Ursula K. Le Guin: American Author Challenge

"Great artists make the roads; good teachers and good companions can point them out. But there ain't no free rides, baby."

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin was born October 21, 1929, in Berkeley, California. She is an American author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. She has also written poetry and essays. First published in the 1960s, her work has often depicted futuristic or imaginary alternative worlds in politics, natural environment, gender, religion, sexuality and ethnography.
Le Guin received wide recognition for her novel The Left Hand of Darkness, which won the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1970. Her subsequent novel The Dispossessed made her the first person to win both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel twice for the same two books.

She has lived in Portland Oregon, since 1959.

**This is part of our American Author Challenge 2015. This author will be read in July. The general discussion thread can be found right here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/185195

Sadly, I have only read A Wizard of Earthsea and, to make matters worse, I never read the other two books in the trilogy. I am not sure the reason, since I was just getting into fantasy at the time. Well, this is why I love the AAC, it beams the light back on authors I have overlooked or neglected. I plan on reading The Dispossessed and I might try to squeeze in a reread of A Wizard of Earthsea.

I think this is the first genre writer, I have selected and she will be followed, later in the year by Mr. Bradbury. Another American Giant.

What is everyone else going to read?

Oooh, my own reading coincides with a challenge!! WooHoo!!

I'm reading The Left Hand of Darkness right now and it's a doozy (in a good way) so far.

I'll be reading her Catwings series of children's books. I picked them up from the library on Saturday so I'm ready to get started.

I bought The Lathe of Heaven earlier this year in anticipation of this month so even though I have sworn off all challenges, I will try to pick it up!

I've read so many Ursula LeGuin books over the years that I'll just enjoy the discussions, and substitute in The Warmth of Other Suns - which is as good as advertised so far.

We have Lathe of Heaven and The Left Hand of Darkness in the house, and I believe my husband has read both of them. I'm not sure I'll read Le Guin, but I'll keep my eye on this thread.

I'm always off by a couple months. I reread Left Hand of Darkness in April. I had originally read it back in college. It was better than I remembered. Got to read more of her stuff. I know we have Dispossessed and the wife and the boy read the Earthsea trilogy a couple years ago..

>7 jnwelch: Morning Joe! Did you think this was my thread? LOL.

What are your favorite Le Guin books? And what would you suggest starting with, for newbies?

I loved Lathe of Heaven when I read in ages ago, and I'm a fan of the Earthsea books, too, for the most part.

I've read a good chunk of Le Guin's fiction so almost anything is a re-read for me. I will be starting today on Rocannon's World, her first published novel which is loosely linked to later classics by her. I am pretty sure I read this as a teenager and it is a short novel. Since I like so much of the author's work I will probably read a second one later this month.

>10 msf59: Another screw-up by your local cafe owner, Mark. I did a bit of a fix-up up above.

Left Hand of Darkness remains my favorite. I also enjoyed The Lathe of Heaven, The Dispossessed, the Wizard of Earthsea series, and The Beginning Place - the last isn't very well-known.

I think I have decided on The Left Hand of Darkness if I can get it from the library.

The Left Hand of Darkness it will be for me, it's winking on the shelf. Who knows, I may even get to the Earthsea novels too, which I've had for some years.

While I've previously reported that I'd read Lathe of Heaven, it remains to be decided. I've booked a visit to library book sale Wednesday the 8th, and my plan is to look for just about any LeGuin available. And if the library lets me down, then I probably will buy Lathe of Heaven. Oh, wait! I'll have to see if my son or DIL have any LeGuin.

Not sure if I will manage to read a book for this month. The only LeGuin I have read is Malafrena which I quite enjoyed. I just don't know how that one compares with any of her other stories. I might just hang around the thread to see what suggestions crop up based on everyone else's reading choices.

I read A Wizard of Earthsea just last year and really enjoyed it so I will be reading the second book in the series, The Tomb of Atuan.

I have read the Earthsea novels and enjoyed them - years ago. I haven't read anything else.

