Ended up going from thrilled to disappointed with Le guin

[shadow9d9]

First I read The Left Hand of Darkness. Fantastic book, one of my favorites. Then I tried the following books with the following ratings: keep in mind I have read(tried) all of these in the past 2.5 weeks or so)

The Left Hand of Darkness- 4.425

Rocannon's World- 3.6
Planet of Exiles- 3.7
City of Illusions- 3.7 stopped halfway through... too much travelling-akin to the hobbit
The Lathe Of Heaven- 3.6 stopped at page 110-too simple, not much substance
Wizard of Earthsea- 3.5 Stopped at 80 pages in... very average and by the books compared to today's standards
The dispossessed- put the book on hold after page 20-seemed to be the all too familiar characters put in a strange land and must adapt story that I read already in Left hand, rocannon, exiles, and illusions...

I am always looking for new authors, and although Left Hand was exceptional, I felt her books became formulaic with the same story over and over again... Anyone else feel disappointed with her works? Maybe it is just that her other works simply haven't aged well compared to the more complex books out there now.

Here is a list of reviews for all the books I've read in the last 2 years for comparison's sakes:
3 of Arthur C. Clarke's short stories Big Game hunter+ - 1.3
Murder on the Orient Express- 3.875
A Song of Fire and Ice Game of Thrones - 4.7x
Prince of Nothing- A Darkness that Came Before- 4.7x
Dragonriders of Pern Dragonflight - 4.55
Dragonquest-4.55
The White Dragon- 4.25
Dragonsong- 3.6
Dragonsinger- 3.65
Dragondrums- 3.65
The Rowan- 3.65
The Left Hand of Darkness- 4.425
Rocannon's World- 3.6
Planet of Exiles- 3.7
City of Illusions- 3.7 stopped halfway through... too much travelling-akin to the hobbit
The Lathe Of Heaven- 3.6 stopped at page 110-too simple, not much substance
Watership Down- 4.35
Vorkosigan Warrior's Apprentice- 4.35
Shards Of Honor- 3.2
Ethan of Athos- 3.6
Falling Free- 3.5
Barrayar- 4.3
The Vor Game- 4.0
Cetaganda- 4.3
Borders of Infinity 1- 3.8
2- 4.35
3- 4.25
Brothers in Arms- 4.35
Mirror Dance- 3.9
Good Omens-4.3
Discworld- A Colour of Magic- 3.1
A Light Fantastic- 3.2
Equal Rites- 2.9
Mort -3.75
Sourcery- 3.8
Wyrd Sisters- 3.4
Pyramids- 3.7
Eric- 3.5
Guards! Guards! -4
Moving Pictures- 3.4
Reaper Man- 4.0
Witches abroad- 4.25
Small Gods- 1
Fahrenheit 451- 3.6
Stranger in a Strange Land- 2
Neverwhere-3.7
Star Trek Unity- 2
Star Trek Avatar 1-2 -3.85
Star Trek A Stitch in Time a 4.25
Star Trek 34th rule- 3.8
Star Trek Abyss- 3.6
Star Trek Left Hand of Destiny 1-2 -3.2
Star Trek Legends of the Ferengi- 3.9
Star Trek Worlds Of Deep Space Nine Book 1 Cardassia- 2
Just a Geek- 4.2
Inside Out- 4
The Hobbit- 2.5
Something Wicked this Way Comes- 3.2
Ilium- Stopped at page 75, A non gripping story, not crazy about settings.
Deed of Paksenarrion- Stopped at page 70, 2.5-very average, by the books.
Crystal Singer- Stopped at page 125-too simple, uninspiring, nothing ever happens!
Wizard of Earthsea- 3.5 Stopped at 80 pages in... very average and by the books compared to today's standards

 

[Cloud]

I felt her books became formulaic with the same story over and over again...

This is the part of your post that I agree with. I often feel that authors' ingenue efforts are much better than later ones, and there are many authors I dump after a while.

