Books by Ursula K Le Guin

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Her worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend' THE TIMES'Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power' OBSERVERGeorge Orr is a mild and unremarkable man who finds the world a less than pleasant place to live: seven billion people jostle for living space and food. But George dreams dreams which do in fact change reality - and he has no means of controlling this extraordinary power.Psychiatrist Dr William Haber offers to help. At first sceptical of George's powers, he comes to astonished belief. When he allows ambition to get the better of ethics, George finds himself caught up in a situation of alarming peril.Trade ReviewLe Guin is a writer of phenomenal power * OBSERVER *Ursula Le Guin was able to reimagine many concepts we take to be natural, shared, and unalterable - gender, utopia, creation, war, family, the city, the country - and reveal the all-too-human constructions at their center ... Literature will miss her. There's no one like her -- Zadie SmithShe is unparalleled in creating fantasy peopled by finely drawn and complex characters * GUARDIAN *Le Guin is one of the singular speculative voices of our future, thanks to her knack for anticipating issues of seminal importance to society * TLS *Her worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend * THE TIMES *I'd love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin -- Roddy DoyleA rare and powerful synthesis of poetry and science, reason and emotion * NEW YORK TIMES *[Le Guin had] the heart of a poet who knew all too well the difference between miracle and eureka, revelation and revolution * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *Le Guin's storytelling is sharp, magisterial, funny, thought-provoking and exciting, exhibiting all that science fiction can be * EMPIRE *Ursula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLASWhen I read The Lathe of Heaven as a young man, my mind was boggled; now when I read it, more than twenty-five years later, it breaks my heart. Only a great work of literature can bridge - so thrillingly - that impossible span -- Michael ChabonLe Guin writes tellingly of different kinds of society . . . and of the individual's response to them * DAILY TELEGRAPH *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'A masterpiece of chilling narration' GUARDIAN'Wise, graceful, classic myth-making' THE SCOTSMANThe wizard Alder comes from Roke to the island of Gont in search of the Archmage, Lord Sparrowhawk, once known as Ged. The man who was once the most powerful wizard in the Islands now lives with his wife Tenar and their adopted daughter Tehanu. Alder needs help: his beloved wife died and in his dreams she calls him to the land of the dead - and now the dead are haunting him, begging for release. He can no longer sleep, and the Wizards of Earthsea are worried. But there is more at stake than the unquiet rest of one minor wizard: for the dragons of Earthsea have arisen, to reclaim the lands that were once theirs. Only Tehanu, herself daughter of a dragon, can talk to them; it may be that Alder's dreams hold the key to the salvation of Earthsea and all the peoples who live there.Trade ReviewA masterpiece of chilling narration * GUARDIAN *If you think you don't like fantasy, think again; Leguin's books simply give "reality" another shape -- Erica Wagner * THE TIMES *This absorbing philosophical debate can stand alone for Le Guin's new readers; for long-standing fans of the Earthsea saga, old friends are here * TES *THE OTHER WIND, a new Earthsea novel, felt like a homecoming to the magnificent otherworld that I escaped to at 14; wise, graceful, classic myth-making for all ages * THE SCOTSMAN *The characters and fantasy world are all vividly drawn and the fascinating issues raised by the story are important and profound * NORTHERN ECHO *Ursula Le Guin ... is a creator of marvels ... * THE TIMES *Reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago, and whose twists and turns have been handed down through generations of storytellers. It is timeless. . . . Le Guin's words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it * David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas *A memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless * Margaret Atwood *[This series] made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking * Neil Gaiman *"¿a thought-provoking continuation of the chronicle of Earthsea¿a luminous, absorbing meditation upon life, death and man's relentless quest for immortality." * Booktrusted News *"This absorbing philosophical debate can stand alone for Le Guin's new readers; for long-standing fans of the Earthsea saga, old friends are here." * TES, 31 May 02 *"¿a masterpiece of chilling narration" * Guardian, 27 Jul 02 *"The characters and fantasy world are all vividly drawn and the fascinating issues raised by the story are important and profound." * Northern Echo, 12 Nov 02 *"Le Guin's storytelling is remarkable¿Without giving away the ending, it is both melancholy and affirming¿moving and rewarding." * The School Librarian, Winter 02 *"If you think you don't like fantasy, think again; Leguin's books simply give "reality" another shape." -- Erica Wagner * The Times, 7 Dec 02 *"The Other Wind, a new Earthsea novel, felt like a homecoming to the magnificent otherworld that I escaped to at 14; wise, graceful, classic myth-making for all ages" -- Julie Bertagna * The Scotsman, 7 Dec 02 *"A powerful and thought-provoking story of magic, love and loss." * Perth Shopper, 25 Apr 03 *

