Ursula K. LeGuin discussion

I've never read anything by Le Guin and now I'm wondering what I've been missing.

Does anyone have recommendations for a new Le Guin reader and please tell my why you recommend it!

Thanks!

Ursula K. Le Guin is like a temple with many doors. You should go in the door that feels comfortable for you, but once you are inside, you'll realize that they all lead to the same wondeful place.

If you like fantasy, begin with The Wizard of Earthsea. There is beauty there and you grow familiar with Earthsea, the setting of many of her marvelous stories. And also a great deal of wisdom.

If you enjoy science fiction, you might try the early books, Rocannon's World or The Lathe of Heaven.

If you loved Avatar, read The Word for World is Forest, which inspired much of the Avatar story.

If you prefer more classical literature, read the Orsinian Tales, which take place in an imaginary but very realistic east European country but deal with eternal truths.

If you're dreaming of a world that has no jets but does have washing machines, of a culture enriched by Native American values, try Always Coming Home, a brave experiment in a different type of novel which is modeled after her father's handbook on the native American tribes of California.

And there's more, so much more. Be curious and you'll find a story that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Judy wrote: "Ursula K. Le Guin is like a temple with many doors. You should go in the door that feels comfortable for you, but once you are inside, you'll realize that they all lead to the same wondeful place.
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Thanks, Judy! Really appreciate your comments and recommendations. Going to put all of these on my "To Read" list!

Ken, I just read my first Le Guin a couple of months ago. I picked up the Library of America's Hainish Novels collection and started at the beginning with Rocannon's World. I have since read Planet of Exile and I am most of the way through City of Illusions. I have enjoyed them all so far. I am not familiar enough with all of her work to recommend the best starting point, but I can say that I was happy with starting with Rocannon's World. I plan to read the rest of the Hainish material in order, and then move on to something else by her. Either Earthsea of the Orsinia related material.

Happy reading!

It's great to start at the beginning, so you are actually reading her earliest novels first. If you love the story lines, you'll enjoy the Earthsea books. Orsinia is lovely if you enjoy just reading her words and letting them soak in.

I just finished City of Illusions, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Le Guin is a wonderful writer. I plan to start The Left Hand of Darkness tonight!

I envy you the discovery.

If you enjoyed THE SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller and feel at home in the classical world, LAVINIA by Ursula K. Le Guin is a good place to start.

Thanks, everyone for your suggestions. Picked up a copy of Rocannon's world, Planet of Exile, and City of Illusions in a single volume so am going give that a try.

It's a good idea to start at the beginning, as you are doing. But her later books are richer and the message is more powerful as she developed both her skill and her ideas.

Ken, it sounds like we are basically reading in the same order. I have read, Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions and The Left Hand of Darkness so far, and in that order. The Dispossessed is next, but I haven't started it yet. I agree with Judy at least in so far as Left Hand relates to the earlier works. I enjoyed all four, but Left Hand is really fantastic. It is just more substantial than the earlier novels, but it also references the earlier novels at times, so it was nice to have read them in that order.

Happy reading!

Ken wrote: "I've never read anything by Le Guin and now I'm wondering what I've been missing.

Does anyone have recommendations for a new Le Guin reader and please tell my why you recommend it!

Thanks!"


I love Lavinia. This book has something strange and wonderful that sets it apart from other of her books while also carrying her style and wonderful prose. This is one of those rare books that are as interesting as beautifully written.

As I mentioned above, I only started reading Le Guin late last year. I recently finished The Telling, which completed my reading of the Hainish novels and stories. I absolutely fell in love with Mrs. Le Guin's beautiful writing and vivid imagination. I am going to continue to read her work, though I'm not sure where I am going next with it. I have the Library of America's "The Complete Orsinia" on my bookshelf right now, but I might wait and pick of "The Books of Earthsea" which is a complete edition of the Earthsea cycle coming out in October.

I should think you would have time to read The Complete Orsinia by the time the Earthsea volume comes out. It's interesting to compare the depth of the Earthsea world coming from Orsinia.