This is my first novel by Usula Le Guin. I have used her Steering the Craft writing exercises before and have a lot of respect for her, but had just never gotten around to reading any of her novels. She does not disappoint.
I found her writing style devoid of superfluous world building, which I greatly enjoyed. She gives you what you need and leaves other things unexplained. I like this kind of world building because it’s true to real life. No one person knows every detail of their world. The world is built as you go, not presented as a whole, which is also true to life.
I enjoyed the journey of Ged and learning the importance of one’s self. I did see the end coming, simply because I am very familiar with this type of story (even the idea of true names being the basis of magic). I don’t know if Le Guin was the first with this idea and others have used it, or if she got it somewhere else. But I am familiar with many of the magical concepts presented in this story, so could guess what was about to happen.
I definitely like all the open mysteries that Ged comes across, they make me interested in reading more. But at the same time, some of them seemed very contrived to just suck you in for a future novel. I like it better when the mysteries have a a natural flow. For example, the two castaways on the island felt very natural to the story. But Terrenon felt very forced.
All in all, an enjoyable read. I plan to read more.
No comments:
Post a Comment