Books 5 & 6: two by Ursula Le Guin
Gifts
Voices
by Ursula Le Guin
I am really enjoying Le Guin's new series, titled the Annals of the Western Shore. It reminds me in many ways of the original Earthsea trilogy - they are both young adult fantasy, the stories focus on the coming of age of the protagonists, the characters appear throughout the series but the main character changes from book to book, and Le Guin uses race in unconventional ways (for the heavily white fantasy genre, anyway).
I read Gifts for the first time back in 2005. I hadn't quite remembered the ending, but I loved the characters even more this time around.
I enjoyed Voices immensely. It's a tale of a people who have been conquered and their polytheistic religion and culture based in open commerce and the written word suppressed by their hierarchical and monotheistic conquerors. The main character, 17-year-old Memer, is taught to read in secret as she grows up, and is a key player when visitors to the city arrive just as the political situation begins to change. The story contains commentary on politics, violence, government, liberty, religion, the importance of culture, the power of the written word, and the libraries. And, like any good fantasy novel, there are special powers, something magical, and an oracle that speaks through books.
I was very excited to see that a third book in the series is due out later in 2007!
Voices
by Ursula Le Guin
I am really enjoying Le Guin's new series, titled the Annals of the Western Shore. It reminds me in many ways of the original Earthsea trilogy - they are both young adult fantasy, the stories focus on the coming of age of the protagonists, the characters appear throughout the series but the main character changes from book to book, and Le Guin uses race in unconventional ways (for the heavily white fantasy genre, anyway).
I read Gifts for the first time back in 2005. I hadn't quite remembered the ending, but I loved the characters even more this time around.
I enjoyed Voices immensely. It's a tale of a people who have been conquered and their polytheistic religion and culture based in open commerce and the written word suppressed by their hierarchical and monotheistic conquerors. The main character, 17-year-old Memer, is taught to read in secret as she grows up, and is a key player when visitors to the city arrive just as the political situation begins to change. The story contains commentary on politics, violence, government, liberty, religion, the importance of culture, the power of the written word, and the libraries. And, like any good fantasy novel, there are special powers, something magical, and an oracle that speaks through books.
I was very excited to see that a third book in the series is due out later in 2007!