Just for kicks, I am going to read one of Le Guin's more recent works. I was attracted to it because I love The Aeneid. Lavinia is a voiceless, yet pivotal character from The Aeneid, and I am fascinated by the idea of a story from her point of view. I believe I trust Ms. Le Guin to do a good job. :)

>19 nittnut: Last week I ordered Lavinia through the library because I too was curious about the Aeneid connection.

This morning I jumped the Le Guin gun, or really the July gun and picked up The Beginning Place from the library, came back home and started reading it. It was an easy read and by suppertime I'd finished it. That was my first Ursula Le Guin novel. It seemed like a good YA category of story-- could see my three older great grands getting into that one.

Not sure which one I will read, but I have loved the ones already read: Lavinia, Voices and Gifts (Annals of the Western Shore), The Tombs of Atuan and the Catwing Children's series. Perfect reading for July!!

Catwings is ready for pick up today from my library! yay!

Lavinia arrived for me this morning and I picked it up on the way to my morning walk. Back home and will devote a post-walk rest-and-read to it now.

I'll also be reading Lavinia as I have it on hand. I've previously read the Catwings books and the first of the Earthsea series.

I started The Dispossessed. It is a slow-burner but I am enjoying it. Her style here, reminds me of Mr. Bradbury.

I've got The Wind's Twelve Quarters in my TBR Tower that I'll pull out next week. I've only read her Earthsea series. I don't know why I have been so remiss in getting to her other works. This is a good nudge for me to get back in touch with Ms Le Guin.

Those who have only read her books for children will find that her books for adults are at least as good.

I am found of her short stories, and have Changing Planes waiting for me at the library.

I'm planning on The Dispossessed.

I've also chosen The Dispossessed, mostly because it's on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. I've ordered it through the library. I'm hoping to get to it by the end of the month.

I have finished The Tombs of Atuan and this is a very different book from the first in the triolgy. A quieter, more atmospheric book than the fantasy adventure that was A Wizard of Earthsea. I think this one showcased Le Guin's descriptive writing and I liked this one even more than the first.

^How is everyone doing with Madam Le Guin?

>32 msf59: Fine and dandy Mark. I finished Lavinia and The Beginning Place

I ran across an old interview of her by Bill Moyers and was impressed. I hope to take on more of Le Guin's work at some later time.

>32 msf59: I've done two. Might do a third towards the end of the month. The novels are short novels.

Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin, finished July 1, 2015, 3 - 3 1/2 stars


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This story is just shy of 50 years old (first published in 1966) and is Ursula Le Guin's first published novel. It is a science-fiction novel with a generous helping of fantasy trappings. I read this when I was young and remember little more than liking it a lot. I did read the short story a few years ago that serves as the prologue to this novel to give me a taste of it.

So my re-read that felt like a first read of a minor classic turned out well. The fantasy trappings complete with lords, ladies, swords, winged gryphon-horses, ruined castles, dying bloodlines, lost inheritances, little dwarf peoples and so on is rather thick here. However, the pieces do add up to give me the reader an adventure and journey and it was pretty well done. This is a "good yarn" and I liked it quite well.

Rocannon is a space ethnologist who becomes the central character when he is marooned on the planet and it appears that an inter-planetary war and rebellion has begun. He sets out on, let's call it "A Heroic Quest" with an assorted group of natives.

I did like this well enough that I've set myself a goal to read/re-read at least a few more of the books in this loosely connected series that includes some major multiple award winning works such as "The Left Hand of Darkness," "The Dispossessed," and "The Word for World is Forest" among others.

Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin, finished July 3, 2015, 2 - 2 1/2 stars


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"Planet of Exile" follows Le Guin's "Rocannon's World," both published in 1966. I found myself disappointed with this story in comparison to the prior novel. The two stories are not directly related - different planets, different peoples and a completely unrelated story although there is a mention of Rocannon in here. Where they are similar from my view is that both books have a sort of anthropological or ethnographic sense to them. A documentation of peoples and cultures and customs and their interactions with others. This is true through most of Le Guin's fiction that I have read. Planet of Exile is still a science fiction story but also has some of the elements that one expects from fantasy novels, but different from what we saw in Rocannon's World.

