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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I come back to this book every few years and find more layers in it. This is LeGuin at her best; and incidentally my first LeGuin book.
A whimsical, bizarre and haunting collection of stories that have influenced my thoughts and words since i first read it - it was only on reading certain turns of phrases, certain ideas, that i realised how subtly and pervasively these ideas have crept into my brain.
A whimsical, bizarre and haunting collection of stories that have influenced my thoughts and words since i first read it - it was only on reading certain turns of phrases, certain ideas, that i realised how subtly and pervasively these ideas have crept into my brain.
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The ingenious device of changing planes both literally (at an airport) and metaphorically (from one astral plane to another) provides scope for exploring new worlds. Le Guin’s fertile imagination takes us to vastly different alien environments as her narrator struggles with her translatomat to understand the lives and history of diverse beings. The motif of changing planes provides the link between what are essentially a series of short stories, some more interesting and convincing than others. I particularly liked the ones with bird motifs: the Seasons of the Ansarac tells of the traditional migrations of these beak-endowed peoples and the dire consequences of a break in their routine while the Fliers of Gy suggests that the ability to fly is not an unmixed blessing. While the variety of stories is impressive, not all planes are especially interesting and some, such as Uni, are positively threatening. Yet there are lessons to be learned from each one. Perhaps most striking is The Silence of the Asonu where no one speaks and children stop talking as they mature. The cruel kidnapping of a young child by someone from other plane and their frustration as, contrary to expectations, the child grows silent as she matures, underlines the wrongness of interfering with nature. Similar philosophical points can be drawn from many of the other stories, which makes it worthwhile taking a brief pause to reflect before moving to the next plane.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I love the premise. I just couldn't get into the travelogue/anthropological style.
It was a slog and I didn't really enjoy it...and I feel a bit bad about that.
It was a slog and I didn't really enjoy it...and I feel a bit bad about that.
I'd owned my copy of 'Changing Planes' for years, but had heard mixed reviews, so I put off reading it until now, and I don't know if it was because I my expectations were unusually low for a LeGuin book, but I really loved it. It's a wonderful collection of little stories, both funny, sad and poignant.
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A really unusual and creative book with a funky travel guide format. Very ironic (sometimes funny sometimes painful) at times.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fictional anthropology is such an interesting lens through which to look at our own behaviors and biologies. To her credit, LeGuin does this with finesse - this is a deftly allegorical collection of excursions to other "planes," taking the nameless narrator almost completely out of the story and focusing entirely on the societies and their habits.
Some of these were more interesting to me than others. I read this as more of an exercise for writing in the speculative than anything, and I think it succeeds at doing both that and positing some rather philosophical questions along the way. There's a lot of "What if?" explored here, and it happens fluidly, with a sense of internal movement to each story that kept me turning the pages.
Overall, I felt like this collection was more of a curiosity, like a coffee table book that one could page through at their leisure, and always be guaranteed to find something intriguing. Since the "method" of changing planes in the narrative largely stems from the desire for escapism from boredom, this is a neat little parallel.
I think its value, though, lies in the conversations that one can have with someone else who's read it. This would be an ideal book club selection, due to the incredible breadth of themes and their adjacency to our all-too human lives.
Sidenote: it reminded me quite a bit of [b:The Islanders|10235919|The Islanders|Christopher Priest|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327956608l/10235919._SY75_.jpg|15135900] by Christopher Priest, though that book is a bit more heavily narrative than this one, and far more surreal.
In a way, Changing Planes is the perfect airport book: something to read and digest as you wait for your connecting flight.
Some of these were more interesting to me than others. I read this as more of an exercise for writing in the speculative than anything, and I think it succeeds at doing both that and positing some rather philosophical questions along the way. There's a lot of "What if?" explored here, and it happens fluidly, with a sense of internal movement to each story that kept me turning the pages.
Overall, I felt like this collection was more of a curiosity, like a coffee table book that one could page through at their leisure, and always be guaranteed to find something intriguing. Since the "method" of changing planes in the narrative largely stems from the desire for escapism from boredom, this is a neat little parallel.
I think its value, though, lies in the conversations that one can have with someone else who's read it. This would be an ideal book club selection, due to the incredible breadth of themes and their adjacency to our all-too human lives.
Sidenote: it reminded me quite a bit of [b:The Islanders|10235919|The Islanders|Christopher Priest|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327956608l/10235919._SY75_.jpg|15135900] by Christopher Priest, though that book is a bit more heavily narrative than this one, and far more surreal.
In a way, Changing Planes is the perfect airport book: something to read and digest as you wait for your connecting flight.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing