City of Illusions feels like it has two main sections, one much cleverer than the other. The majority of the novel is Falk's journey west, which reprises a lot of such journeys west and doesn't feel particularly engaging. Many of the events along the way don't seem to add a ton to the narrative besides giving us more time with Falk himself. The payoff comes at the culmination of the novel, where upon reaching the City Es Toch, we find that Falk is an alien from another world that sent an expedition to Earth. He has had his prior memory erased, and upon recovering it must navigate the hostile city while combining the two experiences. This is a compelling conceit, touching on questions of the sense of self and the nature of truth. I'm also intrigued by the barebones skeleton of how the League of All Worlds fell to the Shing, an enemy whose ability to lie appears to be their sole advantage. I haven't read much in the way of space war, so thinking about how an ansible-connected galactic civilisation could crumble is fascinating. I love that the Hainish universe is able to provide a setting for all sorts of different stories, including this one. ( )

If you liked The Left Hand of Darkness, read Planet of Exile! If you liked Planet of Exile, read City of Illusions. ( )

A man—with unusual cat-like eyes—awakes in a strange place, not knowing who he is, where he‘s from, or where he‘s at. A kind family “adopts” him and teaches him the ways of their unusual world. It turns out to be a dystopian USA, with tribes, many violent, & one feared by all others. He goes on a journey to try to learn who he is & ends up in the city ruled by the most feared tribe. But they are so so nice to him. He feels, though, the kindness and offers to return his memories are actually deceptions. I found his journey to the city tedious, but once there, his self-discovery is very interesting. It‘s somewhat hard sci-fi so not my genre and not an author I‘m inclined to read again. But the story was interesting and I‘m glad I finally tried something by this author. ( )

The best so far of the series. Not perfect, but excellent. It certainly makes me look forward to the continuation of the Hainish cycle. City of Illusions has complex, interesting characters (or at least characters that you suspect might be interesting), and a story that doubles back on itself and already shows glimmers of Le Guin’s tendency to revisit her old or earlier ideas and reconsider them. Taoism pops up here in full force, and there are some interesting philosophical ideas to consider about the nature of Truth.
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El protagonista de esta dramática novela es un hombre maduro que se encuentra de pronto solo en una espesa floresta, y no puede llegar a saber de dónde ha llegado y quién es. Los ojos de este hombre no son humanos. Las gentes del bosque lo cuidan como si se tratara de un niño, le enseñan a hablar y le transmiten todo lo que saben. Pero nadie puede resolver el enigma de su pasado, y al fin él tiene que partir en una peligrosa búsqueda. Cuando logre llegar a la ciudad de Estoch, descubrirá su auténtica identidad y entrará en un peligroso universo.