I found this a weaker story and I also found the writing bothersome in some ways. Le Guin was getting a little too twee here. Rocannon's World was a page turner in many parts. This one was more of a page plodder. Rocannon's World I felt invested in the characters and I cared about what happened to each and every one. Not so here with Planet of Exile.

Looking at other reviewer's comments I see that I am not alone in finding a problem with characters in this novel and I second the comment made: "Awkwardly written at first (I found the first chapter almost unreadable), but it eases up as it gets going." Even though the story and writing improved, the rough start really colored my appreciation for what the author was trying to explore and the story never really got my interest.

I wouldn't recommend this novel to the casual reader, but OK for those exploring Le Guin in more depth.

I read all four Catwings books a few days ago and enjoyed them. I don't think I'll get to any more of her books this month. Whenever I get around to reading her again, I think it will be Lavinia.

Glad to see some Le Guin activity. Good job! Unfortunately, I am finding the Dispossessed a bit of a slog and having a tough time staying focused. Her brainy gab is a bit relentless. There is still much to admire but this just might not be my cuppa.

Any defenders?

>36 msf59: I've found LeGuin to be very hit or miss in my experience. I have not read "The Dispossessed" yet. She doesn't stick with the same style from book to book. I really liked most of the Earthsea books. They varied a lot from book to book but I was only disappointed with one out of six of them which I read a few years ago for the first time (and was mad at myself for having ignored them).

One + thing about LeGuin is that she featured people of color as primary characters (regardless of what the cover of the book shows) from early on.

Thanks, Ron. That is helpful. I am looking forward to hearing someone else's opinion on the Dispossessed. Who knows? Maybe it's just me.

>38 msf59: The Dispossessed is one of my favorite books of all time. The book is much more about the worlds than the characters, and the physics isn't important except as a metaphor. If you don't like switching back and forth between worlds, you can read all the Anarres parts, then the first chapter, then the Urras parts, then the last chapter. It works that way as well, and then you don't have to keep track of so much. But if you don't find what she's saying about the worlds, there's not much point in going on.

>39 aulsmith: Thanks for that. I think the biggest problem, is the shifting narratives, especially while listening to the book on audio. It takes me awhile to figure out what world they are on. LOL. I know this book is revered, so I was guessing it was probably me.

I read Searoad a few years ago. It's a collection of short stories that have the same main "character": a seaside town called Klatsand. As I recall, there wasn't much sci-fi/fantasy in these stories, although there were some "magical" elements.

My notes say that I loved some stories, was disturbed by some, and somewhat puzzled at the end. But all along there was beautiful writing, and a real sense of place. This might be a good choice for someone not as much into LeGuin's usual fare. Does anyone know of any other of her works like this? I read The Left Hand of Darkness some years back, but it wasn't my cuppa.

>41 kac522: You might try Compass Rose or Fisherman of the Inland Sea

>32 msf59: I'm not doing so well with Ms Le Guin. I read 50 pages of Always Coming Home before giving up and taking it back to the library. Maybe I'll look at the Catwing books . . .

>43 brenpike: Always Coming Home is probably the worst of all her books. You have to read it more like a poetry anthology than a novel.

You might see if Four Ways to Forgiveness looks interesting. It's four novellas, all set on the same planet. It's much more readable than Always Coming Home and gives the same sense of how she looks at societies.

Edited to correct typo

>42 aulsmith: Thanks for the suggestions.

I must confess that I'm also planning to read one of her children's books. The one I've selected is Cat Dreams. Hopefully it will still be available when I get to the library. I have to return books tomorrow so the children's book room is on my radar!

