I first started this book many years ago after picking it up from a library sale. I thought it was a standalone tale, and it largely is, but it takes place in a universe I knew little about, where other novels and stories had been written that introduced these concepts, peoples, and stories. I was very confused when I tried to read it back then and figured I needed to read the other books that came before it. I was a little like Sutty in this book, trying to figure out a story but not having the right context, so I stopped reading it. But now, I've read the first 4 or 5 Hainish cycle novels and have a feel for the universe now so it was time to tackle this book from the bottom of my TBR pile. In many respects it is very similar to the other Hainish cycle novels in that first contact always changes the two cultures involved, even if the aliens try to be as uninvolved as possible. Simply being there to observe changes what is being observed. And the native culture now knows that there are whole other worlds beyond their own which changes the trajectory of their development. In this case, the native culture places value on fair compensation for fair goods or services. When an alien culture arrives and starts giving the native culture information, the natives expect to pay for it, even if it doesn't happen right away. This changes the way their society develops and reacts to their previous ways. I enjoy the way that Le Guin wrote characters in the middle of conflicts that they might be ignorant of, and how they learn to adapt to the situation to resolve it. She was a master at the anthropological ramifications of certain types of societies. I really enjoy the Hainish cycle, although it can be a bit too cerebral at times. ( )

While Le Guin's writing is solid and beautiful, this storyline left me feeling like I missed something, there was not the right tension that I expect from this author and the story felt much much longer then it needed to be. There was a solid Taoist/Asian theme that was lovely and felt nostalgic and hopeful, but did not feel authentic as the counterpoint to a story of a fascist government, it seemed to leave me with a lot more social questions. ( )

A quiet successor to The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. The ideas, the analogies, and the gentle people held me more than the plot, but that was just fine. ( )

Another disappointment. Read like a thinly veiled, simplistic critique of China and the situation with Tibet. ( )

An inriguing and well written story from LeGuin's Hainish Universe. A bit too much of background but the idea of a philosophy-religion from the stories we tell that in turn bind us rings true. She backed it up by demographics and geology as well. An easy and thoughtful read. ( )