Read more less

Book SynopsisGenly Ai is an ethnologist observing the people of the planet Gethen, a world perpetually in winter. The people there are androgynous, normally neuter, but they can become male ot female at the peak of their sexual cycle. They seem to Genly Ai alien, unsophisticated and confusing. But he is drawn into the complex politics of the planet and, during a long, tortuous journey across the ice with a politician who has fallen from favour and has been outcast, he loses his professional detachment and reaches a painful understanding of the true nature of Gethenians and, in a moving and memorable sequence, even finds love...Trade ReviewIt's a giant thought experiment that's also a cracking good read about gender -- Neil GaimanUrsula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David MitchellA rich and complex story of friendship and love * Guardian *Ursula Le Guin was able to reimagine many concepts we take to be natural, shared, and unalterable - gender, utopia, creation, war, family, the city, the country - and reveal the all-too-human constructions at their center ... Literature will miss her. There's no one like her -- Zadie SmithUrsula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David Mitchell

Read more less

Book SynopsisUrsula K. Le Guin's essential guide to the writer's craft, now publishing in the UK for the first time. A guide for writing groups as well as solo writers, with a brand-new introduction from leading SFF writers Kelly Link, Karen Joy Fowler and Molly Gloss.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA deluxe hardcover edition of the queen of science fiction’s trailblazing novel about a planet full of genderless beings—part of Penguin Galaxy, a collectible series of six sci-fi/fantasy classics, featuring a series introduction by Neil GaimanWinner of the AIGA + Design Observer 50 Books 50 Covers competition A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary’s mission to Winter, an unknown alien world whose inhabitants can choose—and change—their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters. Exploring questions of psychology, society, and human emotion in an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of science fiction.Peng

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first three novels set in Ursula K. Le Guin's famed Hainish universe, together in one volume.Trade ReviewLe Guin writes in quiet, straightforward sentences about people who feel they are being torn apart by massive forces in society - technological, political, economic - and who fight courageously to remain whole' - The New York Times Book ReviewAs good as any contemporary at creating worlds, imaginary or our own . . . Le Guin writes with painstaking intelligence. Her characters are complex and haunting, and her writing is remarkable for its sinewy grace - Time Magazine

Read more less

Book SynopsisUrsula K Le Guin's essential writings on feminism and gender collected for the first time.Trade ReviewEssential reading -- Kelsey Chen * ArtReview *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'One of the most deeply influential of all 20th century fantasy texts' ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY'She is unparalleled in creating fantasy peopled by finely drawn and complex characters' GUARDIAN'I'd love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin' Roddy DoyleThese five superlative, evocative and enchanting stories range from a few hundred years before A Wizard of Earthsea to just before The Other Wind, and feature some of Le Guin's most popular characters, including the Wizard Ged himself. The stories are rounded off with an essay about Earthsea's history and people.No Earthsea fan will want to be without this magical collection.Trade ReviewOne of the most deeply influential of all 20th century fantasy texts * THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY *Le Guin makes a triumphant return ... the publication of this collection is a major event in fantasy literature * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

Read more less

Book SynopsisCelebrate the 50th anniversary of the timeless and beloved A Wizard of Earthsea. Includes six novels, short stories and non-fiction, and with over fifty illustrations by Charles VessNAMED ONE OF THE BBC'S 100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLDTrade Review[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking - Neil GaimanThe Earthsea trilogy . . . is a memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless - Margaret Atwoodthe greatest American writer of her generation . . . her work deepened, expanded and challenged my expectations of literature, [and] awed me with the power of an unfettered imagination - Michael ChabonA Wizard of Earthsea reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago, and whose twists and turns have been handed down through generations of storytellers. It is timeless. . . . Le Guin's words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it. - David Mitchell

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis science fiction novel is the story of Winter, an Earth-like planet with two major differences. Conditions are semi-arctic even at the warmest time of the year, and the inhabitants are all of the same sex. The book has won the Hugo and Nebula Awards.Trade ReviewPraise for The Left Hand of Darkness“[A] science fiction masterpiece.”—Newsweek“A jewel of a story.”—Frank Herbert“As profuse and original in invention as The Lord of the Rings.”—Michael Moorcock“An instant classic.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune“Like all great writers of fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin creates imaginary worlds that restore us, hearts eased, to our own.”—The Boston Globe“A towering figure in science fiction and fantasy.”—NPR

Read more less

Book SynopsisShe chose love. The price she paid was war. A stunning combination of history and mythology - 'an intriguing, luxuriously realised novel' FINANCIAL TIMES

Read more less

Book SynopsisA world of peaceful aliens conquered by bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters. Desperation causes the Athsheans to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. In defending their lives, they endanger the very foundations of their society. Every blow against the invaders is a blow to the core of Athsheans'' culture. And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.Winner of the 1973 Hugo award for Best Novella, and nominated for many others, The Word for World is Forest is part of Le Guin''s ''Hainish Cycle''. It explores a future history of Earth and pacifistic ideals in its depictions of violence, colonialism and resistance.''A simple story that, like most things Le Guin wrote, packs a powerful emotional and critical punch''- Tordotcom''Deeply moving and shocking by tTrade ReviewThe slender book is fairly simplistic, but it's still compelling and thought-provoking. * SFX *It's a compact tale, a masterclass by a powerful writer who fashions a lean narrative where others might have produced a much larger, bloated tome, and yet for all the brevity Le Guin delivers not just a narrative but a believable alien world and society in short yet compelling scenes. * FORBIDDEN PLANET *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA long, long time from now, in the valleys of what will no longer be called Northern California, might be going to have lived a people called the Kesh. But Always Coming Home is not the story of the Kesh. Rather it is the stories of the Kesh - stories, poems, songs, recipes - Always Coming Home is no less than an anthropological account of a community that does not yet exist, a tour de force of imaginative fiction by one of modern literature''s great voices.Trade ReviewLyric and luminous . . . a major imaginative vision - The New York Times Book ReviewAn appealing book as well as a masterly one . . . The future world she has created here is awesomely complex - NewsweekThe effect it has on the reader is hypnotic . . . Le Guin has chosen a most original way to reveal this imagined land - People

Read more less

Book SynopsisGrand Master Ursula K. LeGuin has been recognised for almost fifty years as one of the most important writers in the SF field - and is likewise feted beyond the confines of the genre. The Wind''s Twelve Quarters was her first collection and it brings together some of finest short fiction, including the Hugo Award-winning ''The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas'', the Nebula Award-winning ''The Day Before the Revolution'', and the Hugo-nominated ''Winter''s King'', which gave readers their first glimpse of the world later made famous in her Hugo- and Nebula-winning masterpiece The Left Hand of Darkness.Trade ReviewOne of the most accomplished of contemporary science fiction writers - The New York Times Book ReviewHer worlds have a magic sheen . . . she moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend. - The TimesA wonderfully mordant analyst of human weakness. The gems in this impressive collection have the same power to disconcert as her best novels.On the strength of The Wind's Twelve Quarters, I would not hesitate to say that the short story is the appropriate medium for her, and one in which few contemporary writers . . . can equal her' - New Scientist

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Ursula Le Guin was able to reimagine many concepts we take to be natural, shared, and unalterable - gender, utopia, creation, war, family, the city, the country - and reveal the all-too-human constructions at their centre ... Literature will miss her. There''s no one like her'' Zadie Smith''Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power'' OBSERVERThrough his dreams, George Orr can make alternate realities real - but who is controlling him?War rages and global warming wreaks havoc on the quality of life everywhere as seven billion people jostle for living space and food. For George Orr, a mild and unremarkable man, the world is overwhelmingly difficult. But George is different: his dreams can change reality - although he has no means of controlling this extraordinary power.Psychiatrist Dr William Haber offers to help, directing George to dream a world without racism. But as ambition gets the better of ethics, no one can predict the devaTrade ReviewLe Guin is a writer of phenomenal power * OBSERVER *Ursula Le Guin was able to reimagine many concepts we take to be natural, shared, and unalterable - gender, utopia, creation, war, family, the city, the country - and reveal the all-too-human constructions at their center ... Literature will miss her. There's no one like her -- Zadie SmithShe is unparalleled in creating fantasy peopled by finely drawn and complex characters * GUARDIAN *Le Guin is one of the singular speculative voices of our future, thanks to her knack for anticipating issues of seminal importance to society * TLS *Her worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend * THE TIMES *I'd love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin -- Roddy DoyleA rare and powerful synthesis of poetry and science, reason and emotion * NEW YORK TIMES *[Le Guin had] the heart of a poet who knew all too well the difference between miracle and eureka, revelation and revolution * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *Le Guin's storytelling is sharp, magisterial, funny, thought-provoking and exciting, exhibiting all that science fiction can be * EMPIRE *Ursula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLASWhen I read The Lathe of Heaven as a young man, my mind was boggled; now when I read it, more than twenty-five years later, it breaks my heart. Only a great work of literature can bridge - so thrillingly - that impossible span -- Michael ChabonLe Guin writes tellingly of different kinds of society . . . and of the individual's response to them * DAILY TELEGRAPH *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen the inhabitants of a peaceful world are conquered by the bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters.Desperation causes the Athsheans, led by Selver, to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. But in defending their lives, they have endangered the very foundations of their society. For every blow against the invaders is a blow to the humanity of the Athsheans. And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.Trade ReviewThe slender book is fairly simplistic, but it's still compelling and thought-provoking. * SFX *It's a compact tale, a masterclass by a powerful writer who fashions a lean narrative where others might have produced a much larger, bloated tome, and yet for all the brevity Le Guin delivers not just a narrative but a believable alien world and society in short yet compelling scenes. * FORBIDDEN PLANET *

Read more less

Book SynopsisNewly revised edition of the 2003 Nebula Award winner.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of the very best must-read novels of all time - with a new introduction by Roddy Doyle''A well told tale signifying a good deal; one to be read again and again'' THE TIMES''The book I wish I had written ... It''s so far away from my own imagination, I''d love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin'' Roddy Doyle''Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power'' OBSERVER''There was a wall. It did not look important - even a child could climb it. But the idea was real. Like all walls it was ambiguous, two-faced. What was inside it and what was outside it depended upon which side of it you were on...''Shevek is brilliant scientist who is attempting to find a new theory of time - but there are those who are jealous of his work, and will do anything to block him. So he leaves his homeland, hoping to find a place of more liberty and tolerance. Initially feted, Shevek soon finds himseTrade ReviewThe book I wish I had written ... It's so far away from my own imagination, I'd love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin -- Roddy Doyle * THE TIMES *An extraordinary work ... [Le Guin] created a working society in exquisite detail ... a fully realised hypothetical culture [as well as] living breathing characters who are inevitable products of that culture -- Baird SearlesA well told tale signifying a good deal; one to be read again and again * THE TIMES *A deeply imagined work of art * Encyclopedia of Science Fiction *Le Guin's book ... is so persuasive that it ought to put a stop to the writing of prescriptive Utopias for at least 10 years * NEW YORK TIMES *[Le Guin had] the heart of a poet who knew all too well the difference between miracle and eureka, revelation and revolution * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *Le Guin's storytelling is sharp, magisterial, funny, thought-provoking and exciting, exhibiting all that science fiction can be * Empire *Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power * OBSERVER *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'She's showing no signs of losing her brilliance. She is unparalleled in creating fantasy peopled by finely drawn and complex characters... GIFTS has the simplicity of fairy tale and the power of myth' GUARDIAN'Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power' OBSERVEROrrec, the son of the Brantor of Caspromant, and Gry, daughter of the Brantors of Barre and Rodd, have grown up together, running half-wild across the Uplands. The people there are like their land: harsh and fierce and prideful; ever at war with each other.Only the gifts keep the fragile peace. The Barre gift is calling animals. The women of Cordemant have the power of blinding, or making deaf, or taking away speech. The Rodds can send a spellknife into a man's heart. The Callems can move heavy things - even buildings, even hills. The Caspro gift is the worst and best of all: it is the gift of undoing: an insect, an animal, a place ...Orrec and Gry are the heirs to Caspro and Barre. Gry's gift runs true, but she refuses to call animals for the hunt. Orrec too is a problem, for his gift of undoing is wild: he cannot control it - and that is the most dangerous gift of all ...GIFTS is Ursula Le Guin at her best: an exciting, moving story beautifully told.Trade ReviewShe's showing no signs of losing her brilliance. She is unparalleled in creating fantasy peopled by finely drawn and complex characters... GIFTS has the simplicity of fairy tale and the power of myth * GUARDIAN *Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power * OBSERVER *'Ursual Le Guin by be almost 80 but she's shwoing no signs of losing her brilliance. She is unparalleled in creating fantasy peopled by finely drawn and complex characters... Gifts has the simplicity of fairy tale and the power of myth.' -- Eric Brown * THE GUARDIAN *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe award-winning stories in this collection range from the everyday to the outer limits of experience, where the quantum uncertainties of space and time are resolved only in the depths of the human heart. Featuring such objects of the imagination as a starship that sails on the wings of song, musical instruments that are played at funerals only, and orbiting arks designed to save a doomed humanity.Astonishing in their diversity and power, these stories exhibit both the artistry of a major writer at the height of her powers and the humanity of a mature artist confronting the world with her gift of wonder still intact.''I count myself lucky to have been alive and reading when Ursula K. Le Guin was writing'' Neil Gaiman