Went shopping at a library book sale today and came away with a copy of The Lathe of Heaven. I know nothing of Le Guin. I think at Wikipedia I read a plot synopsis of this book, and it appealed to me more than the others mentioned. I was hoping to find something and I did. Hope I like it. I note that it is short.

I'm planning to read A Wizard of Earthsea this month. I remember reading and absolutely loving The Left Hand of Darkness when I was a senior in college (so, 1978 or so), and I liked but didn't love The Dispossessed when I read it last year. I figure I at least need to read this classic to round out my LeGuin experience.

I got Four Ways to Forgiveness from the library. So that's what I will be reading instead of The Left Hand of Darkness since my local library doesn't have it.

I've finished Lavinia, which I really liked. I think the most interesting thing about it was how Le Guin created Lavinia so that she was aware that she was a construct of "her Poet" but lived her life as though it was her own.

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin

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In a dystopian future, George Orr is busted for obtaining drugs illegally. To avoid more trouble, Orr agrees to Voluntary Theraputic Treatment and is assigned to Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist interested in dreams. Orr, it seems, has been taking the drugs to prevent himself from falling asleep and dreaming, because his dreams often come true, irrevocably changing the entire world. Haber ridicules this notion, until a sleep test involving hypnosis and experimental equipment Haber is developing proves Orr is right.

The setting is Portland, Oregon. Climate change has negatively affected the world; rising oceans are engulfing New York City, San Francisco, and other coastal cities around the world; it rains perpetually in Portland. The air is dangerously polluted, though internal combustion engine cars are no longer used. City centers are dense with people, while the countryside is virtually abandoned. Orr lives in a tiny one-room apartment, sharing a bathroom with others on the same floor. Hafer's office is an interior one, lacking windows; the building is shabbily constructed. War rages in the Middle East; six nuclear powers on one side, six nuclear powers on the other. Aliens from space are going to enter the picture. A love interest pops in and out of the world.

Yes, there's a LOT going on.

While Orr is virtually paralyzed by guilt and fear about changes his dreams may cause, Haber is energized by the idea of stimulating dreams that will improve the world. Orr wants to stop dreaming, Haber wants to start. Orr is coerced into participating in Haber's "therapy sessions," in which the doctor puts him into a hypnotic trance, then tells him what he should dream about. The experimental device, called the Augmentor, simultaneously records the subject's brain waves and sleep states and stimulates and enhances states that produce "effective" dreams.

The tension and conflict between Orr and Haber is increased because they are the only people aware of any changes produced by Orr's dreams. At Haber's instigation, Orr dreams that Haber is the founder and director of a world-renown dream research institute. When he awakes, it is in Haber's spacious corner office in the high-rise that houses the institute. Both men know that an hour before, Haber was a little-known mid-level staff psychiatrist. But now to the world at large, the institute is thriving and respected nationally and has been in that building for about 12 or 15 years.

Big trouble stems from Haber's poor articulation of suggestions to Orr when he's in a trance but not yet asleep. Hubris saves the world, in a perverse way.

The Lathe of Heaven is a short book, packed with ideas. It's a fast read, an entertaining read, a thought-provoking read. I give it both thumbs up.

I'm giving up on Ursula LeGuin! I couldn't get into The Dispossessed. I got The Telling from the library and didn't get far enough to Pearl Rule it, so there goes my perfect AAC rating. (:

>51 weird_O: Excellent review of Lathe of Heaven. I don't think I'll read that one, as the story is very familiar (have seen the 1979 movie version a couple times). Still deciding whether I'll give The Left Hand of Darkness a go.

>51 weird_O: I'll be reading The Lathe of Heaven too. I like the sound of it from your review.

>51 weird_O: Terrific review of The Lathe of Heaven, Bill! That one sounds very good. Boy, you are jumping into these AAC reads, with both feet! And I love it.

Were you going to do another LeGuin, or is that it?

>52 LoisB: I admire that you gave LeGuin a fair shot, Lois. Maybe you will do better with McMurtry.

