Young Gav can remember the page of a book after seeing it once, and, inexplicably, he sometimes "remembers" things that are going to happen in the ...
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May 25, 2011
Lucy
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Having absolutely loved 'Gifts' and 'Voices', I was delighted to find a copy of Powers in my local bookshop. Ignoring the poor state of my bank account, I bought 'Powers' and am extremely glad I did.
After the beauty and power of 'Voices' and the sparse simplicity of 'Gifts', I read 'Powers' in a day and again became completely lost in the world and stories of the Western Shores.
'Powers' is slower and in some ways rougher (not in writing, but in characters and happenings More...
After the beauty and power of 'Voices' and the sparse simplicity of 'Gifts', I read 'Powers' in a day and again became completely lost in the world and stories of the Western Shores.
'Powers' is slower and in some ways rougher (not in writing, but in characters and happenings More...
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Sep 09, 2010
Ceridwen
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Recently, after Richard finished reading a novel, I asked him if he would recommend I read it. He replied that he thought I'd be too irritated by the central theology, and probably wouldn't enjoy it. The story was fine and all, solid, but I would freak out. Which all lead me to my new-found theory of irritants. Even in genres or styles one typically enjoys, there's always that one idea that, rationally or irrationally, sets a reader off and negates the enjoyment. I hate cats in fiction, hate the
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Dec 24, 2011
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com
I kept glancing back at the cover when I started reading Ursula K. Le Guin's POWERS. It sounded so different from the EARTHSEA series that it didn't even seem like the same author. It was much longer and more personal than anything I had ever read from her before. But, as I read on, a lot of what I loved from older books, like the descriptions and the colorful characters, gradually surfaced here.
Set in a world much like Ancie More...
I kept glancing back at the cover when I started reading Ursula K. Le Guin's POWERS. It sounded so different from the EARTHSEA series that it didn't even seem like the same author. It was much longer and more personal than anything I had ever read from her before. But, as I read on, a lot of what I loved from older books, like the descriptions and the colorful characters, gradually surfaced here.
Set in a world much like Ancie More...
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Feb 05, 2009
Ursula Le Guin is already much beloved by science fiction readers young and old—not only because she writes compelling novels for adults and adolescents but also because she has been doing so for nearly 50 years. Powers has been published as a young adult novel, but reviewers agree that anyone will enjoy Le Guin's complex characters, fascinating worlds, and explorations of power and learning. Critics emphasize, however, that Gavir's growing pains will appeal to today's young readers, particular
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Oct 30, 2011
Chris
rated it: 
Gifts, Voices and Powers, as well as being linked by sharing geography and key characters, are together an exploration of what exactly constitutes magic and magical abilities. Gifts showed two individuals, Orrec and Gry, developing talents that could equally be regarded as non-magical in our own world, namely storytelling, poetry and empathy with animals. Voices focused on Memer, whose apparent gift of prophecy actually called into doubt that oracles, with their ambiguous messages, could actuall
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Oct 19, 2011
Julia
rated it: 
Well, this was disappointing. I listened to this book on audio CD and the only reason I finished it was that I was stuck at work and wanted something to listen to.
Don't get me wrong. The writing is beautiful, the style is engaging and the character development is beyond reproach. What is my problem then? The book is simply too dull. The main character never does anything, he is just carried from place to place by fate and external forces. And nothing really happens. True, people die, More...
Don't get me wrong. The writing is beautiful, the style is engaging and the character development is beyond reproach. What is my problem then? The book is simply too dull. The main character never does anything, he is just carried from place to place by fate and external forces. And nothing really happens. True, people die, More...
Jul 06, 2011
Sheila
rated it:
Gavir, protagonist of Powers, is a young slave, content enough in his ordered life, knowing he's part of something he can be proud of. Gavir trusts his Father/owner, loves his sister, and navigates the world of power-hungry leaders and bullying followers with confident aplomb, through war and peace, until one day his world is turned on its end and he runs away. What follows is a journey through different civilizations of the author’s imaginary world, and through concepts of our own. Freedom, reb
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Jan 30, 2011
Angie
rated it:
This book is definitely not as good as Voices. I thought it was slow and overly long. The first 2/3 of the book was pretty dull; the story didn't pick up till the very end. I was very frustrated with the character of Gavir as well. It seemed he kept finding himself in very similar situations, but he never seemed to learn from them. That is one of my pet peeves with books. There has to be some kind of character growth or maturation. Gav didn't see to grow until almost the end of the book. He was
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Dec 30, 2009
Tomhl
rated it:
This Young Adult SF novel won the 2008 Nebula award. It is Le Guin's third in the Annals of the Western Shore - the earlier books being Gifts, and Voices. The three novels take place in geographically separated areas on an unspecified planet with technological development roughly like medieval Europe. The plots are sequential in time, but concern different characters, and the books can be read as stand-alones.
