Rocannon’s World – 3.0☆

“What I feel sometimes is that I . . . meeting these people from worlds we know so little of, you know, sometimes . . . that I have as it were blundered through the corner of a legend, of a tragic myth, maybe, which I do not understand . . .”

This was Le Guin’s debut novel and let’s just say I’m glad it wasn’t the first I read. Rocannon’s World is not as sophisticated as some of her later works, and it lacks that feminist and anarchist philosophical underpinning she’s known for. I kept wanting to read some profundity into it, interpreting the story’s assumptions as some sly commentary on patriarchy and colonialism. Why, for example, is it called “Rocannon’s World” and not “Semley’s World” or “Yahan’s World”? I don’t think it was intended to be subjected to such scrutiny, though.

The writing style is distinctly Le Guin’s – imaginative and eloquent. I like the combination of sci-fi and fantasy, and I like how scientific concepts such as time dilation are given an almost mythic quality. The prologue establishes truth as a central theme, specifically the contradiction/interplay of facts and legends. I wish more had been done with that. While I’m talking about the prologue, I should note that it was originally a standalone short story called The Dowry of Angyar, which explains why it feels so separate from the rest of the narrative. It’s the strongest part of the story by far, and is probably weakened by the more conventional SF/F quest that follows it.

Overall Rocannon’s World is a fairly dull story framed by interesting worldbuilding. In that way it’s similar to The Farthest Shore, which I gave three stars; I’ll give the same rating here. Decent, but a shadow of what Le Guin was capable of.

Planet of Exile – 3.5☆

I’m not sure what to make of this one. There’s a lot to chew on, though; it seems to have a lot more to say than Rocannon’s World did.

Prejudice is a major throughline, with the indigenous Tevarans and the “farborn” colony constantly butting heads and casting aspersions about each other. The relationship between Rolery and Agat seems, at first, to be an age-old tale of star-crossed lovers, but it becomes clearer as the story progresses that it may not be so romantic after all.

Well, I say that, but I’m not sure how it was intended to come across. As in Rocannon’s World, it can sometimes be unclear which aspects of her worldbuilding and storytelling Le Guin wanted the reader to interrogate and which are supposed to be taken at face value. Maybe we are supposed to believe the two of them are truly in love. The way I see it, however, Rolery’s anguish at having no prospect of marriage and motherhood and Agat’s fixation on their native/coloniser dynamic cannot be overlooked. It doesn’t seem healthy.

There’s a tension between Rolery and Agat in the narrative itself. Rolery seems to be the protagonist but then the perspective keeps snapping back to Agat and the story ends with him and his feelings. Rolery becomes more and more passive until she’s essentially an object, a prize.

The pacing is quite uneven and Le Guin relies a little too heavily on telling instead of showing. Still, the prose is evocative. There’s some really interesting stuff relating to time and people’s experience of it. I think Le Guin is starting to find her feet here.

City of Illusions – 3.5☆

The final instalment of the collection complements the first quite nicely; a story about truth vs a story about lies. It’s a shame gender nonconformity was used as shorthand for deception but hey, I must admit “grotesque and frail in her transvestite clothes” is a mood.

I feel like there’s a lot to dissect but also not a lot. The first half of the narrative is a slog, a series of occurrences along a journey with only an abstract destination in mind. It feels aimless, episodic. But the story does pick up in the last few chapters. The ending plays with some fascinating ideas but could have handled them more skilfully, I think.

The protagonist, Falk, isn’t particularly compelling. He’s too passive, simply travelling from one location to the next.

The existence of Falk-Ramarren – the perseverance of Falk’s consciousness even after being brainwashed and having his previous identity reinstated – would make more sense if Falk had been characterised as assertive and tenacious up to that point. As it stands, it’s a neat idea but it’s just not consistent with the rest of the narrative.

Between the copious drug use and the weird gender stuff and the

plurality

right at the end, City of Illusions is somewhat reminiscent of Dune. This similarity only highlights its shortcomings, however; Dune works, but this story just never quite clicks.

I appreciated this glimpse into Le Guin’s origins as a novelist – you can see she’s already growing and learning and honing her craft. Ultimately, all three stories were unrefined but not bad for a debut author. I look forward to reading The Left Hand of Darkness.

CONTENT WARNINGS: colonialism, racism, sexism, eugenics, violence, war, fires, death, animal death, mindprobing, brainwashing, unreality, amnesia, drugging and drug use (medical and recreational), some blood and gore, mentions of miscarriage, mutilation, rape, slavery, and suicide, also some transphobia?