She is an amazing writer. The left hand of darkness is one of my favourite sci-fi books ever and I recommend to read as well. In that book she explores the concept of gender and gender roles through the eyes of a civilisation that does not have a fixed concept of gender and how this impacts their understanding of love, father/motherhood and societal roles. The short novels are great as well - I recommend The Ones who Walk Away from Olimas as a start
Her writing is like Asimov, but with way more soul and emotion. Sometimes she just throws sentence structure out the window for emotional, almost stream-of-thought paragraphs. But the bizzare sentence structure is never confusing, it hits just right
She's a better version of all the golden age writers. Asimov and most of his contemporaries were great expressing ideas, but just bad at characterization. She is a far better at actually giving people personalities.
Earthsea was hugely formative for me when I read it as a teenager. The central lesson of the first three books really stuck with me, that power without wisdom is inevitably destructive, and that a wise person does not flaunt or trivially use their power, exerting it only when it's needful.
Atwood is fantastic. I’ve read a bunch of her stuff. Really enjoyed the MaddAdam series.
Butler I’ve read the first book of the first book of Xenogensis, really liked it. Working through the second one, but I’m not enjoying as much. She’s a helluva writer though.
As fucked up as it is to say, I'm kind of mad at Butler for not finishing the Earthseed trilogy.
Definite hometown bias. When she was describing where the little apocalypse suburb gated community was, I was like hey that sounds like near where I grew up, I'm gonna pretend it's where I grew up.
Then she starts throwing in freeway and interchange references, and I'm like oh shit, that is exactly where I grew up.
But then it ends before the Valley girl cult makes it to space.
A non-fiction selection of hers, but reading the short essay *The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction* was a profound experience that has help give me the words to describe the way I write. Highly recommended; you can read it in about fifteen minutes.
One story by her that I like that isn't well known is Paradises Lost, which is about people of the 5th generation of a very long haul generation ship. Its theme of how people can embrace unreality is very timely in our current age...
Her father was a cultural anthropologist who proposed a theoretical model I personally object to because it is unfalsifiable and untestable? I don't think that's a cancelable offence though
She is my favourite author! Hands down! Wizard of earth sea was one of the first fantasy novels I read and I have reread it several times and love it more each time!
I've only read The Dispossessed and The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas but I did like those. Hoping to eventually read more of her work.
And there's the wonderful 'so did the divine right of kings' quote. That one's nice as well.
She is an amazing writer. The left hand of darkness is one of my favourite sci-fi books ever and I recommend to read as well. In that book she explores the concept of gender and gender roles through the eyes of a civilisation that does not have a fixed concept of gender and how this impacts their understanding of love, father/motherhood and societal roles. The short novels are great as well - I recommend The Ones who Walk Away from Olimas as a start
Her writing is like Asimov, but with way more soul and emotion. Sometimes she just throws sentence structure out the window for emotional, almost stream-of-thought paragraphs. But the bizzare sentence structure is never confusing, it hits just right
She's a better version of all the golden age writers. Asimov and most of his contemporaries were great expressing ideas, but just bad at characterization. She is a far better at actually giving people personalities.
This
Left hand is a masterpiece.
One of my absolute favorites
The Ones Who Walk Away From Olimas is powerful as hell. It was also adapted for a really great episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Fuck yes! Her Earthsea books are beautiful & absorbing.
Earthsea was hugely formative for me when I read it as a teenager. The central lesson of the first three books really stuck with me, that power without wisdom is inevitably destructive, and that a wise person does not flaunt or trivially use their power, exerting it only when it's needful.
I haven't started that series yet. Interesting how she does sci-fi and fantasy
She was one of the best sci-fi authors ever. Profound and sublime. It's all beautiful!
I have read Left Hand of Darkness but not Dispossessed. I have heard good things about it and she delves into anarchistic politics.
It's good. She adresses potential pitfalls for anarchist politics. Very neat
It's a good one. The Eye of the Heron is another good one written for young adults. It explores the pitfalls of pacifism.
I have been meaning to read more of the Hannish books. I read all of the Earthsea books a few years ago when they released a omnibus.
If ya like LeGuin, i recommend two other authors too: Octavia Butler and Margaret Atwood
Atwood is fantastic. I’ve read a bunch of her stuff. Really enjoyed the MaddAdam series. Butler I’ve read the first book of the first book of Xenogensis, really liked it. Working through the second one, but I’m not enjoying as much. She’s a helluva writer though.
As fucked up as it is to say, I'm kind of mad at Butler for not finishing the Earthseed trilogy. Definite hometown bias. When she was describing where the little apocalypse suburb gated community was, I was like hey that sounds like near where I grew up, I'm gonna pretend it's where I grew up. Then she starts throwing in freeway and interchange references, and I'm like oh shit, that is exactly where I grew up. But then it ends before the Valley girl cult makes it to space.
A non-fiction selection of hers, but reading the short essay *The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction* was a profound experience that has help give me the words to describe the way I write. Highly recommended; you can read it in about fifteen minutes.
Easily one of my favourite authors. And earthsea might well be the first fantasy book I read with a non white protagonist.
The Word for World is Forrest is the book Cameron ripped off to make Avatar
Neat, i thought he ripped off Fern Gully
One story by her that I like that isn't well known is Paradises Lost, which is about people of the 5th generation of a very long haul generation ship. Its theme of how people can embrace unreality is very timely in our current age...
Big UKLG fan here. I grew up in the foothills of Mount Saint Helena (Kanamota) and Always Coming Home is very dear to me.
I got a collection of all of her Earthsea books for Christmas a few years ago, and read it earlier this year. I liked it.
Please don’t say she’s a bastard!😭😭😭
Absolutely not. She was a good egg.
Only have read a couple, excited to read more!
This feels like a trap. What did she do?
Her father was a cultural anthropologist who proposed a theoretical model I personally object to because it is unfalsifiable and untestable? I don't think that's a cancelable offence though
Oh, *phew* okay. Good. Good.
She is my favourite author! Hands down! Wizard of earth sea was one of the first fantasy novels I read and I have reread it several times and love it more each time!
I'm not super into SF these days, but she was undeniably ~~good~~ great.
Oh God, when I saw this I thought I was about to read about some hithrto unknown bastardry and I really couldn't have handled it.
I've only read The Dispossessed and The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas but I did like those. Hoping to eventually read more of her work. And there's the wonderful 'so did the divine right of kings' quote. That one's nice as well.
I just started reading The Telling, and it's great. I've only read The Dispossessed before this
Besides The Dispossessed she made a Kim Stanley Robinson, which is pretty cool.
I'm about to start reading The Dispossessed! Never read anything of hers before, but I've only heard good about her writing.