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A review by samwreads
Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin
4.0
(read as part of the social distancing book club 2020)
For Voices, the second book in the Western Shore series, we get a pretty serious change of pace to a more political tale in a large city, one occupied by a foreign army that sees reading as a demonic practice (they do love spoken stories though, conveniently enough!). We also get a new central character in Memer, who I think is much more interesting than Orrec. She is less brooding and more adventurous, journeying by herself throughout the city in disguise as a boy, running errands, talking to strangers and spying on people. She has an interesting place in her household, being of the same ancestry as the "waylord" at the head of the house, but also answering to the housekeeper and stable master and running errands for them.
The main plot revolves around Orrec and Gry from Gifts coming to the city and using the power of words and introspection to help Memer and her house bring resolution to the conflict with the occupying forces. To do this, Memer must find her voice and re-establish her connection with the city's founders. Gry is a much more interesting character in this book than she was in Gifts, and is one of Memer's main companions throughout. Indeed, Memer doesn't really have any other "friends" her age apart from other members of the household staff, so her relationships with Gry and the Waylord offer a unique social dynamic. Ultimately Voices is more complex than in Gifts, more political and with more side stories and characters, but it's still well-crafted and satisfying.
(the rest of this review covers some of the symbolism and philosophy in the book and may contain spoilers depending on how much you care about these sorts of things).
I know LeGuin has talked about being strongly influenced by Taoism and the Tao Te Ching, and I see a clear echo of that here in the city and in the oracle fountain. Water is a strong symbol in Taoism, which sees strength in mutability, ambiguity, and avoiding direct use of force. The oracle, with its oracle fountain, speaks in just this sort of ambiguity, and throughout the history of the city, it flourishes when avoiding direct conflict, instead learning to build social and economic relationships with former aggressors. tldr: Voices is a particularly strong example of LeGuin sharing and promoting Taoist principles of non-violence, mutability and introspection.
For Voices, the second book in the Western Shore series, we get a pretty serious change of pace to a more political tale in a large city, one occupied by a foreign army that sees reading as a demonic practice (they do love spoken stories though, conveniently enough!). We also get a new central character in Memer, who I think is much more interesting than Orrec. She is less brooding and more adventurous, journeying by herself throughout the city in disguise as a boy, running errands, talking to strangers and spying on people. She has an interesting place in her household, being of the same ancestry as the "waylord" at the head of the house, but also answering to the housekeeper and stable master and running errands for them.
The main plot revolves around Orrec and Gry from Gifts coming to the city and using the power of words and introspection to help Memer and her house bring resolution to the conflict with the occupying forces. To do this, Memer must find her voice and re-establish her connection with the city's founders. Gry is a much more interesting character in this book than she was in Gifts, and is one of Memer's main companions throughout. Indeed, Memer doesn't really have any other "friends" her age apart from other members of the household staff, so her relationships with Gry and the Waylord offer a unique social dynamic. Ultimately Voices is more complex than in Gifts, more political and with more side stories and characters, but it's still well-crafted and satisfying.
(the rest of this review covers some of the symbolism and philosophy in the book and may contain spoilers depending on how much you care about these sorts of things).
Spoiler
Since there is a strong philosophical bent to much of LeGuin's work, I think it's worth pointing out some symbolism that runs throughout. There's obviously a strong religious element to the book, with the residents of the city believing in a polytheistic (pantheistic?) universe and seeing regular manifestations of their gods in everyday life. There's also a dualism between the fire god of the invading forces and the water god in the city's pantheon. The invaders see fire as a life-giving force and water as a destroyer, whereas water speaks to the city in the form of the Oracle Fountain, historically serving as the foundation for the city.I know LeGuin has talked about being strongly influenced by Taoism and the Tao Te Ching, and I see a clear echo of that here in the city and in the oracle fountain. Water is a strong symbol in Taoism, which sees strength in mutability, ambiguity, and avoiding direct use of force. The oracle, with its oracle fountain, speaks in just this sort of ambiguity, and throughout the history of the city, it flourishes when avoiding direct conflict, instead learning to build social and economic relationships with former aggressors. tldr: Voices is a particularly strong example of LeGuin sharing and promoting Taoist principles of non-violence, mutability and introspection.