Gifts

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, Poetic, and Thought-Provoking
Review: A young girl with a powerful gift over animals that she chooses not to use. A young man on the verge of manhood, troubled by societal and familial expectations, blindfolded for years to prevent his wild gift from causing disaster. A society that places its focus on riches of the mind rather than those of the pocketbook, where bloodline determines destiny...

Another brilliant, poetic, thought-provoking story from Ms. LeGuin. In her inimitable way, she postulates one small change to accepted reality--in this case, the premise that a remote and inbred population of hunters, herders, and farmers might possess a variety of inheritable psychic gifts that range from the benign to the terrifying--and creates a plausible society, one which has immediate and profound resonance with our own. A classically-structured tale of self-discovery and self-validation from a true master of the genre of speculative fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Le Guin at her most compelling
Review: Gifts is a fascinating book. It's the story of Orrec, who is a member of a family with a powerful and dangerous gift. It is expected that he will inherit the gift, but he is past the age when the gift usually shows itself. The gift is the main tool the family has to protect itself, but Orrec is faced with a difficult choice about whether to use the gift at all.

I felt like I was living Orrec's situation, facing the choices and uncertainty he faced. I think it's really interesting that Le Guin sets up a situation in which the characters are desperate for better communication, but then resists the temptation to resolve things simply by having them suddenly be able to talk about what they need to be able to talk about. And because they can't talk about it, many questions are left unanswered, both in the characters' and the reader's minds. In my opinion, this makes the book more realistic, even though it's fantasy.

Every character in the book seemed real and complex to me - including the dogs and the horses, and I think that's saying something. Le Guin never tells the reader everything - there's no omniscient explanation of the major events and then characters' reactions to them. Instead, she only gives you bits and pieces - the speculations of the characters - and leaves it to the reader to put things together.

There's an emphasis on the value of literature and poetry and storytelling to the cultures in the world Le Guin has created that is a common theme for her, but it's as compelling as ever in Gifts. This book is a serious contender for the Printz award.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful fantasy
Review: Le Guin brings us, in this finely-crafted novel, another story that is superficially aimed at younger readers and yet holds great depths for readers of all ages. As with her Earthsea novels, Le Guin layers the story with meaning that a young reader may overlook without losing any enjoyment and that only adds to the reader's enjoyment when he or she is ready for the more complex themes.

Le Guin's anthropological background shines in this story as well. The setting has echoes of Scotland, but the fabric of the fantasy setting is woven so tightly that you never truly see our world through it. The culture the characters live in is fully realized and the actions of the characters within the setting reflect this. These are not modern people in fancy dress, strutting through some generic fantasy world; they live and breath on the pages, acting in ways that are wholly consistant with their imagined background. The result is a novel that is so envoloping that you quickly get lost in it. Read the exerpt here on amazon.com and then curse me, for you will be wanting to turn to the next page at the end of it and will end up paying for overnight shipping just so you can continue the story as soon as possible.

In addition to enjoying the story, I marvelled at the craft of this novel. The way the story is bookended by chapters that bring the story full-circle is beautiful in its elegance. Le Guin's careful revelations through the course of the plot show her mastery of pacing and presentation.

In summary, we are fortunate to have a living master of her art and craft like Le Guin turning out novels of this quality. At a time when fantasy seems to be measured more by bulk than quality, it is refreshing to read a novel in which every word is vital to the story. Take the opportunity to read a story told by someone in the full maturity of their talent and buy this book today.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written fantasy with many modern-day themes
Review: The Uplands is a world unlike anything else a traveler has seen. It may appear to be poor farms divided by families whose lineages go back several generations. Each family, however, has a powerful gift that is unique to them. Depending on how these gifts work, though --- whether in healing or in violence --- is the key to the survival of each family. This is an important factor that best friends Orrec and Gry have known all their lives.

