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katiedoodle 's review for:
Planet of Exile
by Ursula K. Le Guin
The main strength of this story, for me, is in the depiction of two societies that consider themselves "men" and the other "not-men." And sure, they have differing biology. Different cultural norms. Different knowledge and history. But because we see points of view from both groups, we can see how they are all "men." Men dealing with the growing impotency of advanced age, judgment from peers, the struggle of principle and pragmatism against distrust and fear of the other.
The plot itself was unfortunately sparse, with a significant portion dedicated to a slow effort to fend off a poorly executed siege of the city. Particularly for a story of its brevity, it felt to me like this stretched for too long without quite enough to say. A further exploration of the relationship between the cultures and the main characters would have elevated this story significantly. For that, I think George RR Martin's a Song of Ice and Fire can be considered an apt substitute - with a similar overarching plot and similar themes (as regards the free folk and the people of Westeros), enough space is given to the topic to satisfy. And between the two, the story can even be considered complete.
The plot itself was unfortunately sparse, with a significant portion dedicated to a slow effort to fend off a poorly executed siege of the city. Particularly for a story of its brevity, it felt to me like this stretched for too long without quite enough to say. A further exploration of the relationship between the cultures and the main characters would have elevated this story significantly. For that, I think George RR Martin's a Song of Ice and Fire can be considered an apt substitute - with a similar overarching plot and similar themes (as regards the free folk and the people of Westeros), enough space is given to the topic to satisfy. And between the two, the story can even be considered complete.