Ursula K. Le Guin

A place for anything *not* Donaldson.

Moderator: I'm Murrin

User avatar
CovenantJr
Lord
Posts: 12608
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2002 9:10 pm
Location: North Wales

Post by CovenantJr »

danlo wrote:Tehanu is essential to the last two books! Have you read them (The Other Wind is amazing!)? :?
No, I haven't. For a long time I didn't realise they existed, and once I did discover them, my experience of Tehanu put me off.
User avatar
danlo
Lord
Posts: 20838
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2002 8:29 pm
Location: Albuquerque NM
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Post by danlo »

Le Guin has come out with a second book of the Hainish (Left Hand of Darkness) world called The Telling, which is getting very good reviews. I haven't read it yet but posted a synopsis in the Le Guin forum at Ahira's Hangar.
fall far and well Pilots!
User avatar
lucimay
Lord
Posts: 15044
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 5:17 pm
Location: Mott Wood, Genebakis
Contact:

Post by lucimay »

danlo wrote:Le Guin has come out with a second book of the Hainish (Left Hand of Darkness) world called The Telling, which is getting very good reviews. I haven't read it yet but posted a synopsis in the Le Guin forum at Ahira's Hangar.
it's VERY VERY good!!! it was the first one i read of the Hainish novels as i had only just finished the Earthsea books when The Telling came out and Leguin came here to San Francisco for a reading. i bought The Telling to have signed at the reading.

Leguin read from it...she was great! just an incredible storyteller and one of THE nicest and engaging authors i've ever met at a reading.
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies



i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio



a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
User avatar
Fist and Faith
Magister Vitae
Posts: 23560
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 32 times

Post by Fist and Faith »

How on earth did I miss this thread until now?!?? 8O :?:
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
-Paul Simon
User avatar
lucimay
Lord
Posts: 15044
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 5:17 pm
Location: Mott Wood, Genebakis
Contact:

Post by lucimay »

dunno :shifty:


fist. danlo. you guys wanna read my paper? ursula k leguin is in it.

you and danlo might like it fist.
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies



i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio



a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
User avatar
Fist and Faith
Magister Vitae
Posts: 23560
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 32 times

Post by Fist and Faith »

What paper? I see you mentioned it on the first page. But sure! :D
Lord Foul wrote:I like Le Guin's style: very simple and clean, possessing a Taoist calm. I think Fist once said it retains tranquility even when less-than-tranquil events are happening. Her mode of writing is certainly suited to sailing and islands and all that contemplative stuff of the seashore.
I talk about the Earthsea/Taoism connection here:
p210.ezboard.com/fahirashangarfrm37.showMessageRange?topicID=2.topic&start=21&stop=40
Highdrake's 2nd post, which is the 6th post on the page.
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
-Paul Simon
User avatar
Tjol
The Gap Into Spam
Posts: 1552
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 4:11 am

Post by Tjol »

Murrin wrote:I did not enjoy Tehanu much when I read it, but that was a long time ago. I would say The Farthest Shore was the one I had the most difficulty with, though.

And like CovJr, I thought The Tombs of Atuan was the best one.
Can I put a third on that?

I'll have to try Tehanu again at some point. I first tried it after reading the first three Earthsea books, and at the time it moved too slow for me. It wasn't because the main character is a woman, but because the story seemed to start off a little sluggishly. The character is actually pretty interesting in Tombs, so I was interested in reading another story with the character, but as a teenager it didn't move quick enough for me. Adulthood may have perhaps changed that, we'll see when I give it another try.
"Humanity indisputably progresses, but neither uniformly nor everywhere"--Regine Pernoud

You work while you can, because who knows how long you can. Even if it's exhausting work for less pay. All it takes is the 'benevolence' of an incompetant politician or bureaucrat to leave you without work to do and no paycheck to collect. --Tjol
User avatar
Menolly
A Lowly Harper
Posts: 24077
Joined: Thu May 19, 2005 12:29 am
Location: Harper Hall, Fort Hold, Northern Continent, Pern...
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 7 times
Contact:

RIP

Post by Menolly »

Image
User avatar
Fist and Faith
Magister Vitae
Posts: 23560
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 32 times

Post by Fist and Faith »

Oh my goodness...
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
-Paul Simon
User avatar
Skyweir
Lord of Light
Posts: 25337
Joined: Sat Mar 16, 2002 6:27 am
Location: Australia
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 18 times

Post by Skyweir »

😢
ImageImageImageImage
keep smiling 😊 :D 😊

'Smoke me a kipper .. I'll be back for breakfast!'
Image

EZBoard SURVIVOR
User avatar
Avatar
Immanentizing The Eschaton
Posts: 61711
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Has thanked: 15 times
Been thanked: 21 times

Post by Avatar »

Happens to us all.