Orrec's father is Canoc, the Brantor of Caspromant. A brantor is the master or mistress of a domain and the most gifted of a lineage. His mother is Melle Aulitta from Derris Water of the Lowlands. The Caspro gift is called the undoing and, despite the fact that his mother does not have a powerful gift of her own, Orrec seems to be destined for greatness. However, as with any powerful gift, this one has its own set of pros and cons.

When Orrec is a young child, he witnesses his father using his gift on a trapped rat in a half-filled rain barrel and its shapeless result. Canoc has his young son try to practice his gift by untying a knot of horse hair, but being not yet six, Orrec is unable to complete the task. Canoc reassures his son that he'll develop his own power soon and tells him the story of the Blind Caddard. The Blind Caddard was an ancestor who first came into his gift at the age of three and after some time was blindfolded for three years as a precaution against misusing his gift. He learned well and, when he was older, progressed into one of the most powerful brantors of all time.

Canoc then tells his son of when Caddard became blind. He lost control and, in a rage of anger, destroyed a serving girl and his wife. Devastated, Caddard permanently blinds himself to prevent a similar tragedy from ever happening again. For the rest of his life, the Blind Caddard lived with cattle herders far away from his former domain. Needless to say, the story leaves a lasting impression on Orrec.

Years go by, and Orrec and his best friend Gry are now thirteen. Gry has the Barres gift of calling animals both for work and in a hunt. Her mother is the Brantor of the Barres of Roddmant and her father is the Brantor of the Rodds of that domain. Unfortunately, for a worried Orrec, the Caspro gift has yet to appear. That seems to change, however, when Orrec appears to kill a snake with the gift while out riding with his father and a young farmer named Alloc.

Orrec is convinced that he didn't kill the snake and that his father did it in order to build up Orrec's confidence. Canoc denies ever killing the snake and Orrec feels the pressure to succeed overwhelming. His father reassures him that he will have his gift soon and lets the matter drop once again. Several days go by and Orrec's family is visited by Canoc's rival, Brantor Ogge of Drummant. Drum's offer of a betrothal between his granddaughter and Orrec foreshadows many great changes to come.

One morning, during another riding excursion with Canoc and Alloc, Orrec's gift seems to appear once again. This time Orrec accidentally destroys his dog Hamneda, after the dog breaks from his leash and scares Orrec's horse. Canoc and Alloc are now even more convinced that Orrec killed the dog and the snake, but Orrec doesn't think he's capable of doing so because he didn't feel the power go through him. Tired of the situation and his son's refusal to willfully use his gift, Canoc decides to take his son out to test him the next morning.

While looking for two prized white heifers stolen from their domain, Orrec is asked what he already knows is expected of him. He feels he won't be able to show his power at will, but tries again anyway. Orrec wills his dormant power to unmake an anthill that he sees along a hillside. When nothing happens, he becomes very frustrated and is on the brink of giving up. What happens next horrifies Orrec, and he decides to have his father blindfold him like Caddard was.

So begins a new chapter in Orrec's life, in which he must rely on his family, friends and a loyal guide dog named Coaly. He soon becomes accustomed to the newfound darkness, but when tragedy falls upon his mother, everything changes once again. Orrec wants to protect those he loves but knows that he can't always do this. When a shocking revelation is brought to light, Orrec realizes that, in the end, he must believe in himself as well.

GIFTS is a well-written fantasy with many modern-day themes, one of which is that in order to overcome obstacles and accomplish great things, you must first believe in yourself. The frequent flashbacks in the beginning of the story made the book slightly difficult to read in some areas, but it was definitely worth it in the end.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: A very good book!!!
Review: With the Earthsea saga, Ursula Le Guin created a world of youths gifted with the ability to use their minds and words. Here, in Gifts, another world is created once again by Ursula Le Guin where the youths have tremendous talents. Masterfully told by a skilled science fiction crafter, Gifts is finally out after a long period of absence from the author. It is worth the wait.