reviews
Sep 04, 2011
Keely
rated it: 
In my review of Left Hand of Darkness, the first of LeGuin's works that I read, I wondered whether she had the authorial depth to create another unusual vision, or whether her books were all of a similar tone. I admit I did not expect them to be quite this similar.
The first four Hainish stories, despite taking place on different worlds with different characters, all share tone, plot, theme, and character types. We have a male protagonist who has an important position in his society, More...
The first four Hainish stories, despite taking place on different worlds with different characters, all share tone, plot, theme, and character types. We have a male protagonist who has an important position in his society, More...
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Feb 08, 2012
Maureen
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Opening: "In the last days of the moonphase of Autumn a wind blew from the northern ranges through the dying forests of Askatevar, a cold wind that smelled of smoke and snow."
I had previously read the first book in this trilogy (Rocannon's World), and enjoyed it. I've been meaning to finish out the trilogy for awhile and finally picked this one up.
I wasn't sure if this would take place on the same world as Rocannon, and it's been long enough since I read the f More...
I had previously read the first book in this trilogy (Rocannon's World), and enjoyed it. I've been meaning to finish out the trilogy for awhile and finally picked this one up.
I wasn't sure if this would take place on the same world as Rocannon, and it's been long enough since I read the f More...
Jan 26, 2012
One of the reasons it's worthwhile to read these books in order of internal chronology is that, unlike other authors, LeGuin usually didn't reexplain things. So, for example, in one of the books (I think Rocannon's World), LeGuin explains the term 'hilf'. This is not any kind of name, but a designation. An acronym, in fact, for 'highly intelligent life form'.
LeGuin was evidently somewhat dubious about the idea of directional mutation in colonists. Rightly so, arguably. The chan More...
LeGuin was evidently somewhat dubious about the idea of directional mutation in colonists. Rightly so, arguably. The chan More...
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Aug 30, 2011
Emily
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In this very slim novel science fiction novel, a planet's natives ("hilfs") and the "farborn" (human colonists who were left behind a really long time ago, and probably aren't going to be retrieved) are readying for a winter that's going to last the equivalent of fifteen Earth years. Every "Year" a group of barbarians migrate south, raiding hilf settlements on their way. Unfortunately this year they might have figured out how to organize and are probably not going t
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May 26, 2009
Dev
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In Planet of Exile, a group of settlers from the League of Worlds has been abandoned on their colony for hundreds of years, since the ships all ran off to fight in some great and nameless war. The world is one with a long and eccentric orbit, so its years are 60 earth-years long, and its winters particularly harsh and brutal. The colonists are slowly dying out due to low birth rates and incompatabilities with the native ecology, and hampered by their devotion to a code that will not allow them t
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Aug 08, 2011
Steven
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These so-called Hainish Cycle books of Le Guin's that I've been reading lately have really grabbed my interest. Can you tell? I've just been devouring copies from the local public library. Planet of Exile<i/> is the latest. This story is the background for City of Illusions, the last Hainish book I read, but it really doesn't matter what order you read them in. I love how the chronology of the stories has no relation to which order they were written in -- and how sometimes the "Hain-i
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Jul 17, 2010
Danielle
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Ursula K. Le Guin writes in a particularly dry tone, which can set the reader away from the characters. It had the same effect as The Left Hand of Darkness, which I enjoyed despite that aspect of her writing. I also enjoyed this short story, but it was too short to enable me to struggle past the dryness into a real connection with the characters. So though it was an enjoyable read, I couldn't say I loved it. I have to really care about the characters to say that.
The world-building w More...
The world-building w More...
Feb 03, 2011
Meghan
rated it: 
This is, realistically, how a Prime Directive might play out if it were seriously adhered to, over centuries and not 42 minute stretches. It was published the same year that TOS premiered and presumably partakes of a similar zeitgeist.
It's interesting as a period piece and as very early Le Guin. Her introduction teases out the kind of sexism that happens when you say you don't care if your characters are male or female and you just happen to reinforce a pile of sexual stereotypes, More...
It's interesting as a period piece and as very early Le Guin. Her introduction teases out the kind of sexism that happens when you say you don't care if your characters are male or female and you just happen to reinforce a pile of sexual stereotypes, More...
Feb 08, 2010
Aerin
rated it:
I keep reading LeGuin's early books, and I keep wanting to like them, and they just keep disappointing me.
This one wasn't terrible in terms of plot, but her style here is so unbelievably boring. She takes a story about a group of humans, whose ancestors were marooned on an alien planet hundreds of years ago, their interactions (political, personal, and romantic!) with the local intelligent life-forms, an unwinnable war requiring the formation of bitter alliances, during a winter tha More...
This one wasn't terrible in terms of plot, but her style here is so unbelievably boring. She takes a story about a group of humans, whose ancestors were marooned on an alien planet hundreds of years ago, their interactions (political, personal, and romantic!) with the local intelligent life-forms, an unwinnable war requiring the formation of bitter alliances, during a winter tha More...
