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Summary: Marvelous planetary romances, not to be missed.
Review: -----------------------------------------------------------
35 years on, Planet of Exile hasn't aged a bit. As I just rediscovered -- my copy (with an evocative Josh Kirby cover) dates from the early 70's, and I don't recall rereading it since then. I was prompted to do so by a recent reread of her stunning "Semley's Necklace" (1964), another story in Le Guin's Hainish universe, which she recycled as the prologue to Rocannon's World.While PoE doesn't have the depth or complexity of her best work, this is a grand, mythic story of love and death; fear of the stranger, and the sad consequences; a bitter battle to save one's home; the joys and ashes of victory. And the grey, grinding cold of Great Winter: 5,000-some days of darkness, cold and ice (UKL does winters really well). Strong stuff. My God, this was her apprentice work! The rest of RW, after "Semley's Necklace", isn't up to PoE, but is quite readable. I haven't reread City of Illusions recently. Happy reading!
Pete Tillman
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Summary: In the Beginning....
Review: Having battled for months just to find LeGuin's City of Illusions, this three-in one edition was a real find! LeGuin is a rare breed in sf, the poetry in her narrative and her powers of description add a compelling truth and depth to her stories. They also make her an accessible author for mainstream readers; particularly as the issues she explores in this book are very human and relevant today, but set in beautifully crafted worlds of splendour or depravity which magnify the topics she explores. I read City of Illusions as a kid and was entranced- this book gives the next generation a chance to enjoy her earlier works, and has pride of place in my collection.
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Summary: Worlds of Exile and Illusion
Review: Having read the Earth-sea Trilogy, I couldn't get enough of U.K. LE Guin. She displays how even early in her career, she could spin facinating stories. Rocannon's World was great fun with trogs, knights, and flying felines. Planet of Exile seems like a place not unlike Mongolia in the time of Ghengis Khan--which just happens to have a village of aliens living near by. Of course the barbarians think the aliens are witches. City of Illusions begins with an alien from the Planet of Exile who is suffering from amnesia and must walk across the USA from the Eastern Hardwood Forrest to a canyon-edged city (Grand Canyon?) to find his lost identity. Well written but this last is the most frustrating because it just stops--there is no conclusion. Did Ursula run out of paper? or typewriter ribbon? What is the 4th book in this series? What ever happened to the characters in City of Illusion? All three are a great read--just a dumb ending. Was that writers' block or is there a 4th book? Definitely worth the time, I'm glad I bought the book, but feel like I was watching a miniseries and the "To Be Coninued" sign comes on but I can't find the listing for the final episode. Try it, you'll like it.
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Summary: Good Book
Review: I know this book was originally 3 seperate novels but, I liked how it was all combined into one. I thought it was pretty unique to have three divergent plots actually fit together, beautifully, to form a single coherant story.
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Summary: City of Illusions
Review: I read this book over a year ago, and usually after that amount of time I can barely remember the plot of a book let alone the details. Yet I was amazed with the City of Illusions story in this book. This is by far my favorite story by Ursula K. Le Guin, even over the Left Hand of Darkness or any of the Earthsea series.
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Summary: City of Illusions
Review: I read this book over a year ago, and usually after that amount of time I can barely remember the plot of a book let alone the details. Yet I was amazed with the City of Illusions story in this book. This is by far my favorite story by Ursula K. Le Guin, even over the Left Hand of Darkness or any of the Earthsea series.
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Summary: one of my favorite books in the world
Review: i've read this a while ago, but it's amazing how some book just follow you through life. this book certenly flollow my life, but in it's styple and description and also with it's intention and massage. written originaly as 3 saparated novels, the 3 diffrent stories, who doesn't happend on the same planets or times, interact one several levels, the concepts of the joined alience of menkind throughout the universe, mind reading and the meaning of being an explorer and an alien in a diffrent planet. are meaningful not only to the sience fiction side of the story, but also, and perhaps mostly to the way we precive ourself, both as indeviduals and within a society. each story takes a diffrent view and plot line exsamening those issues and adding to them, it's own world and atmospher. what i loved mostly about this book is that, unlike many other books, which take their scenery from know situation and sets, like period in earth's history, or from movies and myth. those worlds are recreated all new - the people, places, and societies are unknown to the reader and so, every page's a surprise, and at no point is seem predictable or familier. it took my a long time to get used to that style, this book doesn't match a ganere and is a very indevidual unique creation. it stimulate the mind and senses and creativity. i highly recomand it
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Summary: Up, Down and Up Again
Review: In their efforts to defend themselves against the oncoming fleets of the Shing, the Hainish peoples (all humanoids in this area, for the Hainish were an old race that had long spread out from their home world) had banded together in defence.
But not all wanted to part of the Hainish Alliance.
In _Rocannon's Word_ Rocannon was an ethnologist investigating Fomalhault when his team was killed by such a band, but Rocannon found a secret in Fomalhaut's hinterlands that would give the Alliance an edge.
Sent out from Terra centuries ago in order to raise the tech level of a primitive world, the expedition were informed of the arrival of the Shing and from the ensuing silence deduced defeat. Now this planet had to be made into a home, but it couldn't be untill the expedition accepted their exile! (_Planet of Exile_)
In _City of Illusion_, an all too fallible member of an off world team is discarded by those who had taken his ship when it arrived in Earth orbit and left to die in the primitive culture that was all that was allowed by the alien overlords. Taken to be one of those overlords by the suspicious villagers, only the belief of a young woman enables him to carry on to find out the truth behind Earth's long silence.
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Summary: CITY OF LIES
Review: It's fun to resurrect these old novels. The story CITY OF ILLUSIONS is misnamed; it should have been CITY OF LIES. The Shing aliens are the best liars ever and have the ability to mindlie telepathically to take control of earthlings minds. They meet their match, however in Falk-Ramarren, the split brained super hero who the story is all about. The females in the story are all pawns as are most of the other characters. However if the travails of one earthling's struggles to regain his lost mind is your cup of tea then this story is very engrossing.
Rating:
Summary: CITY OF LIES
Review: It's fun to resurrect these old novels. The story CITY OF ILLUSIONS is misnamed; it should have been CITY OF LIES. The Shing aliens are the best liars ever and have the ability to mindlie telepathically to take control of earthlings minds. They meet their match, however in Falk-Ramarren, the split brained super hero who the story is all about. The females in the story are all pawns as are most of the other characters. However if the travails of one earthling's struggles to regain his lost mind is your cup of tea then this story is very engrossing.
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