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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
I loved the themes raised in this book, as well as the characters, though I found it very difficult to follow for the first half of the book. I may need to read it again to fully appreciate it.
Interesting world-building but lacked an engaging narrative. Felt more like an anthropological exploration than a story per se, though the exploration was insightful and very well-written.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really couldn't get into this until 200 pages in. Hot take: I liked Ring of Swords better.
Found the story itself quite hard to follow with the politics and world building, especially in audio but really enjoyed all of the themes explored and felt emotionally connected to the characters by the end. Loved the character growth etc.
Did not appreciate the really out of left field racial slur in a book about alliances between races etc - how do you do so much that's ahead of your time and still manage to do that idk - product of its time blah blah blah
Did not appreciate the really out of left field racial slur in a book about alliances between races etc - how do you do so much that's ahead of your time and still manage to do that idk - product of its time blah blah blah
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let me first say that Le Guin's writing is beautiful and eloquent. I have read other works by her and have been saving this one to read for over a year because it is beloved by so many people in the speculative fiction space. Many say that the novel is a great discussion of gender roles and I can totally see that it was groundbreaking for when it was published in 1969. It's still a really great discussion in 2025.
I was disappointed by this story and by the characters. Going into it, I didn't realize there were going to be two POVs so that left me confused for a bit. There were also folk tales inserted randomly throughout the book. These folk tales were at varying lengths and I wasn't sure how they fit into the story as it was unfolding. There were so many confusing names for things that this book desperately needed a glossary. In the back of my edition there were names for chronological events like months and days, etc.
I would say if you have liked Le Guin's work, I would give this novel a chance. But just know going into it, that it's not heavy in plot or character development. It's just a story about two individuals on a cold fucking planet learning how to survive. And isn't that what we're all doing anyway?
I was disappointed by this story and by the characters. Going into it, I didn't realize there were going to be two POVs so that left me confused for a bit. There were also folk tales inserted randomly throughout the book. These folk tales were at varying lengths and I wasn't sure how they fit into the story as it was unfolding. There were so many confusing names for things that this book desperately needed a glossary. In the back of my edition there were names for chronological events like months and days, etc.
I would say if you have liked Le Guin's work, I would give this novel a chance. But just know going into it, that it's not heavy in plot or character development. It's just a story about two individuals on a cold fucking planet learning how to survive. And isn't that what we're all doing anyway?
Le Guin sure does love to traverse a liminal space. Beautiful direct writing. Lived-in world-building. Myths and culture and politics and religion. Duality.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated