Planet of Exile

Ursula K. Le Guin can be relied on to produce a beautiful poetic tale that will make you reflect on your cultural assumptions, the purpose of life and what it means to be human. Her work also leaves me refreshed and invigorated, a bit like a good strong sea breeze.That said, this novel was much more a standard adventure story than is usual for her novels. If you switched off your brain and just read the surface story, this is about two settlements in a low - tech setting that are separated by years of prejudice, joining together to defend against an invading foe and survive the onset of winter. Of course there's a Romeo and Juliet story too. With Le Guin the narrative is only ever the vehicle that guides you through the journey, in this case primarily one of reflection on unthinking prejudices. This is far from her deepest or greatest work (at the moment I suggest [b: The Telling 59921 The Telling (Hainish Cycle #8) Ursula K. Le Guin https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309203290s/59921.jpg 1873378] ), but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Perhaps not the best introduction to Ursula's work. A thin, flickering insight into a saturnine world, borne quietly aloft by prose that neither excites nor jarrs - much like a veneered IKEA tabletop: unassuming. The names are unmemorable; the characters vague, like faces beneath a frosted pane; the threat so very difficult to process. What is there for the Reader to grasp at? The Reader of Scifi might clamber for the queer, suggestive threads that allude to her other works (of which I have no knowledge). For the Reader of Fiction, Gaals? Waifish females and F1-speed romance? Unsatisfied is what they will be.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. The (relatively) lengthy Moscow entrenchment was a good bit of macho fantasy that reminded me much of David Gemmell. But the peculiar bickering between the humans was hazy, like dialogue written by Tommy Wisseau and the story generator from Rimworld mashed up. The final result was akin to a music video that didn't quite fit the lyrics of its song, leaving you engrossed yet a little confused.

I vaguely remember reading The Left Hand of Darkness and thought this might be a continuation but looking at Goodread's series page, this is not the case. It's set in the same universe but not related at all.

Ignoring this confusion, the first bit of the book is world building and a bit of character building, not much going on but then the storyline comes in and you get to see the interactions between individuals and groups.

A good story that's worth a read but not the mind bender [for me] that Left Hand was.