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Posted By: Aslan Jun 03, 2001 - 10:02 pm

My favorite author. Thought provoking, yet often compassionate and emotional. Her writing is beautiful, as well. She could write about differential equations and it would be captivating. My favorite books by her include: The Earthsea Trilogy, The Dispossessed, The Lathe of Heaven, The Left Hand of Darkness, and Four Roads to Forgiveness. Her short stories are also tremendous.

Unfortunately, it seems like her works show up on the shelves of bookstores less and less. It's even getting hard to find the Earthsea Trilogy. Can anybody recommend a contemporary author that is similar in style and content to LeGuin?

Posted By: Arwyn Oct 18, 2001 - 11:25 am

I think is a shame, that she's not as popular as she ought to be. I read her books when I was younger than I am now, and to be honest it scared the wits out of me. She really made her world alive to me

Posted By: Baze Apr 09, 2002 - 02:55 am

Possibly my favourite author of all time. I particularly love her SF, notably The Dispossed, The Left Hand of Darkness, Four Ways to Forgiveness and others. Her short stories are possibly what makes me like her the most though. She has to be one of the best short story writers alive- they are beautifully crafted, each one ending with a twist that really makes you think. My favourite? Either The Diary of the Rose (The Compass Rose) or The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (The Wind's Twelve Quarters)- both dealing with huge issues, including human nature, compassion, what it is to empathise... I could go on.

Good news! Ursula Le Guin is now being re-published in the form of Orion/Gollancz Fantasy/SF Masterworks collections. So far we've got The Dispossessed, the Lathe of Heaven and the Wind's Twelve Quarters re-released. More probably on the way.

Oh! And she's still writing, of course! Two new books out now, The Telling, and another addition to the Earthsea Quartet. Hurrah!

Posted By: Bmat Apr 09, 2002 - 05:51 am

Left Hand of Darkness is one of my favorites! Effective development of an alien culture. I recommend it.

Posted By: Aslan Apr 09, 2002 - 03:53 pm

*Massive nod of agreement*

Her short story collections are simply fantastic. I honor and envy her. The Dispossessed is probably my favorite novel by her, but I think Four Ways to Forgiveness is my favorite book that she's written. It's wonderful to hear that her older works are returning to circulation (though you can usually find them in any used book store). I could go on for hours, but my fingers would tire too quickly.

Posted By: Baze Apr 10, 2002 - 01:19 am

The one book that I've had real problems finding is "The Word for World is Forest" which I really enjoyed reading while at school. Now it's absolutely nowhere to be found. Could anyone recommend an online bookshop, or better yet, a British one, where I could find such a rare gem?

Posted By: Bmat Apr 10, 2002 - 03:45 am

Did you try the used books option at barnesandnoble.com, or amazon.com, or amazonuk.com?

Posted By: Aslan Apr 10, 2002 - 11:16 am

Heh, I have a copy...
For some reason, her books are all over midwestern U.S. used bookstores. I can't understand why anybody would discard a LeGuin. I've made a habit of buying several copies of The Dispossessed when I go to the used bookstores because they're so cheap and so ... frequent! Then I give them away instead of simply recommending the book.

Hmm... maybe I just keep buying the same books that my friends keep exchanging at the bookstore?

A disturbing thought...

Posted By: D3n15 Oct 05, 2002 - 11:30 am

Hehe Aslan.

I've read 3 or 4 of her books, very good and even thought provoking. I'd pick up the one's I havn't read yet if I had semi-easy access to them, but alas I don't frequent any used-bookstores nor public libraries (the one's in my area are almost all french books, ugh).

Posted By: Sagethai Feb 14, 2003 - 01:55 pm

I was impressed with Left Hand of Darkness, but I didn't know what to think about The Other Wind. Its was good, but not really written in a way I could enjoy. But I can find no fault inher ability to find complex story and original dillema.

Posted By: Sauscony Jun 19, 2003 - 10:16 pm

Le Guin is one of my favorites, even if I don't read her all that often. For tiny little books, they are awfully heavy in content and I'm just having some difficulties concentrating on more deep SF lately. I've managed to get quite a collection by shopping at used bookstores as well. If I had to pick a favorite Le Guin book, it would probably be The Dispossessed.

As for authors similar to Le Guin, I've found that Octavia E. Butler and Sheri S. Tepper have some similar themes in their books.

Posted By: Igneouscarl Aug 09, 2004 - 12:34 am

Le Guin causes me no end of trouble. I work in a bookshop and trying to a) get the titles in and b) making people buy them is a nightmare. Her work is great. I love the Earthsea Quartet and Left Hand but trying to get other people to read them is very hard. I honestly don't know why that is. It is so annoying to be able to sell Brooks, who I think is trash but no her. Oh the mysteries of the universe.

Posted By: MerleZ Aug 09, 2004 - 09:46 am

Brooks and Eddings are easy to read, while Le Guin is a little more advanced. Try selling Donaldson! He writes like he swallowed a dictionary, or at least like he has a degree in English from Kent State University.