>52 LoisB: I probably cheated on LeGuin because I read some of her picture books about cats instead of trying to read any of the sci fi/fantasy stuff which is just not a genre I enjoy much.

>56 thornton37814: Maybe I should look for one of the picture books in the library :)

Oh, I loved Lathe of Heaven when I read it some years ago - and the movie is very good, too.

>55 msf59: I'm not planning to read more Le Guin, Mark. Just too many other books I feel committed to reading 'til the end of the year. Though I note a couple of Le Guins are on my audio-books thumb drive. :-) Gotta read TBRs and category challenge books.

>52 LoisB: You might try something easier - and not science fiction. I can recommend Lavinia as a quick and good read. If you feel like it. :)

>60 nittnut: Thanks for the suggestion. If I have time at the end of the month, I may try it.

Second try - Ile Forest, a short story. Sorry, Le Guin fans, but her writing does nothing for me yet. I have requested Catwings and Lavinia from my local library for something different . . .

I finished Changing Planes which I liked, but it was a little too much a book of ideas, rather than of character and plot. I think that I liked LeGuin better when I was younger.

>52 LoisB: Lois, I'm glad I kept on reading The Dispossessed as it turned out to be one of those books I will think about for a long time. I actually went back and read the first part again so that it made more sense to me. It was a bit of a struggle but the payoff was worth it, at least for me.

Here are the thoughts about The Dispossessed which I posted on my thread:

Sherek is the greatest physicist alive in this future world. The only problem is that he is a member of the anarchist group that split away from the mother planet, Urras, to live in freedom on Anarres. Urras is a land of lush vegetation and plentiful water, both of which are in short supply on Anarras. Le Guin goes to great lengths to describe the vast differences in the two planets. Would you rather live in beauty but be "owned" by the powers that be or live in a harsh environment and have autonomy? Which one is the true Utopia?

Shev's goal is to share his Theory of Time to help build unity between the planets -- until he becomes disillusioned with Paradise and discovers the squalor of the underclass which has been hidden from him. He is afraid that his supporters on Urras want to use his theory as a means of gaining control of the Solar System.

This is an intelligent book of ideals and the belief that "brotherhood begins in shared pain." It took me several chapters to get into it, and I never did completely understand Shev's time theory, but it wasn't imperative to the main themes of freedom and unity. This is a very deep book which demands careful reading (and, in my case, some backtracking and rereading). It would be an excellent book for discussion.

Is anyone reading A Wizard of Earthsea or am I the only reader on Earth who has not yet read it?

everybody have there own kind of books they likes so lets read what we like is that a problem

>67 ansonnae: No need for attitude. She was just asking.

>66 EBT1002: I'm sure there are plenty of other people who haven't read the Earthsea cycle either, but even if you ARE the only one left, you at least have a great series ahead of you (I love the original trilogy, can you tell?)

>66 EBT1002: You're not alone on Earth--ain't read it either, and have borrowed it from the library to eventually read.

>66 EBT1002: Ellen, I listened to A Wizard of Earthsea last year, and thought it was a fun fantasy adventure. This year I listened the 2nd in the trilogy, The Tombs of Atuan and although quite different, I really enjoyed it and thought it was actually better than the first. As these books were originally published in the late 1960's they are interesting as they show how much the fantasy genre has evolved over the years. I found both books more introspective than most fantasy of today.

>70 DeltaQueen50: I agree with your thoughts on the first two Earthsea books. I really, really liked A Wizard of Earthsea and then I read The Tombs of Atuan and loved it. Tenar was such a great character. And I liked The Farthest Shore too, but TToA was the best.
I like to pretend that Tehanu was never written, though.

>71 PawsforThought: Tehanu was a disturbing book in several ways. LeGuin sort of went off the rails. The abuse stuff in it was very disturbing and despicable. Of the first four books it certainly ranks last.

I think I must have read A Wizard of Earthsea as a kid. It seemed very familiar when I read it last year. You'd think I would remember...
I have The Tombs of Atuan in the queue, not sure if I'll get to it this month though.