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May 22, 2011
Evan
rated it:
[NOTE: I did not read this edition, but rather read it in a compilation (ISBN: 0312862113). I have chosen to list it here to allow for separate reviews of the novels within it.]
Planet of Exile is Le Guin's second novel, following her previous novel in the Hainish universe, Rocannon's World. Sadly, like that earlier novel, this one is pretty flawed. To start with, Le Guin's writing style just isn't very well developed, so the prose is tedious even in a novel this short. The story is j More...
Planet of Exile is Le Guin's second novel, following her previous novel in the Hainish universe, Rocannon's World. Sadly, like that earlier novel, this one is pretty flawed. To start with, Le Guin's writing style just isn't very well developed, so the prose is tedious even in a novel this short. The story is j More...
Oct 04, 2011
Esmeralda
rated it:
At 125 pages, I read this tiny book in about a day. It's not one of my favorite LeGuin books by any means; it's a predictable at times, and the charathers and story lack much depth, mostly I think, due to its brevity. I thought it was a good basis for a book, and I liked what I saw, but I saw very little. If this novella had been expanded quite a bit, perhaps it would have been more of a 4 star book, it's hard to say. Still, I enjoyed reading it, and by no means felt like I wasted my book-time o
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Jan 28, 2012
Katarina
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Quite truthfully, I love Ursula Le Guin's writing. She develops characters and worlds in a way that makes them inescapably real. Planet of Exile takes place on a brilliantly imagined world, and has one of the best applications of the Romeo/Juliet plot line I've encountered. Two characters from different species (one alien, one indigenous) fall in love (not as weird as it sounds-- Le Guin is an AMAZING writer). This is, understandably, frowned upon. However, another indigenous species/cultur
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Mar 04, 2009
Paul
rated it:
One of the SF great's early works. Shows improvement from the earlier Rocannon's World. However there are problems - the characters aren't well-developed (although their motivations are), and the author seems to think she has to have a conventional romance at the centre of the narrative. Later, when she developed her own ideas about politics, gender and sex Le Guin wrote more interesting work.
What does work here is the evocation of landscape, with some beautiful winter scenery presaging T More...
What does work here is the evocation of landscape, with some beautiful winter scenery presaging T More...
Jul 08, 2011
What a weird book! I really enjoyed it, but wasn't sure why the whole time I was reading. I found it hard to pay attention to for some reason; but strangely, when something did grab my attention, I realized that I had somehow absorbed the rest without knowing it. I looked back to make sure, and indeed, I remembered what had happened, but hadn't realized it at the time. Like daydreaming on autopilot. There was one thing I really did miss at the time that it transpired, though, which was how the r
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Nov 03, 2010
Oscar
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'Planeta de exilio' es una de las primeras novelas escritas por Ursula K. Le Guin, y en ella ya se distinguen algunos de los planteamientos más característicos de la autora, como pueden ser las relaciones entre distintas culturas, con sus propias costumbres y tabúes. Le Guin es muy hábil inventando mundos y culturas, que le sirven como reflejo de nuestro propio mundo.
En 'Planeta de exilio', los protagonistas viven en el planeta Eltanin. A este planeta llegó una colonia de terráqueos More...
En 'Planeta de exilio', los protagonistas viven en el planeta Eltanin. A este planeta llegó una colonia de terráqueos More...
Oct 27, 2008
eva
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this was the first book that i read in proper sequence in my big chronological le guin project. the plot is interesting, and i liked the mixture of fantasy and sci-fi elements (rolery's culture vs. jakob's). the characters' internal development is nicely fleshed out and convincing, as well as their relationships with society. but their individual, person-to-person relationships seem strangely shallow. i think this a pretty common weakness in le guin's early stuff. the writing is also pretty roug
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Jun 18, 2008
Harry
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“Planet of Exile” is the second novel from the Hainish cycle and like the first book “Rocannon’s World” it is similar in length, contents and the fine blend between science fiction and fantasy.
The setting of “Planet of Exile” happens to be the planet Werel, third from the Gamma Draconis system, which is an extremely peculiar world. One year on Werel is equal to 60 human years, which is pretty much the average life length of the Tevarans, who are the planet’s original inhabitants. Lik More...
The setting of “Planet of Exile” happens to be the planet Werel, third from the Gamma Draconis system, which is an extremely peculiar world. One year on Werel is equal to 60 human years, which is pretty much the average life length of the Tevarans, who are the planet’s original inhabitants. Lik More...
Sep 19, 2009
Jeff
rated it:
++++++++++++++++++++
Sep '09: i discovered a bunch of my What Do I Read Next? reviews from the mid-90s when i was on a serious SF-canon reading tear (and, apparently, averse to capital letters).
