real misfire for me in this collection was A Trip to the Head, which seems to have themes of memory and identity, or maybe just drugs, I really wasn't sure.
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