Ursula Le Guin is one of the greatest thematic SF writers ever. "The Lathe of Heaven," "The Dispossessed," "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Wizard of Earthsea" are all must-read classics. But I stopped reading after "The Word for World is Forest." Great title, beautiful world, but ultimately uninteresting.

But I have to say --- all those reviews by number? I'm very afraid. Time to take up another hobby like say, belly dancing or knife collecting.

 

[shadow9d9]

This is the part of your post that I agree with. I often feel that authors' ingenue efforts are much better than later ones, and there are many authors I dump after a while.

Ursula Le Guin is one of the greatest thematic SF writers ever. "The Lathe of Heaven," "The Dispossessed," "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Wizard of Earthsea" are all must-read classics. But I stopped reading after "The Word for World is Forest." Great title, beautiful world, but ultimately uninteresting.

But I have to say --- all those reviews by number? I'm very afraid. Time to take up another hobby like say, belly dancing or knife collecting.

Good post, but I do not understand the last bit. Does it worry you that I took time to rate them?

It happened that way for a reason. 2 years ago I ran out of sci fi to watch on tv and turned to reading. My best friend gave me a ton of recommendations, and in order for him(and others) to give me recommendations suited to my tastes, I figured I should rate each book as I read them. That way my friend and others will know what kind of books I like and don't like.

The ratings are fairly harsh, but I rate things I love very critically. Game of Thrones was originally 4.75 because I consider a 5.0 to be a flawless perfect book. Prince of Nothing book one was difficult to compare to Game of Thrones since I read them os far apart and they are both something I consider to be my favorite, so I changed the ratings to a 4.7x indicating that they are so close I cannot put one ahead or below the other. If I find a book better, I will start with a 4.80!

Crazy? Maybe, but it is easy to rate as you go than to review things you've read a while before, that may be tainted by nostalgia!

 

[Cloud]

it was meant as gentle ribbing for a little over-the-top-ness

 

[shadow9d9]

it was meant as gentle ribbing for a little over-the-top-ness

Aye, that be me.

 

[Cloud]

no worries. Lots of sympathetic fellow loonies. . . uh . . . fans here! That's why we're here, after all.

I'm so uncritical, though. Most of the time, I either like something, or not. It's enjoyable, or not; boring, or interesting. I don't like to pick things apart too much.

 

[Robert M. Blevins]

Here's something good about LeGuin, though. She has a real nice website and does answer all snail mail personally. Takes a while, but she does answer. Also, if you send her an SASE, she will send you six little posters of book covers. Very nice.
In reality, she is a beautiful person, lives in Portland, Oregon USA.

I do agree some of her works are better than others. However, she's made a good living with sci-fi, and that in itself is worth something.

 

[Cloud]

thanks for that tip! the website is worth a look.

 

[The Wanderer]

I am always looking for new authors, and although Left Hand was exceptional, I felt her books became formulaic with the same story over and over again... Anyone else feel disappointed with her works? Maybe it is just that her other works simply haven't aged well compared to the more complex books out there now.

I belive the reverse is the case, todays books lack the complexity

 

[Fried Egg]

I belive the reverse is the case, todays books lack the complexity

Actually, I find it the opposite way around. Many modern books are generally overly complex and lack the simplicity of books in the past. However, I generally see simplicity as a good thing (not to be confused with simplistic).

 

[Fried Egg]

shadow9d9

Just a few comments on some of your ratings:

Wizard of Earthsea- 3.5 Stopped at 80 pages in... very average and by the books compared to today's standards

I think you should try again with this one. It blows away any modern fantasy in my opinion.

The dispossessed- put the book on hold after page 20-seemed to be the all too familiar characters put in a strange land and must adapt story that I read already in Left hand, rocannon, exiles, and illusions...

It seems to me here that you have overlooked one of the key themes of this book that set it apart from her other works (and indeed that of most other authors). It is above all else a meditation on a social system of anarchy and how it might work out in practice. This anarchic society is also compared in stark contrast to the capitalist society (resembling a futuristic vision of our own society) of it's sister planet through the eyes of a disallusioned anarchist. The scientific theme of the book is almost incidental and little more than a plot device really.

