Ended up going from thrilled to disappointed with Le guin

[Rasputin]

I think Le Guin's novels are smart. The Dispossed & Left Hand of Darkness are exploring themes of politics and sex relations more than most sci-fi dares to dwell. The Lathe of Heaven was a good look at management gone awry and how power in the wrong hands can harm when it is pretending its doing good but with it's own agenda. I read an interview with Le Guin in which she said she would never write another book like The Dispossed because the years of research she put in to it was for the young and she no longer is. Darn - I was going to go on and on but The Spanish Prisoner is on and Ive been meaning to catch that film.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I will admit that The Word For World Is Forest is a little obvious, but I second Fried Egg's perceptive comments on The Disposessed and especially The Lathe Of Heaven which is the best Philip K. Dick novel that Philip K. Dick never wrote.

 

[bluespider100]

Ilium- Stopped at page 75, A non gripping story, not crazy about settings.

You should give this book a chance, it's a slow start I agree, but it's an interesting read.

 

[Jane Holland]

I didn't want to bump this thread, and did a blog post in reply to it instead, but have been encouraged to post here, so here's a bit of a cheat: hop over to my blog to read my post on Le Guin. Hope that's acceptable.

I wanted to put in a link to the post, but alas, Computer Says No, because I don't have enough posts.

 

[The Judge]

Well, since the thread is bumped, why don't you copy and paste, Jane. Saves work for the rest of us.


Er... realised read the post wrong, so linked for you... http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/blogs/jane-holland/732-a-note-on-le-guin.html

 

[mdlachlan]

I love Le Guin and she's a major influence on my writing. The thing about her is that she can actually write. That is she comes up with new, arresting and original ways of describing things that avoid sentimentality, over-elaboration or cliché. Now there's not many writers - in SF, Fantasy, other genres or 'literature' who can claim that.
She has great ideas but her terrain is the emotions. The Tombs of Atuan remains one of my favourite-ever fantasy novels and I thought Tehanu was simply breathtaking. It was very far from being a kids' book but the writing was excellent and the characters vivid and real. I don't think you can ask much more from a book.

 

[itstito]

Le Guin can indeed write. And has a very distinctive voice. Her prose is clear, unpretentious, and beautifully poetic. And like Neil Gaiman once mentioned, she knows what dragons are really all about!

 

[PrinceAshitaka]

As a previous poster pointed out, The Disposessed is a really profound look at different political systems, etc..
I wish to point out the reasons that overlooking the Earthea series is.. well.. is causing you to miss out on a lot.
A Wizard of Earthsea is a pretty simple story, but it's a set-up of one of the more profound series I've ever read. It's about magic and dragons, yes, but it's also about life, about living in a way which respects the Earth, about responsibility, about the potential for change.. And the last book in the series is a great comparison of the way different cultures percieve the afterlife to be..