I have not read Gifts or Voices - if I had I probably would have recognized More...
I have not read Gifts or Voices - if I had I probably would have recognized More...
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Jul 21, 2009
Tatiana
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This one was the longest and best of the three. I really loved it and didn't want it to be over. It follows the story of a slave boy in an important house in a large city. He was stolen from the Marsh People as a baby, and has little or no memory of his home.
UKL understands slavery, what it does to your mind and how it changes who you are. She's well-acquainted with grief. Sometimes her stories are like pain dipped in honey, they're so sad and beautiful.
Through t More...
UKL understands slavery, what it does to your mind and how it changes who you are. She's well-acquainted with grief. Sometimes her stories are like pain dipped in honey, they're so sad and beautiful.
Through t More...
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Aug 14, 2011
Patricia J.
rated it:
Really a 4.5. This book resonates afterwards. I did an experiment--I both listened to it on audiobook and read a hardback at the same time--a bit of one and then the other. It gave me diferent experiences but wasn't jarring to move back and forth. I liked to hear it read to me, but I loved looking at words-on-page and filling my head with the scenes and soaking up the language.
Ursula LeGuin always develops intricate cultures that form her characters, which makes for rich, storytelling of More...
Ursula LeGuin always develops intricate cultures that form her characters, which makes for rich, storytelling of More...
Apr 28, 2010
Tom
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Gav and his sister Sallo, children of the Marsh people, are taken by slavers and sold to a rich family in the City State of Etra. They were so young that they have no memory of their home. Gav is made an apprentice to the family's teacher, and learns his letters, and the stories and poems of his culture. It helps that he has an eidetic (photograhic) memory. He also has the ability to "remember" future events. His position makes him the target of the wrath of Hoby, another slave who is
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Sep 08, 2009
Nikki
rated it:
Hmm. The three books of this trilogy aren't that directly related -- I think they can be read alone. I think Voices is probably the best, in that it has a plot as well as the other things that make Le Guin's writing so lovely. I might like this better on a reread, as I did with Gifts, but I think perhaps I found this the weakest -- and I'm not sure why I think so, really. It seems quite slow, and ponderous, and there doesn't seem to be much of a conclusion or climax. The themes of stories and le
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May 02, 2010
David
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This book was very touching. After finish reading this book I found out that it was the third book of the series but they are not connected so you can understand it even if you have yet to read the other two books. I'd advise that you read the first two because I have heard there is a better feel to the ending if you read the other two. The book was about a boy named Gavir who was kidnapped and became a city state slave who was educated and was to become the upcoming teacher of they house t
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May 26, 2009
Helen
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I've only read very few of Le Guin's books, but I find her books really hard to get into. I struggled through the first book in the series although at the end I found it very satisfying, and the second book was interesting for the conflicts between two cultures but I found the actual story quite boring. The third book however, was absolutely wonderful. This feels like the complete story in the series whereas the first felt like a prequel of sorts and the second book more of a commentary.
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Jan 10, 2011
Marija
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In my previous reviews for the preceding two books in this trilogy, I commented that they could read as standalone novels. This last installment to the trilogy is no exception, and in fact this story strays the most. Yet at the book’s end, the overall story arc does come full circle and in a way that is completely satisfying.
Unlike in Gifts and Voices, where our original narrator Orrec Caspro is still very much a major player, Powers is solely Gavir’s story…a personal reflection writ More...
Unlike in Gifts and Voices, where our original narrator Orrec Caspro is still very much a major player, Powers is solely Gavir’s story…a personal reflection writ More...
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Aug 28, 2009
Heather
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This is a series where I really wish I had actually bought the books as I read them instead of getting them from the library. With other series books by Ursula K. Le Guin I've also had this feeling. I know there are connections between the three books, but I can't quite put my finger on them ad Le Guin doesn't feel the need to interfere with the flow of this particular story to make those connections clear. I actually really respect her for that, but I'm now left with so many questions about how
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Jan 01, 2012
Brandon
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This book was on par with the other two books in the series although it was very different from both of them. Powers lacks an exciting storyline that grips readers from start to finish, but does so deliberately. Instead, it offers a slow-paced look through the eyes of a boy as he grows into manhood and discovers himself. The book reads as a set of stories that weave themselves into the broad story of a man's life. The best part about this book is that it is completely unpredictable without being
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Jan 13, 2009
Michele
rated it:
Ursula K. LeGuin is the daughter of a famous anthropologist and it shows. I love reading her work because of the depth of culture behind the worlds she creates. Powers is no exception. This book is more than a journey from slavery to freedom, more than surviving terrible betrayal and tragedy. To me, it is about what it means to be fully human and the triumph of embracing that humanity.
I listened to the audio book, which was well done. I think it is best read by older children due to More...
I listened to the audio book, which was well done. I think it is best read by older children due to More...
Jun 06, 2010
Porter
rated it:
While reading this book, I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be YA-fic or not. This is a good thing.
