A Question About Ursula K Le Guin Novels

[DamianC]

I'm getting into the The Hainish Cycle series but I want to know which one is the first book of the series? Is it Rocannon's World? or Planet of Exile, 1966?

Thanks I would appreciate if someone cleared it up for me because Wikipedia says one thing but the site says another?

 

[GOLLUM]

I'm getting into the The Hainish Cycle series but I want to know which one is the first book of the series? Is it Rocannon's World? or Planet of Exile, 1966?

Thanks I would appreciate if someone cleared it up for me because Wikipedia says one thing but the site says another?

Well, I have an omnibus edition of the original 3 Hainish stories and I can assure you the order of publication is:

Rocannon's World
Planet Of Exile
City Of Illusions.

Of course chronologies are a different story but I always tend to go with the order the books were written.

BTW you may like to try Left Hand Of Darkness if you haven't already. Set in the same world it is arguably Le Guin's most significant/greatest novel.

Cheers....

 

[Jojo999]

Ursal K. LeGuin is one of my favorite authors. I'm disappointed that I have read every one of her SF books and have no more to look forward to.

Check out the Wikipedia page for a complete bibliography of her work.

 

[Grimward]

Ya don't even have to wander that far, Jojo; Rune and others have thoughtfully compiled the same here in the Chrons, in Ursula's sub-forum. Not sure that we've properly welcomed you, but if you're so inclined, drop a thread in the Introductions section and tell us a little more about yourself.

 

[Patrick Mahon]

BTW you may like to try Left Hand Of Darkness if you haven't already. Set in the same world it is arguably Le Guin's most significant/greatest novel.

Having just finished 'The Left Hand of Darkness' today, I'd agree with the above - I thought it was a brilliant read, thoughtful and well-written.

 

[AE35Unit]

Well, I have an omnibus edition of the original 3 Hainish stories and I can assure you the order of publication is:

Rocannon's World
Planet Of Exile
City Of Illusions.

Of course chronologies are a different story but I always tend to go with the order the books were written.

BTW you may like to try Left Hand Of Darkness if you haven't already. Set in the same world it is arguably Le Guin's most significant/greatest novel.

Cheers....

Ah I have the last two in that series. From what I can gather tho they aren't tightly linked so can be read in any order?
Left Hand in the same universe?

 

[GOLLUM]

Ah I have the last two in that series. From what I can gather tho they aren't tightly linked so can be read in any order?
Left Hand in the same universe?

Yes, you don't have to read in specific order although they do have a chronological order to them and are a little loosely based around the Hains.

I think the 'series' encompasses the best of Le Guin.

Cheers....

 

[iansales]

There's the order of publication, and then there's the order according to the internal chronology of the novels and stories. I notice that the bibliography linked to by Grimward incorrectly leaves The Word for World is Forest, Four Ways to Forgiveness and The Telling out of the Hainish Cycle.

According to the Wikipedia page here, the order by internal chronology is (year of publication in brackets):

The Dispossessed (1974)
The Word for World is Forest (1976)
Rocannon's World (1964)
Planet of Exile (1966)
City of Illusions (1967)
The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)
Four Ways to Forgiveness (1995)
The Telling (2000)

 

[j d worthington]

Thanks for that, Ian. It's been years since I've read any of those (and a few I haven't read at all), so wasn't aware some belonged to that cycle. Will have to pick up those I don't have and set them aside for a reading in proper series-chronological order....

 

[iansales]

I've read them all, and I don't think it actually matters what order you read them in. Although I'd leave Four Ways to Forgiveness and The Telling until last, as I seem to remember they're the most consciously books in a "cycle".