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A magic of words'' Neil GaimanSet in the same universe as The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, these five linked stories follow far-future human colonies living in the distant solar system. Here is the complete suite of five linked stories from Ursula K. Le Guin''s acclaimed Hainish series, which tells the history of the Ekumen, the galactic confederation of human colonies founded by the planet Hain. First published as Four Ways to Forgiveness, and now joined by a fifth story, the tales focus on the twin planets Werel and Yeowe - two worlds whose peoples, long known as owners and assets, together face an uncertain future after civil war and revolution. A retired science teacher must make peace with her new neighbour, a disgraced revolutionary leader. A female official from the Ekumen arrives to survey the situation on Werel and struggles against its rigidly patriarchal culture. The coming of age of Havzhiva, an Ekumen ambassador

Read more less

Book SynopsisMemer is a child of rape; when the Alds took the beautiful city of Ansul, they descecrated or destroyed everything of beauty. The Waylord they imprisoned and tortured for years until finally he is freed to return to his home. Though crippled, he is not destroyed. His life still has purpose. Memer is the daughter of his House, the daughter of his heart.The Alds, a people who love war, cannot and will not read: they believe that in words lie demons that will destroy the world. All the city's libraries, the great treasure trove of knowledge of ages past, are burned, except for those few volumes secreted inthe Waylord's hidden room.But times are changing. Gry Barre of Roddmant and Orrec Caspro of Caspromant have arrived in the city. Orrec is a story-teller, the most famous of all: he has the gift of making. His wife Gry's gift is that of calling; she walks with a halflion who both frightens and fascinates the Alds.This is Memer's story, and Gry's and Orrec's, and it is the story of a conquered people craving freedom.

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Le Guin's storytelling is sharp, magisterial, funny, thought-provoking and exciting, exhibiting all that science fiction can be' EMPIRE'Told with shimmering lyricism, this coming-of-age saga will leave readers transformed' BOOKLIST'Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power' OBSERVER'A tour de force' EVENING STANDARDThe final part in the story that started with GIFTS, and the tale of Gry Barre of Roddmant and Orrec Caspro of Caspromant, two children with extraordinary powers.They play a part in VOICES too, the sequel to GIFTS, in which Memer, a girl who has grown up in a captured city, is part of the people's fight for freedom.And now, in POWERS, we have the conclusion to Ursula Le Guin's beautifully written, powerful and moving story of the Western Isles, a tale that will leave every reader begging for more.Trade ReviewHer worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend * THE TIMES *[Le Guin had] the heart of a poet who knew all too well the difference between miracle and eureka, revelation and revolution * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *She is unparalleled in creating fantasy peopled by finely drawn and complex characters * GUARDIAN *Le Guin's storytelling is sharp, magisterial, funny, thought-provoking and exciting, exhibiting all that science fiction can be * EMPIRE *Told with shimmering lyricism, this coming-of-age saga will leave readers transformed * BOOKLIST *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA rich, poetic, and socially relevant version of the great spiritual-philosophical classic of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching—from a legendary literary icon Most people know Ursula K. Le Guin for her extraordinary science fiction and fantasy. Fewer know just how pervasive Taoist themes are to so much of her work. And in Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching, we are treated to Le Guin’s unique take on Taoist philosophy’s founding classic.   Le Guin presents Lao Tzu’s time-honored and astonishingly powerful philosophy like never before. Drawing on a lifetime of contemplation and including extensive personal commentary throughout, she offers an unparalleled window into the text’s awe-inspiring, immediately relatable teachings and their inestimable value for our troubled world.   Jargon-free but still faithful to the poetic beauty of the original work, Le Guin’s unique translation is sure to be welcomed by longtime readers of the Tao Te Ching as well as those discovering the text for the first time.

Read more less

Book Synopsis“One of [Le Guin''s] most radical novels. . . . A study in what a complete and utter rejection of capitalism and patriarchy might look like—for society and for the art of storytelling.—The MillionsReissued for a new generation of readers, Always Coming Home is Ursula K. Le Guin’s magnificent work of imagination, a visionary, genre-crossing story about a future utopian community on the Northern California coast, hailed as “masterly” (Newsweek), “hypnotic” (People) and “[her] most consistently lyric and luminous book” (New York Times). This new edition features an introduction by Shruti Swamy, author of A House is a Body, as well as illuminating extra material that includes interviews and liner notes to the book''s musical soundtrack. Midway through her career, Le Guin embarked on one of her most detail