>68 PawsforThought: Not sure who ansonnae is. If you look at the profile, there is one book and it's a kid's book, and the profile was set up two days ago. So is it a profile set up for spamming or random agitation, or is it a kid, or what?

>72 RBeffa: That certainly was disturbing. And the characters seemed to have had personality transplants (Tenar!). Nothing made any sense at all to me. I didn't read any more Earthsea books after that one - too traumatised.

>73 nittnut: The thought did cross my mind that it was a spammer or something but I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. I guess we'll see if something else happens.

That person also asked for book recommendations, at least that seems the most likely way to read the message. http://www.librarything.com/topic/193551

>74 PawsforThought: There is probably no way to wash Tehanu out of one's mental mouth after reading it, but I would really recommend the next two earthsea books. The fifth one "Tales" is a collection of shorter stories that are quite good (and make one shake one's head all the more at whatever Tehanu was) and should be read before the 6th book. They made ME feel a lot better.

This is what I wrote in 2011 when I read them: Tales from Earthsea is a very enjoyable set of five stories set in the archipelago of Earthsea at various places and times, plus an essay, "A Description of Earthsea". I liked each of the five stories in their own way with no clear favorite for me. If I had to pick one though, it would be "The Dragonfly". One or two of the stories could be considered novellas. "The Finder", the longest of the stories by far, felt like a companion novel to "A Wizard of Earthsea". "On the High Marsh" had a different feel than other Earthsea stories, a bit of a mystery about it, but quite enjoyable with a nice surprise. These stories are a good companion to the earthsea novels, and well worth reading.

>76 RBeffa: Thanks! I'll remember that. And I really could use something to wash away the taste of Tehanu.

>66 EBT1002: I'm right in the middle of A Wizard of Earthsea myself! I had to take a little break from it to finish a few other books that were going to disappear off of my Nook (library ebooks), but I'm anxious to get back to it.

Karen O.

I thought I'd try Ursula LeGuin's third novel and was surprised to find I probably liked this one best of the initial trilogy. This makes three LeGuin's for me for July. These are shorter novels (City of Illusions runs 160 pages) so easy to digest.

City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin, finished July 23, 2015, 3 1/2 stars


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"City of Illusions" follows Le Guin's "Planet of Exile." This is almost like two different books patched together. I really liked the first half of the book. It is set in a dystopian future of earth, at least 1,000 years in the future and probably several thousand. Human settlements are small and widely scattered. There are reasons for this which the reader is told, but we really don't understand. Much of history has been lost. Much has been preserved. Some of it may be not a true history. There is a big mystery here. The first half of the book is primarily a journey across the North American continent of the future and how it has reverted and the odd settlements and peoples that live sparsely across it. We follow a man named Falk who is in search of his own personal history in the far west. Exactly where I was never sure. Somewhere past the Rockies and before California. California is no more, apparently now only remnant islands with flooded valleys post-earthquake. The second half of the book takes place after Falk arrives at the place he sought, "Es Toch."

I was caught off guard by what is revealed in the second half of the novel. I as the reader certainly knew something was up and we are given clues, but the big reveal still surprised me more than it should have. Although I enjoyed the latter half of the book and liked how it tied in to elements of the preceding novel, it didn't really have my interest like the early part of the novel did. Still, overall I liked this story and appreciate how the first three novels fit together here.

Just finished A Wizard of Earthsea and I'm so glad that I read it! I'm definitely in for the series. Le Guin does such a terrific job at showing us worlds and characters.

Karen O.

I read A Wizard of Earthsea, as well. I gave it 3.3 stars, perhaps partially because I really don't care for the genre. Glad I read it for the American Author challenge, though I won't continue with the series. Thought it was ok for what it was.

Hey folks -- I disappeared for a bit there but I'm back and seeing some lovely encouragement about A Wizard of Earthsea. I missed it for this month but I'll keep my copy and read it sometime this year! :-)