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lexie___'s review against another edition
3.0
What is hard is to keep alive on a world you don’t belong to.
centaurea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
anotherpath's review against another edition
2.0
Another barbarian tale with even less of the cosmic backdrop that this series is supposed to be about. It was quite uninteresting.
matkin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kerstincullen's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this one more than Rocannon's world. There are some very sexist characters, but I felt like Le Guin was exploring how racism and sexism are intertwined.
lilyevangeline's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this one much more than Rocannon's World, perhaps because it felt much less...ridiculous? outlandish? I guess it didn't ask me to put up with quite as much, while at the same time giving me more characters I felt connected with. Plus I felt I could see a bit more clearly in this book some of the beginnings of things about Le Guin's writings and characters that I love.
I'm coming to really appreciate the universe of these books, and the idea of thousands of planets, with different cultures and stages of civilization, then coming into contact with those who travel between the worlds. I'm sure it's nothing new to sci-fi, but I appreciate her focus not on this great intergalactic force and the fate of the universe and some war that appears to be going on out there, all the while, but instead on this planet, and the fate of these people, in their battles against the raiders, against the winter.
I'm beginning to find some themes connecting at least this book and the last, especially that of finding and creating a home on a planet not your own, and how fighting for a people makes them your own, and the strength and loss of cultures merging. The power of choice to cascade outward and create a vast web of consequence--not only the choice to loud action, but quiet, wordless choice to inaction.
I'm coming to really appreciate the universe of these books, and the idea of thousands of planets, with different cultures and stages of civilization, then coming into contact with those who travel between the worlds. I'm sure it's nothing new to sci-fi, but I appreciate her focus not on this great intergalactic force and the fate of the universe and some war that appears to be going on out there, all the while, but instead on this planet, and the fate of these people, in their battles against the raiders, against the winter.
I'm beginning to find some themes connecting at least this book and the last, especially that of finding and creating a home on a planet not your own, and how fighting for a people makes them your own, and the strength and loss of cultures merging. The power of choice to cascade outward and create a vast web of consequence--not only the choice to loud action, but quiet, wordless choice to inaction.
qalminator's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, though I liked both Rocannon's World and City of Lies better. I have to admit that certain details in City of Lies would have made more sense, had I read this one first, but those details are really only hinted at here.
This is the first of the Hainish Cycle books I've read to not have a huge trek across a wilderness in it, at least by any of the MCs. Not complaining, just mildly surprised. Still, the Gaal made a rather huge trek; they just weren't POV characters.
As for the narration, it was ... okay. Nothing particularly special, but no egregious problems, either. I am pretty much neutral to the two narrators at this point.
This is the first of the Hainish Cycle books I've read to not have a huge trek across a wilderness in it, at least by any of the MCs. Not complaining, just mildly surprised. Still, the Gaal made a rather huge trek; they just weren't POV characters.
As for the narration, it was ... okay. Nothing particularly special, but no egregious problems, either. I am pretty much neutral to the two narrators at this point.
tzurky's review against another edition
3.0
It’s not you, it’s me. Specifically, it’s me being annoyed at getting an interesting story about two civilizations with extreme differences in technology and mores coexisting which… is embedded in a love story. Because this was the early days and every sci fi book needed a romance to sell or something. And not just any kind of romance, but a wonderful combination of the love at first sight and the “born sexy yesterday” (or near enough that I really felt like barfing throughout). Our charming middle-aged hero from the advanced civilization falls hopelessly in love with the 20-year-old girl whose people are stuck in the Stone Age in a highly hierarchical and patriarchal polygamous society. But there is an insurmountable obstacle: they can’t reproduce because of genetic differences! Goodness, what will they do now?
So yes, instead of spending more time analyzing the core issue of a small remnant of an advanced colony and the dilemma of how they would deal with their twilight years in a hostile world, I get to read about this swell dude, leader of his people, risking everyone’s lives for a quickie. Boy what a hero!
It’s still a Le Guin though. She manages to craft an unforgettable planet with extremely long seasonal cycles and not one but two highly detailed civilizations. They’re rendered so well that I still haven’t gotten over how much I fucking hate everything about the girl’s civilization. And reading about the maudlin last years of the once great space farers was extremely moving. I empathized a lot.
But still. Love at first sight and all. If you’re wondering whether to skip it or not, I wouldn’t. It’s wonderfully redeemed in the next story, which is a sequel of sorts and offers fascinating glimpses into the aftermath of that quickie. Also: this is the world where GoT takes place, obviously, given that the seasons run just about the same length. In fact “winter is coming” might be an apt subtitle for this story.
So yes, instead of spending more time analyzing the core issue of a small remnant of an advanced colony and the dilemma of how they would deal with their twilight years in a hostile world, I get to read about this swell dude, leader of his people, risking everyone’s lives for a quickie. Boy what a hero!
It’s still a Le Guin though. She manages to craft an unforgettable planet with extremely long seasonal cycles and not one but two highly detailed civilizations. They’re rendered so well that I still haven’t gotten over how much I fucking hate everything about the girl’s civilization. And reading about the maudlin last years of the once great space farers was extremely moving. I empathized a lot.
But still. Love at first sight and all. If you’re wondering whether to skip it or not, I wouldn’t. It’s wonderfully redeemed in the next story, which is a sequel of sorts and offers fascinating glimpses into the aftermath of that quickie. Also: this is the world where GoT takes place, obviously, given that the seasons run just about the same length. In fact “winter is coming” might be an apt subtitle for this story.
gwenhwyfar's review against another edition
5.0
This was a vast improvement on Rocannon's World. The looming threat of the Gaal. The looming threat of five thousand days of winter. Betrayal. Love. Siege. Death. Snow. Survival. The quiet, reflecting pauses, and moments of sudden violence and panic. Ursula K Le Guin spins one hell of a yarn.