Read more less

Book Synopsis50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION—WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY DAVID MITCHELL AND A NEW AFTERWORD BY CHARLIE JANE ANDERSUrsula K. Le Guin’s groundbreaking work of science fiction—winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants’ gender is fluid. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the strange, intriguing culture he encounters...Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom multi-award-winning, literary legend Ursula K. Le Guin comes a speculative fiction classic, The Eye of the Heron.In Victoria on a former prison colony, two exiled groupsthe farmers of Shantih and the City dwellerslive in apparent harmony. All is not as it seems, however. While the peace-loving farmers labor endlessly to provide food for the City, the City Bosses rule the Shantih with an iron fist. When a group of farmers decide to form a new settlement further away, the Bosses retaliate by threatening to crush the rebellion.Luz understands what it means to have no choices. Her father is a Boss and he has ruled over her life with the same iron fist. Luz wonders what it might be like to make her own choices. To be free to choose her own destiny.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fifth book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Furthest Shore and Tehanu.With illustrations from Charles Vess''[This series] made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I''d encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking'' Neil Gaiman''Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it'' David MitchellThese five superlative, evocative and enchanting stories range from a few hundred years before A Wizard of Earthsea to just before The Other Wind, and feature some of Le Guin''s most popular characters, including the Wizard Ged himself. The stories are rounded off with an essay about Earthsea''s history and people.No Earthsea fan will want to be without this magical collection.''[Earthsea is] <Trade ReviewOne of the most deeply influential of all 20th century fantasy texts * THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY *Le Guin makes a triumphant return ... the publication of this collection is a major event in fantasy literature * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe sixth book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Furthest Shore, Tehanu and Tales from Earthsea.With illustrations from Charles Vess''Le Guin''s words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it'' David MitchellThese five superlative, evocative and enchanting stories range from a few hundred years before A Wizard of Earthsea to just before The Other Wind, and feature some of Le Guin''s most popular characters, including the Wizard Ged himself. The stories are rounded off with an essay about Earthsea''s history and people.No Earthsea fan will want to be without this magical collection.''[Earthsea is] a memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death'' Magaret AtwoodTrade ReviewReads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago, and whose twists and turns have been handed down through generations of storytellers. It is timeless. . . . Le Guin's words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it * David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas *A memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless * Margaret Atwood *[This series] made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking * Neil Gaiman *One of the most deeply influential of all 20th century fantasy texts * THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY *Le Guin makes a triumphant return ... the publication of this collection is a major event in fantasy literature * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

Read more less

Book SynopsisUrsula K. Le Guin has won or been nominated for over 200 awards for her fiction, including the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master Awards. She is the acclaimed author of the Earthsea sequence and The Left Hand of Darkness - which alone would qualify her for literary immortality - as well as a remarkable body of short fiction, including the powerful, Hugo-winning ''The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas'' and the masterpiece of anthropological and environmental SF ''The Word for World is Forest'' - winner of the Hugo Award for best novella. But Ursula Le Guin''s talents do not stop at fiction. Over the course of her extraordinary career, she has penned numerous essays around themes important to her: anthropology, environmentalism, feminism, social justice and literary criticism to name a few. She has responded in detail to criticism of her own work and even reassessed that work in the context of such critiques. This selection of the best of Le Guin''s non-ficTrade ReviewEven in death, it seems, Le Guin is one of the singular speculative voices of our future, thanks to her knack for anticipating issues of seminal importance to society. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *By turns sharp, funny and insightful, high-minded but never mean-spirited, the book embodies its author's lifelong quest for freedom: freedom as a woman, freedom to write what she pleased, freedom to like what she liked. Genre fiction - and literature in general - has lost not just one of its brightest exponents but one of its bolshiest champions. -- James Lovegrove * FINANCIAL TIMES *It's a perfect way to remember Le Guin: like her, it's forthright, nuanced and above all - wise. -- Nic Clarke * SFX *An excellent collection of non-fiction writing by the recently deceased Ursula Le Guin * CHOICE *Characteristically straight-talking and unpretentious, Le Guin first introduces the book as a "carrier bag full of ideas and responses, thoughts and rethinkings". Then moving swiftly from the ordinary to the magical in under half a page she ends by hoping "that readers wandering in this garden of forking paths will find themselves in a rose plot or a bed of mandrake-root or a small grove of mallorns or sequoias where they feel at home" -- Ruth Scurr * THE GUARDIAN *Unsurprisingly, given her groundbreaking fiction, this collection exposes Le Guin's contantly whip-smart intellect, her wide-ranging interests and a treatment of her varied subject matter that is at different times both deeply profound and enjoyably playful...Whether she's writing about Star Wars or Borges, about the nature of beauty or heroes or princesses or utopias, the picture painted is of an endlessly engaged and inquisitive mind, and a restless intelligence that it is a joy to spend time with. -- Doug Johnstone * THE BIG ISSUE *Lit up throughout by vibrant and vital prose, it's a cumulative tour de force that deserves , and rewards, careful study...To fully appreciate the brilliance of her canon of work means paying equal attention to her talents as a perceptive social commentator and political observer, with a catalogue of committed non-fiction to her credit. It's a reputation that the publication of this welcome collection should do much to confirm. -- Rich Cross * STARBURST *