++++++++++++++++++++
Plot Summary: after 600 earth years of no contact with the league of all worlds, the terrans ("farborn") still cling to the rigid rules of occupation; natives and terrans still are wary of each other; the terrans have failed to evolve & their numbers ar More...
Sep '09: i discovered a bunch of my What Do I Read Next? reviews from the mid-90s when i was on a serious SF-canon reading tear (and, apparently, averse to capital letters).
++++++++++++++++++++
Plot Summary: after 600 earth years of no contact with the league of all worlds, the terrans ("farborn") still cling to the rigid rules of occupation; natives and terrans still are wary of each other; the terrans have failed to evolve & their numbers ar More...
Jul 17, 2007
Sujit
rated it:
An Ursula K. LeGuin Sci-fi novel which, like a large majority of non-hardcore Sci-Fi Books focuses more on the societal, and individual interplay in fictional lands.
Unfortunately, like most products of the Sci-Fi genre of the 60's / 70's the book plods along for a bit before it gathers steam, so if you're a full fleged member of Gen-ADD, hang in there, ... or dont read it =) Just and FYI ... this characteristic of Sci-Fi novels of the time period are due to the fact that , in large More...
Unfortunately, like most products of the Sci-Fi genre of the 60's / 70's the book plods along for a bit before it gathers steam, so if you're a full fleged member of Gen-ADD, hang in there, ... or dont read it =) Just and FYI ... this characteristic of Sci-Fi novels of the time period are due to the fact that , in large More...
Aug 23, 2009
Stephanie
rated it:
Le Guin's second Hainish novel illustrates the folly and impossibility of attempting to maintain one's original culture as a colonizer of another land. The farborn exiles have only barely survived on this planet that has a 60-year cycle, 20 years each of summer, fall, winter and spring. As winter begins, for the first time in most people's memory, the exiles and the natives are forced to cooperate in order to survive against another native group that's decided to invade.
Jul 31, 2011
benebean
rated it:
This was a very sleepy story for me-- as was the book before it. Nothing really irritated me besides the fact that much of the story was centered around a couple that fell in love in the course of one slightly angry meeting in addition to a fairly mundane conversation shortly after.
Mostly I didn't really care about the characters and only mildly cared about the plot.
2.5
Mostly I didn't really care about the characters and only mildly cared about the plot.
2.5
Feb 14, 2008
Ollie
rated it:
On a remote, unnamed planet, winter is approaching - a season unlike our own, lasting decades. A young girl, Rolery, falls in love with one of the witches that live in the city by the sea - the same witch that warns her tribe of an army of thousands amassing beyond the mountains and ready to conquer their lands.
Le Guin's novella starts out on a slow foot, with a confusing narrative (many characters never going beyond sketches, information which seems important not well explained), b More...
Le Guin's novella starts out on a slow foot, with a confusing narrative (many characters never going beyond sketches, information which seems important not well explained), b More...
Jan 21, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
What happens to colonies on other worlds after no contact with "home" for six hundred years, when the law is to use, more or less, no technology greater than that used by the native high-intelligence life forms? What is adaptability, and intercultural exchange? What is a book, and how does it speak, after 20 generations?
Mar 05, 2010
Lia
rated it:
Le Guin always offers a fascinating read. There's so much under the surface when an advanced society is living near primitive natives, each thinking themselves superior... I would have enjoyed having it be longer, so it could explore more of the various dynamics. And the world itself was also interesting, with its long seasons and solar circuit that takes a lifetime, and the animals and plants and how they work with that habitat.
Sep 04, 2009
Susan
rated it:
7/09 One of LeGuin's Other World Series. Short. Well written and a plot that moves forward but the subject mater wasn't too exciting. Abandoned earthlings stranded on a planet with pre-wheel residents must join with locals to fight off invading barbarians.
Apr 25, 2010
Larry
rated it:
Well this was my first encounter with Le Guin and it was a struggle to finish! The writing style was clumsy in parts and the characters just not that interesting. Just not a lot happened really! This one will be going on Bookmooch. I have City of Illusions and Left Hand of Darkness on my shelf too-just hope things improve with those two.
Dec 29, 2010
Marc
rated it:
Simple straight-forward story. Not bad, not terribly exciting. Felt more like a short story than an actual book but was interesting none-the-less. Concept was not new, although at the time it was published it may have been.
Mar 30, 2011
Raisu
rated it:
As a writer and thinker, Le Guin gets better the older she gets, so may she live to be 210. Her early work, like this novella, isn't bad by any means, simply not as good as the later stuff.
Aug 01, 2011
Heidi
rated it:
Minä sitten pidän näistä Le Guinin vanhoista kirjoista. Niin mukavia ja helppoja pikku suupaloja. Tätä tosin olisin halunnut lukea pitempääkin. Kirjaan mahtui vain muutama viikko historiaa.
Apr 18, 2011
Myles
rated it:
See combined review of this, Rocannon's World, and City of Illusions: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/117...
