A review by erasmios
Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin

4.0

This was my second time reading Voices. I did remember the general story, but was surprised how much I'd forgotten about the details. In Voices Le Guin continues to expand on the themes she laid out in Gifts, the previous novel: literature (studying, storytelling), religion (tradition, culture) and slavery (freedom, loyalty). Reading Le Guin's works is such a joy. She's undoubtedly one of the best fantasy authors, and in this series she exceeds any expectations adult readers might have regarding YA fantasy. The main characters aren't one dimensional stereotypes, but their motivations and growth feels real and convincing. My only criticism of Voices is that the story was a little too predictable for me. I'm not saying every book needs plot twists and big surprises, but the surprises in Voices might not match the ones in Gifts. Nevertheless, Voices is a fantastic story of slaves, poets and heroes, and its readers will learn why the pen is truly mightier than the sword. Not enough people know about this trilogy. Every fantasy fan owes it to themselves to read these books.