It had the same familiar YA-fic structure, but the story had a certain gravitas that made me think that it was not intended to be YA-fic.
(The answer is that is yes -- it is YA-fic.)
It's not much that's terribly new here -- it kept reminding me of other fantastic books I've read in the past -- but it is a good, solid, enjoyable, and interesting story.
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It had the same familiar YA-fic structure, but the story had a certain gravitas that made me think that it was not intended to be YA-fic.
(The answer is that is yes -- it is YA-fic.)
It's not much that's terribly new here -- it kept reminding me of other fantastic books I've read in the past -- but it is a good, solid, enjoyable, and interesting story.
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Aug 01, 2009
Andi
rated it:
I loved this book! Gav is about 11 when the story starts. He is a house slave in a city state in another time and place. He starts out thinking he has a pretty good life but gradually he begins to understand the injustice of the whole system. He is educated to be a teacher. When his sister is murdered he runs away and begins a journey to discover his powers and his place in the world. One one level the book is about justice and freedom, on another level it is about friendship, family ties, and c
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Apr 07, 2009
Wealhtheow
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Gavir is a young house slave in a city state not unlike Greece. As children, he and his sister live sheltered lives, with privileges similar to the children of their master's family. Only a horrifying tragedy to a slave girl drives him away from his masters, and his unthinking loyalty. He runs away and stumbles into a band of merry-making runaway slaves, where he lives as a bard in their egalitarian society--equal, that is, so long as you are male. Once more, only obvious brutality to a slav
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Jan 20, 2011
Liz
rated it:
Ursula Le Guin has been my favourite writer since I was about seven so obviously I'm biased. HOWEVER. this was really really great and I would recommend it even if you can't be bothered with the previous two books in the series. I loved le Guin's take on the invisibility of misogyny and sexual violence to well-meaning men, and on patriarchy in revolutionary movements. I also loved that the protagonist being ripped away from his ancestral culture is an important part of the plot and doesn't co
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Jun 18, 2009
Aaron
rated it:
I listened to the audiobook on a road trip. For a young adult book I found it complex (it had a lot of characters that played crucial roles in the book). That being said, I was extremely disappointed with the ending. The book just ends...there is no resolutions of any kind in this book. Additionally, many of the characters that are mentioned just vanish from the story without coming back (and these were main characters). I spent many hours listening to this book (fourteen) and felt a huge let do
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Jul 03, 2011
Jon
rated it:
Powers won the 2008 Nebula for Best Novel, so I read it as part of my project to read all of the Nebula novels. That puts me at 32 out of 46, including all of the ones 1992-2009. Earlier this year, the novels Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis won the 2010 award. I started reading Blackout last year, but my increasingly hectic life got in the way of finishing it before it was due back to the library. I'm going to try the Kindle route with George RR Martin's new Song of Ice and Fire book lat
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Apr 06, 2009
Montana
rated it:
I usually do not read fantasy or science fiction (I primarily read nonfiction), but Le Guin's books are becoming a welcome addition to my diet. I enjoy the fact that her books are more of a meditation on the essence of being human no matter what "clothing" they wear. This is a beautiful coming of age story for anybody who has ever wondered what are they supposed to be or do in their life. Gav's quest to find his fate is everybody's quest. Plus, the "ancient roman-like" set
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Mar 22, 2010
Kat
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Powers is the third and, in my opinion, the best of the Annals of the Western Shore novels. In this book, we meet Gavir, a slave in the City State of Etra. Gavir was born in the marshes but was stolen, along with his sister, by slavers and brought to Etra. He has the power to clearly remember things he has seen before and even some events that have not yet happened to him. This power is not uncommon in the marshes, but the people of Etra fear powers, so his sister tells him not to speak of it. H
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Jun 21, 2009
Oscar
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Con 'Poderes', Ursula K. Le Guin ha demostrado que se puede escribir una excelente novela del gĂ©nero fantástico sin necesidad de incluir esos elementos tolkinianos tan de moda Ăşltimamente en la fantasĂa: orcos, elfos, dragones, bolas de fuego, magia... TambiĂ©n es la demostraciĂłn de que una buena historia, compleja y rica en sus planteamientos, no tiene por quĂ© destrozarte la mano con sus más de 800 páginas, que con menos de la mitad es suficiente.
'Poderes' cuenta la historia de Gavir More...
'Poderes' cuenta la historia de Gavir More...
Jan 08, 2009
Brandy
rated it: 
I liked the first two books better. The idea behind this book is good; it just took forever to get going, and the descriptive writing was too much. I found myself skimming here and there. Also, the main character(s) are slaves and some are called "gift-girls". They are given to the men and I didn't like this part for the young adult reader. The girls feel honored to be "given", when in fact they are glorified sex slaves. This ruined the story. I wouldn't recommend this
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Mar 02, 2011
Robert
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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