Lightspeed Magazine, September 2011

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Every month Lightspeed Magazine features all kinds of science from
near-future, sociological soft sf, to far-future, star-spanning hard sf, and
anything and everything in

In Liz Coleman's "Join," a man who has always felt alienated returns home to
visit his family on Earth, and brings with him part of his new family-a
newborn, parasitic alien.

Most of the universe is the regions between galaxies, yet no stories are
ever set in that vast emptiness. In "Bubbles" by David Brin, we get to know
Serena, a lonely entity traveling the space between galaxies.

D. Thomas Minton's "Thief of Futures" follows Eshram Kingston through a
future Kuala Lumpur, where he is hired for the dirty business of stealing
the future of a child.

In Ursula K. Le Guin's story, "The Island of the Immortals," a traveler
takes a vacation to an island where immortality might have been achieved.
And it is-but at what price?

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Anthologies

125 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 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

[Russianwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is very little that can genuinely freak me out.
This short story succeeded extremely well.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well balanced mixture of excellent stories, interviews and articles.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ursula K. Le Guin's story, "The Island of the Immortals"

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat premise, and a backdrop you'll sink right into.

Read this one, (it's available to read for free at the URL in the book info) then seriously consider signing up for Lightspeed Magazine - they've put out some seriously good stuff in their short (16 issues) history.

[Kenny V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent issue. Le Guin's "The Island of the Immortals" was particularly memorable. As per her usual it was thought provoking and introspective, causing the reader to reflect on their past assumptions and beliefs about the human condition.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, and interesting stories, both recent and older.

[Kailyn Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read “The Island of the Immortals” for college. Really strange, pretty cool.