The Lathe Of Heaven- 3.6 stopped at page 110-too simple, not much substance

Again, I feel that you overlooking the substsance of this work which is primarilly concerned with the philisophical implications of trying to control our own destiny.

 

[mosaix]

Some of those ratings are to 3 decimal places!

 

[The Wanderer]

>The dispossessed- put the book on hold after page 20-seemed to be the all too familiar characters put in a strange land and must adapt story that I read already in Left hand, rocannon, exiles, and illusions...<

It seems to me here that you have overlooked one of the key themes of this book that set it apart from her other works (and indeed that of most other authors). It is above all else a meditation on a social system of anarchy and how it might work out in practice. This anarchic society is also compared in stark contrast to the capitalist society (resembling a futuristic vision of our own society) of it's sister planet through the eyes of a disallusioned anarchist. The scientific theme of the book is almost incidental and little more than a plot device really.

Indeed, the book is quite simply in the elite of SF classics, it has to be - beutifully written and psycholocally real in it's depiction of someone who is a forever outsider who sees all the flaws

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

The simplicity of some of LeGuin's work can be deceptive. She is a very elegant writer, and the complexities of her work can come out in very subtle shadings. You also, sometimes, have to get to the end of the book to appreciate how everything comes together -- how the theme serves the story and vice-versa.

And the whole idea of rating books with such precision when one hasn't even come close to finishing them just boggles my mind.

 

[Fried Egg]

That's what I like about Le Guin, simple on the surface yet hiding layers of complexity that can be delved into or simply ignored. Contrast that with the style of some mordern authors who's work is complex on the surface yet are actually quite shallow.

 

[The Procrastinator]

Completely agree. An excellent example of this deceptive subtlely is the Lathe of Heaven, which is a great rereader - you see more in it every time. And yet the language is so straightforward and ...simple is the word, but simple like love, not simple like Simon. Le Guin's older books teem with this quality.

 

[Maletbon]

Shadow, it's cool your username is that because A Wizard of Earthsea is a fable in the Jungian style of the human being's encounter with the shadow of his own psyche. We studied it in English Lit., and our professor practically had a cow over how good it is.

Leguin to me is not only a great fantasy writer, she's one of the greatest living American novelists. I love that you get so accurate in your estimations. Very cool. Have you ever give a book pi?

 

[Moggle]

It's too bad this post is so old but since the OP is actually still posting on sffc as of a month ago I'll respond as if it was recent. First of all I haven't read all the other books you've listed. Maybe just 2 out of the entire list. Secondly I wasn't really a huge fan of Wizard of Earthsea but it wasn't bad. It has all the necessarily core elements for an interesting intro to future books. The hero was well established and developed as a character. The story was compelling albeit a little too simple. But I just figured that would take care of itself with the second book, which coincidentally didn't happen because Le Guin began telling a completely different story. Anyway what I found interesting is your rating of 3.5 in comparison to another book I read, Dragonflight which you gave a 4.55 to. By all accounts a wizard of Earthsea is the far superior book. If that book is average then Dragonflight is just plain pathetic. There's really only two words to describe that book, dull and boring. The main character is barely even developed and the plot was just plain silly. This is why ratings are so deceptive. I'll never figure what ppl are thinking.

 

[CBellenis]

I've found some of her later books harder - a but too much like 'serious literature' for me. But she is one of the best concept writers around! What if: 'genders were different', 'anarchy could work' etc.
Word for world is forest is a great book, I read it when I was still quite young, so the the theme for me then was still new -and Earthsea is the ultimate sword and sorcery with meaning thrown in.
Her Jungian background shows through, but in an illuminating, rather than intrusive way.
One of the best writers ever; although, again, I her later stuff is much less 'page-turney'

 

[jojajihisc]

I started The Lathe of Heaven and I think it is excellent so far. The implications of having such a power and the utter mystery that goes along with it leave plenty to ponder. There is a consistent concern with the environment in the book as well which, presently, seems timely. Still trying to figure out how the author of this thread thinks it's "simple" and it having "not much substance."