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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I cannot express how much I appreciate Ursula K. Le Guin and her immense contributions to science fiction. So don't expect too much critique from me, even if her early habit of highlighting women in the early stretches of books seems to fall in the backseat of narratives that end up focusing on male protagonists. You work with what you have, and science fiction at the time wasn't very diverse or hospitable in many ways. To my mind, Le Guin helped to change all that.
What's Planet of Exile? A story of the long winter coming and threatening waves of northern invaders sweeping aside the remnants of societies both ancient and modern. That this draws from old myths of Pictish incursions in England as much as it pre-empts George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire is simply to be expected. More compellingly, Le Guin continues to develop her hypothesis of the powers of communication in and across cultures and worlds, while she toys with the siege genre. It's a fascinating mixture and her touch is always sophisticated.
There's much here for almost any reader, but I would suggest that others read the Hainish novels in sequence, or at least the first three novels. Le Guin's unfolding tapestry may have been developed on the fly, but in retrospect it looks intriguingly planned and it is exquisitely told.
What's Planet of Exile? A story of the long winter coming and threatening waves of northern invaders sweeping aside the remnants of societies both ancient and modern. That this draws from old myths of Pictish incursions in England as much as it pre-empts George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire is simply to be expected. More compellingly, Le Guin continues to develop her hypothesis of the powers of communication in and across cultures and worlds, while she toys with the siege genre. It's a fascinating mixture and her touch is always sophisticated.
There's much here for almost any reader, but I would suggest that others read the Hainish novels in sequence, or at least the first three novels. Le Guin's unfolding tapestry may have been developed on the fly, but in retrospect it looks intriguingly planned and it is exquisitely told.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such a fascinating story. I was sad when it ended because I wanted to know more!!
Opposing factions united against a common enemy. Classic.
This book got me thinking about storytelling with huge battles - how can you lead up to a climactic battle without sucking the plot dry by the time you get there?
This book was average in that regard: we still felt some emotional connections to new allies and longtime lovers.
We knew war was coming. But like many stories I've read before, the heavy action halted all character growth. I think the Earthsea series overcame this, but the "battles" were smaller scale.
I know there is a way, but I need to seek out more literary examples to articulate what I'm talking about. Stay tuned.
This book got me thinking about storytelling with huge battles - how can you lead up to a climactic battle without sucking the plot dry by the time you get there?
This book was average in that regard: we still felt some emotional connections to new allies and longtime lovers.
We knew war was coming. But like many stories I've read before, the heavy action halted all character growth. I think the Earthsea series overcame this, but the "battles" were smaller scale.
I know there is a way, but I need to seek out more literary examples to articulate what I'm talking about. Stay tuned.
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a tough book to review. The main story is fascinating and brilliant. But I often had a really hard time paying attention because of how dry the language was. I still felt very compelled by most of the story, even if the siege part felt like it dragged on. Overall I’m so glad to have finished, but there’s a reason it took me a handful of tries. I am continuing to get so much out of the Hainish Cycle, and appreciate Ursual Le Guin more and more.
Ok actually here are more of my thoughts: I wonder how this book inspired Game of Thrones. Both are about different people’s who must unite to defeat a common enemy before the unnaturally long Winter comes. This is also the first Ursula book I can remember that really centers on a love story, and also the first to feature a female protagonist. Interesting to see how she writes love, in a dry but still very deep way. I think the center of the story being about two people’s who both see the other as inhuman, then slowly come to realize their mistake through shared struggle, is an incredible compelling idea. I’m fascinated to see how City of Illusions builds on this work as it returns to Earth.
Ok actually here are more of my thoughts: I wonder how this book inspired Game of Thrones. Both are about different people’s who must unite to defeat a common enemy before the unnaturally long Winter comes. This is also the first Ursula book I can remember that really centers on a love story, and also the first to feature a female protagonist. Interesting to see how she writes love, in a dry but still very deep way. I think the center of the story being about two people’s who both see the other as inhuman, then slowly come to realize their mistake through shared struggle, is an incredible compelling idea. I’m fascinated to see how City of Illusions builds on this work as it returns to Earth.
el planteo es muy interesante, el desarrollo del conflicto también, atrapa sobre todo el desarrollo social, el intercambio cultural, hay algo que Úrsula siempre hace bien y es crear sociedades, donde nunca hay un enemigo claro, simplemente personas con distintas formas de vida que suelen chocar entre sí. Dentro de lo que ha escrito no me parece lo mejor, pero igual es lindo leerla. La acción y la perspectiva de Rolery creo que podrían haber sido más profundizadas.
I wasn't expecting this book to be 75% battle sequences and sieges, but I'm not mad! Once again, Le Guin is one of the best to ever do it, argue with a wall.
I can't say this novel in the series entranced me as much as Rocannon's world or Left Hand of Darkness, but it still had a lot of interesting things going on to hold my attention. Le Guin always finds the most interesting moral and social questions about humanity to work into a completely alien world.
I can't say this novel in the series entranced me as much as Rocannon's world or Left Hand of Darkness, but it still had a lot of interesting things going on to hold my attention. Le Guin always finds the most interesting moral and social questions about humanity to work into a completely alien world.
adventurous
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-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:
Yes