RIP

--A
User avatar
I'm Murrin
Are you?
Posts: 15840
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
Location: North East, UK
Contact:

Post by I'm Murrin »

This threa is a lot older than I realised! I reread the first four Earthsea books about 5 or 6 years ago, and contrary to what I said in here back in 2006, I ended up loving Tehanu, and I'm sure I've been vocal about it being my favourite Earthsea book ever since.

I attempted to write about it back then, but ended up putting what I wrote to one side and never finishing it - until yesterday, when I finally gave it the revision it needed. This was after feedback from ussussimiel and LuciMay I received way back in 2013, and I think the piece is all the better for it. You can read my thoughts on Tehanu here.
User avatar
Avatar
Immanentizing The Eschaton
Posts: 61711
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Has thanked: 15 times
Been thanked: 21 times

Post by Avatar »

Yeah, it's been my favourite for a long time too. The darkest and most complex of the 4.

--A
User avatar
deer of the dawn
The Gap Into Spam
Posts: 6758
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 12:48 pm
Location: Jos, Nigeria
Contact:

Post by deer of the dawn »

As I am in the market for a new epic fantasy saga, I am reading this with interest. Thing is, I know I read at least the first 2 books, possibly all 4, of Earthsea, about 500 years ago and don't recall a single thing about them. And I do remember books I read that long ago, some of them. I also read Left Hand and some others (my Dad was bingeing on LeGuin for awhile and I got them when he was done).

I think there was a book about a woman who leaves her farm, has some adventures, returns to the farm with a stray, scarred child... it was the first time I saw the term "milch cow" and had to look it up. Any clues what that was? (maybe not even LeGuin, I just feel like it was one of hers)

I guess I'll do the sample thing on Amazon.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle. -Philo of Alexandria

ahhhh... if only all our creativity in wickedness could be fixed by "Corrupt a Wish." - Linna Heartlistener
User avatar
I'm Murrin
Are you?
Posts: 15840
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
Location: North East, UK
Contact:

Post by I'm Murrin »

Sounds like you remembered some early parts of Tehanu, the fourth Earthsea book. Also my favourite of them.
User avatar
lucimay
Lord
Posts: 15044
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 5:17 pm
Location: Mott Wood, Genebakis
Contact:

Post by lucimay »

yep I think you're remembering some of Tehanu as well Deer. :D

read em again. they're totally worth it. :D


here's my favorite passage from The Other Wind (the fifth novel and sequel to Tehanu)

"I think," Tehanu said in her soft, strange voice, "that when I die, I can breathe back the breath that made me live. I can give back to the world all that I didn't do. All that I might have been and couldn't be. All the choices I didn't make. All the things I lost and spent and wasted. I can give them back to the world. To the lives that haven't been lived yet. That will be my gift back to the world that gave me the life I did live, the love I loved, the breath I breathed."
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies



i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio



a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
User avatar
Fist and Faith
Magister Vitae
Posts: 23560
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 32 times

Post by Fist and Faith »

Congratulations, deer, on choosing to read Earthsea!!! :D

Dragonfly comes after Tehanu, before The Other Wind. It is a novella, or short story, or whatever, in a collection called Tales from Earthsea. There are other excellent stories in that collection that are not part of the overall story arch. But they add soooo much!
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
-Paul Simon
User avatar
lucimay
Lord
Posts: 15044
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 5:17 pm
Location: Mott Wood, Genebakis
Contact:

Post by lucimay »

Fist and Faith wrote:Congratulations, deer, on choosing to read Earthsea!!! :D

Dragonfly comes after Tehanu, before The Other Wind. It is a novella, or short story, or whatever, in a collection called Tales from Earthsea. There are other excellent stories in that collection that are not part of the overall story arch. But they add soooo much!

yep. I've got that one too. (tales from earthsea I mean) <3
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies



i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio



a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
User avatar
Fist and Faith
Magister Vitae
Posts: 23560
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 32 times

Post by Fist and Faith »

So runs the river away away
So runs the river away
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
-Paul Simon
Post Reply

Return to “General Fantasy/Sci-Fi Discussion”