Read more less

Book SynopsisLife has so many facets, so that our preparations for it should be manifold. This means covering a wide area of activities that may range from simple to the most complicated .It is the reason that man is described as a social animal. The magic world that makes human life dynamic and makes him a multi colored shell on the shore of sea of society is emotion. Emotions have strong link with urges, need and interests. If they are satisfied, an individual is said to be enjoying a happy life and is emotionally stable, balance and health..Trade ReviewHer worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend * THE TIMES *Le Guin is a writer of enormous intelligence and wit, a master storyteller with the humor and the force of a Twain * BOSTON GLOBE *Eleven hauntingly written short stories . . . The view is lively, haunting, infinite * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *ORSINIAN TALES . . . represents the delicate, well-polished woodcarving of a woman who has created whole forests with words . . . lovely and sophisticated * PHILADELPHIA ENQUIRER *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with The Tombs of Atuan, The Furthest Shore and TehanuWith illustrations from Charles Vess''[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I''d encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking'' Neil Gaiman''Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it'' David MitchellGed, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death''s threshold to restore the balance.''The Earthsea trilogy . . . is a memorable exploratiTrade Review[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking - Neil GaimanThe Earthsea trilogy . . . is a memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless - Margaret AtwoodA Wizard of Earthsea reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago, and whose twists and turns have been handed down through generations of storytellers. It is timeless. . . . Le Guin's words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it - David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe second book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Furthest Shore and TehanuWith illustrations from Charles Vess''[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I''d encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking'' Neil Gaiman''Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it'' David MitchellIn this second novel in the Earthsea series, Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, and everything is taken from her - home, family, possessions, even her name. She is now known only as Arha, the Eaten One, and guards the shadowy, labyrinthine Tombs of Atuan.Then a wizard, Ged Sparrowhawk, comes to steal the Tombs'' greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. Tenar''s duty is to pTrade ReviewThe magic of Earthsea is primal; the lessons of Earthsea remain as potent, as wise, and as necessary as anyone could dream -- Neil GaimanDrink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it -- David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLASThe Earthsea trilogy . . . is a memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless -- Margaret Atwood

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A Wizard of Earthsea reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago, and whose twists and turns have been handed down through generations of storytellers. It is timeless. . . . Le Guin''s words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it'' David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLAS''[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I''d encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking'' Neil GaimanThe third book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and Tehanu.With illustrations from Charles VessDarkness threatens to overtake Earthsea: the world and its wizards are losing their magic. Despite being wearied with age, Ged Sparrowhawk - Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord - embarks on a daring, treacherous journeyTrade ReviewThe Earthsea trilogy . . . is a memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless -- Margaret Atwood[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking -- Neil GaimanA Wizard of Earthsea reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago, and whose twists and turns have been handed down through generations of storytellers. It is timeless. . . . Le Guin's words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it -- David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLAS

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fourth book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Furthest Shore.With illustrations from Charles VessIn this fourth novel in the Earthsea series, we rejoin the young priestess the Tenar and powerful wizard Ged. Years before, they had helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Together, they shared an adventure like no other. Tenar has since embraced the simple pleasures of an ordinary life, while Ged mourns the powers lost to him through no choice of his own. Now the two must join forces again and help another in need-the physically, emotionally scarred child whose own destiny has yet to be revealed.... ''[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I''d encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking'' NeilTrade Review[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking - Neil GaimanThe Earthsea trilogy . . . is a memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless - Margaret AtwoodA Wizard of Earthsea reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago, and whose twists and turns have been handed down through generations of storytellers. It is timeless. . . . Le Guin's words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it - David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas

Read more less

Book SynopsisA literary masterpiece from one of the great writers of our time: ''Ursula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart'' David Mitchell''Love doesn''t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new'' Two people, until recently strangers, find themselves on a long, tortuous and dangerous journey across the ice. One is an outcast, forced to leave his beloved homeland; the other is fleeing from a different kind of persecution. What they have in common is curiosity, about others and themselves, and an almost unshakeable belief that the world can be a better place. As they journey for over 800 miles, across the harshest, most inhospitable landscape, they discover the true meaning of friendship, and of love.Trade ReviewIt's a giant thought experiment that's also a cracking good read about gender -- Neil GaimanUrsula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David MitchellA rich and complex story of friendship and love * Guardian *Ursula Le Guin was able to reimagine many concepts we take to be natural, shared, and unalterable - gender, utopia, creation, war, family, the city, the country - and reveal the all-too-human constructions at their center ... Literature will miss her. There's no one like her -- Zadie SmithUrsula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David Mitchell

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisUrsula K. Le Guin's richly-imagined vision of a post-apocalyptic California, in a newly expanded version prepared shortly before her death This fourth volume in the Library of America’s definitive Ursula K. Le Guin edition presents her most ambitious novel and finest achievement, a mid-career masterpiece that showcases her unique genius for world building. Framed as an anthropologist’s report on the Kesh, survivors of ecological catastrophe living in a future Napa Valley, Always Coming Home (1985) is an utterly original tapestry of history and myth, fable and poetry, story- telling and song. Prepared in close consultation with the author, this expanded edition features new material added just before her death, including for the first time two “missing” chapters of the Kesh novel Dangerous People. The volume con- cludes with a selection of Le guin’s essays about the novel’s genesis and larger aims, a note on its editorial and publication history, and an updated chronology of Le guin’s life and career. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA deluxe, single volume collection of the award-winning author?s beloved trilogy of coming-of-age stories set in the Western Shore, where young people struggle against racism, prejudice, and slavery and must learn to live with their mysterious and magical gifts

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTogether for the first time, all 5 standalone novels from the Hugo and Nebula award–winning writer who reinvented science fiction, including one restored to printSpans from the 1971 classic The Lathe of Heaven to her career-crowning 2008 masterpiece LaviniaThis 7th volume in the definitive Library of America edition of Ursula K. Le Guin’s works presents 5 remarkable standalone novels that showcase her boundless creativity and literary range.In the Locus Award–winning The Lathe of Heaven (1971), one of Le Guin’s most admired works of science fiction, George Orr begins have effective dreams: dreams that change reality itself. But when he turns to the sleep researcher William Haber for help, the doctor sees an opportunity to use Orr’s strange gift for his own ends.A former Terran prison colony on the planet Victoria seems destined for revolution in The Eye of the Heron (1978), when the authoritarian leaders in the City try to assert control over the peaceful farmers who have been sent to live around them.The Beginning Place (1980) is a parable-like story in which Hugh and Irena have both found their way to the Beginning Place, a gateway to another world. The two initially become enemies, but must learn to work together when the utopia they’ve found turns out to have a shadow.The long out-of-print Searoad: Chronicles of Klatsand (1991) is a Winesburg, Ohio-like series of linked stories set in a small vacation town on the Oregon coast, where some of the characters have come for a weekend and some for longer, but all are pilgrims in the grip of inexpressible longings.And Le Guin’s final, powerfully feminist novel, Lavinia (2008), reimagines Virgil's Aeneid from the perspective of a woman who, in poet's telling, never speaks a word. Special features include an appendix presenting three essays by Le Guin related to the novels, previously unseen hand-drawn maps by author herself, helpful annotation, and a chronology of Le Guin's life and career.Brought together here for the first time, these 5 remarkable standalone novels showcase a Hugo and Nebula Award–winning master at her very best.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA purrpurri of the literary legend's quirky and winsome cat poems, mediations, and drawings Includes the hard-to-find The Art of Bunditsu and other delights from a lifetime of reflection on the mystery and magic of catsThe presence of a cat keeps me in touch with the mystery, the unreasonableness, the beauty, the stubborn wildness of the nonhuman world. In her life as in her art, Ursula K. Le Guin was fascinated by the feline. This irresistable little book gathers poems, mediations, and drawings dedicated to the complicated creature that her captured her imagination. Here are:• The Art of Bunditsu, Le Guin's hard-to-find “tabbist” meditation on the arranging of cats• Cat Poems, more than two dozen gems, many illustrated by Le Guin herself• Supermouse Comix! Historic First Issue! Le Guin's one-of-a-kind cat comic book• Cat Correspondence: a series of letters between Le Guin’s cat and those of her daughter detailing the Five Deliberations that cats spend their lives studying• Cat Tai Chi, as depicted in a charming series of drawingsA must for cat lovers and Le Guin fans alike, this is the purr-fect literary companion for every reader.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less