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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Very interesting to see the early fantasy/sci-fi, but a little hard to get through. More literary than I’m used to
- Characters - 7; diverse and interesting but didn’t get much depth for any
- Atmosphere/Tone - 7; kind of monotone but the despair comes through
- Writing/Style - 6; the prose needs to grow on me a little
- Plot - 7; definitely short story material, only giving the background you need
- Pacing - 7; felt like it jumped around a bit
- Worldbuilding - 9; very cool want to know more
- Relationships - not really applicable
- Enjoyment - 6; unfortunately kind of boring
- Bonus points - 1 bonus point for inspiring so many tropes
Total: 50/7 =7.143
A fun read for Le Guin fans, but it's very clearly a debut novel that shows glimpses of what her interests will develop into without any of her later clarity and polish.
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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 my first real foray into sci-fi, and I started with this book because I really liked the way Le Guin introduced the reader to the world of Ea in the Earthsea series, so I figured I'd have an easier time understanding the worldbuilding in the Hainish stories. As with the Earthsea books, the worldbuilding is done well; the main character, Rocannon, is an outsider to the world who has only an incomplete handbook and a wealth of experience and instinct to aide him. Outside of a couple passages read from his handbook, you learn about the world the same way the character does: by experiencing it and drawing conclusions from his observations.
In the introduction by the author, Le Guin talks about the relationship between fantasy and sci-fi; how sci-fi is an offshoot of fantasy, but they share similar roots, and there's a lot of distinction between them, and even more in common. As someone who has read a good amount of fantasy, and very little sci-fi, I think this is a great introduction to the genre for me because Rocannon and the enemies are both distinctly sci-fi, while the planet the story takes place on feels more like a typical fantasy world.
The overarching story is a pretty simple revenge tale. Rocannon is a researcher on this strange, recently discovered planet (Fomalhaut II) when his team (and ship, which is his only way off the planet and contains his only means of communicating with beings outside the planet) is wiped out by an attack from a strange helicopter. Since the planet is not known to harbor such technology, Rocannon surmises that the attack was carried out by rebel group looking to carve their own empire separate from the League of All Worlds, for whom Rocannon is carrying out the research (not much is said about the League, but I assume it's like the UN of galactic space). He's able to figure out the probably coordinates of their main base on the planet, and sets off with a small crew to exact revenge. It's pretty short and simple, but just as with the Earthsea series, the main draw is the prose and the characters.
Like all her work, the prose in this book is fantastic. I really don't have much more to say because I don't have the words to describe how well she commands the English language. Over the course of the 116 pages, she is constantly able to evoke vivid imagery, humanize the characters through action and dialogue, and philosophize just enough that you're always wanting more— not rolling your eyes wondering when it'll be over.
I got this book as part of a collection of her Hainish stories, and I'm fighting the urge to not start Planet of Exile (the next in the series) right now. I'll try to be strong and wait until tomorrow.
In the introduction by the author, Le Guin talks about the relationship between fantasy and sci-fi; how sci-fi is an offshoot of fantasy, but they share similar roots, and there's a lot of distinction between them, and even more in common. As someone who has read a good amount of fantasy, and very little sci-fi, I think this is a great introduction to the genre for me because Rocannon and the enemies are both distinctly sci-fi, while the planet the story takes place on feels more like a typical fantasy world.
The overarching story is a pretty simple revenge tale. Rocannon is a researcher on this strange, recently discovered planet (Fomalhaut II) when his team (and ship, which is his only way off the planet and contains his only means of communicating with beings outside the planet) is wiped out by an attack from a strange helicopter. Since the planet is not known to harbor such technology, Rocannon surmises that the attack was carried out by rebel group looking to carve their own empire separate from the League of All Worlds, for whom Rocannon is carrying out the research (not much is said about the League, but I assume it's like the UN of galactic space). He's able to figure out the probably coordinates of their main base on the planet, and sets off with a small crew to exact revenge. It's pretty short and simple, but just as with the Earthsea series, the main draw is the prose and the characters.
Like all her work, the prose in this book is fantastic. I really don't have much more to say because I don't have the words to describe how well she commands the English language. Over the course of the 116 pages, she is constantly able to evoke vivid imagery, humanize the characters through action and dialogue, and philosophize just enough that you're always wanting more— not rolling your eyes wondering when it'll be over.
I got this book as part of a collection of her Hainish stories, and I'm fighting the urge to not start Planet of Exile (the next in the series) right now. I'll try to be strong and wait until tomorrow.
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
⭐2.5 Aprobado un poco por la reflexión final ya que el libro para ser tan corto se ha hecho algo repetitivo
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated