Ursula Le Guin Collection: Left Hand of Darkness, The Earthsea Quartet & The Dispossessed

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Politics, Childrens

Paperback

First published August 11, 2011

About the author

Ursula K. Le Guin published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. She lived in Portland, Oregon.

She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.

Reviews

[Nick Paccino]

From the collection I read only one...
“Τhe Dispossessed” is a magnificent political novel. The author manages, through science fiction, to communicate to the reading public great reflections on how a more just society should be structured. It's what I call... "romantic anarchism", where violence is absent, but primary thinking and intellect are rampant!

[Pippa]

I don't know why all these books are bunged in together but I've read them all, so here goes. The Earthsea trilogy, as it was for a long time, was superb. My personal favourite volume was the second, about Tenar. I loved it, like a personal myth. All three volumes were excellent. The fourth volume was tacked on several years later and I didn't like it much. I think it would have been better to have left it as a trilogy... but she is still within the five star range as the rest is brilliant.

Left Hand of Darkness I don't remember too well, but will change this if I find a review. I think it was very good.

The Dispossessed was also excellent. Leguin was exploring philosophical anarchism and the possibility of creating a truly anarchist society. She skips from one society to another and back again, and it makes the structure a bit disjointed, but I'm not sure how else she could have done it. A very interesting book.

[Artemis]

This author changed the way I look at the world. LeGuin's novel The Left Hand of Darkness, showed me that words really do have a magical power to change the way you see the world and how you interact with it. I can't recommend this book enough, but you have to be ready to let your mind be expanded.

[Irena Pranjić]

Ovo je skoro prvi sf koji sam ikada čitala. Na čitanje sam se odlučila na preporuku bivšeg dečka i to baš zato da pobijedim svoju averziju prema ovome žanru. Odmah na početku čitanja postalo mi je jasno da knjigu neću moći pročitati u dan-dva, već da nekako zahtijeva da se čitanje rasporedi na dulje vrijeme. Prvih pedesetak stranica sam prekretala očima na sve ono što me u sf-ovima odbija, a to je prevelika količina nove terminologije koja se odnosi na nepostojeću svemirsku tehnologiju i geografiju, no kroz čitanje sam se na kraju naviknula na to, naročito zato jer je većina izmišljenih naziva u ovoj knjizi bila vrlo zanimljivo konstruirana i stvarala je riječi koje su prhke, hrskave i lijepo krckaju pod zubima. Naročito ću rado zapamtiti termin koji se najviše ponavljao, a to je "kemer" koji bi bio pandan parenju, te uz njega i termin "šifgretor", što je nešto kao čast. Ono što se probilo kroz sve moje štitove je činjenica da Ursula Le Guin fantastično piše i da je knjiga odlično prevedena pa su sve te stvari koje su me smetale postale nebitne. Zamijetila sam da je konzistentan ritam da se na svakoj novoj stranici dođe do nove etape priče, a ono što je u cijeloj priči daje veličinu jest univerzalna ljudskost koja probija iz brojnih detalja ali i iz cjeline koja govori o savladavanju golemih prepreka, epskom putovanju i pitanjima odnosa društva i pojedinca. Kroz prizmu drugog svijeta, Ursula Le Guin čini začudnim neke od "normalnosti" našeg svijeta, naročito kada su u pitanju muško-ženski odnosi, što je bio jedan od razloga zbog kojeg mi je ova knjiga bila i preporučena, obzirom da se bavim tom temom već dulje vrijeme. Jezik joj je fantastičan, bogat, puna je lijepih zapažanja i knjiga je zbog toga zaista divna. Nisam pronašla podatak da je ekranizirana, što mi je bilo drago jer mi je muka od ekranizacija i sretna sam da postoji primjer koji dozvoljava čitateljima da svojim očima vide svijet koji književnik/ca oslikava riječima. Na kraju samo još da dodam, na osobnoj razini knjiga me duboko pogodila zato jer govori da ponekad u životu popušiš čak i kad uložiš nadljudske napore, a upravo od toga sam umorna i u vlastitom životu.

[Audrey Stephens]

Reading the Dispossessed right now. Have read the others in this collection before. Excellent. The Dispossessed is really interesting and well written like all of LeGuin. She poses the question of what happens when two totally different societies, one like ours with possessions, money, competition and one which is totally socialized to the point of no personal ownership of goods or any need to money come into contact with each other after a long separation. The separation is caused by an exodus of a group of "rebel" humans to their planet's moon.

[Trina P Hall]

Ursula Le Guin is the god-mother of gender-bending societal experimentation through fantasy and science fiction. One of my all time favorite authors! If you find yourself in Portland, OR. Make sure to go to downtown Powell's books. You can often find signed copies of her work there.

[apagankitten]

I'm totally confused as to why all these series are lumped together, but that's fine. I'm finishing up the Earthsea Trilogy and love it. its nice with its more classic writing style and tales of heroes and personal growth. I immensely enjoyed "The Tombs of Atuan" and recommend the series highly. I don't have much interest in reading the fourth book that was added years later so this review doesn't cover that book.

[Brian Demay]

My favorite author. Her prose reads like poetry. Every word matters. No chaff. Beautiful stuff.

[Zaffida]

Left Hand of Darkness

[David]

I would give this 3 and a half stars if I had that option. Very well written, lots to chew on in terms of civilization, anthropology, psychology, government, the blurred line between utopia/dystopia, some great humor. I love that there are propertarians and archists as well as anarchists. At times, I felt that the story was a little bogged down by all the ideas and great dialogue. No big complaints, lots to recommend, but not always a page-turner.

[Mary Jo]

The Dispossessed is simply the best political science fiction book ever written. Left hand of Darkness and the novella Winter's King pose interesting questions about the meaning of gender and gender roles. Strongly recommend.

[Oneiric Moor]

La mano sinistra delle tenebre, uno dei miei libri preferiti di sempre. Una commovente storia sul tema dell'amicizia, ambientazione fantastica e personaggi mai banali, tanto che meriterebbe d'entrare nelle scuole.

[Jeanne Grossetti]

Brilliantly written and deeply significant. I love Ms. LeGuin's writing, and often think of this novel, which I first read decades ago. If I had only one small book shelf, I would keep The Dispossessed next to Hesse's Magister Ludi, and re-read them often.

[Brian]

The dispossessed is possibly my favourite book of all time ... 6 times read.

[Ivan Prihhodko]

Simply classical work, much more than a mere fantasy. The atmosphere is unique.

[Kathy Jennings]

I read all of these as individual books and loved them all.

[Mark Fearing]

I've read and reread so many times...not sure when I read them the first time.

[Joe Marker]

I reread the Hainish Cycle in chronological narrative order. Th Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness are still my favorites. Beginning and End.

[Sylvia]

I only read The Left Hand of Darkness which was amazing.

[Emily]

I only read the first one so far, but I liked it. Smart writing, good world building, sympathetic characters.

[Carmen]

Currently, my favorite author. She focuses on Sci-Fi universes and moral issues.

[Ellen Larson]

Simply the best.

[Dom]

Epic