A review by mdpenguin
Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This trilogy is a little uneven and the books could stand well on their own. The second book has only a slight reference to the first and although the third is directly derived from things that happened in the second, it's not a continuous tale and the details are filled in quickly and effectively in-story. Below are my thoughts on each novel in the set.

Rocannon's World – 4.5 stars – Though science fiction and featuring a xenoanthropologist as the protagonist, this was much more like a fantasy adventure story. I thought that the characters were likable and that the world it was set in was really interesting. The adventure was believable and I really liked the bittersweet ending.

Planet of Exile – 3.25 stars – Sometimes this felt a little contrived and it took me a while to get into it, but the world-building was good and the culture of the Farborn and the way that the seasons worked on the planet with a revolution of 80 years was really interesting. I think it worked really well as a story about adaptation and cohabitation, but it didn't feel focused enough in the beginning and then became a little too focused on the conflict in the end for my tastes.

City of Illusions – 5 – This was the best of the three. It was interesting to see a far-future Earth and its cultures reduced under foreign occupation. The story only takes part across the geography of the US, but it explored how different cultures might rise up in the different ecological zones, all somewhat united by a past that they vaguely remember but completely different in how much of that past they choose to retain and how they use it. The outcome for Falk when he finds the city of the occupiers was a really interesting bit of intrigue and I like how it played out, leaving so much open for later exploration (which never really happened, but still was stimulating).