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Hainish Cycle #3
City of Illusions
He was a fully grown man, alone in dense forest, with no trail to show where he had come from and no memory to tell who � or what � he was.
His eyes were not the eyes of a human.
The forest people took him in and raised him almost as a child, teaching him to speak, training him in forest lore, giving him all the knowledge they had. But they could not solve the riddle of his past, and at last he had to set out on a perilous quest to Es Toch, the City of the Shining, the Liars of Earth, the Enemy of Mankind.
There he would find his true self ... and a universe of danger.
His eyes were not the eyes of a human.
The forest people took him in and raised him almost as a child, teaching him to speak, training him in forest lore, giving him all the knowledge they had. But they could not solve the riddle of his past, and at last he had to set out on a perilous quest to Es Toch, the City of the Shining, the Liars of Earth, the Enemy of Mankind.
There he would find his true self ... and a universe of danger.
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
191 people are currently reading
11.9k people want to read
About the author
Ursula K. Le Guin
914books28.5kfollowersUrsula K. Le Guin published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. She lived in Portland, Oregon.
She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.
She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,076 reviews
May 23, 2019
I really enjoyed this 1967 SF novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, set on a far-future version of Earth. A man stumbles through the forest, his mind a complete blank slate, his eyes alien, golden cat's eyes. He's taken in and taught by a small group of humans, who teach him their language and give him the name of Falk, but eventually he is encouraged to leave and go find out who he really is.
And so a dangerous, cross-country journey begins. Earth is sparsely populated by humans who live very simply, reportedly enforced by a conquering group (the Shing) from another planet. But there are layers upon layers of misunderstanding and deception, and it's not clear to Falk (or the reader) until very late in the novel where the truth lies.
The ending was great fun, but I really wanted to know What Happened After. And what exactly was up with the main character's cat eyes?
While this novel works fine as a stand-alone read, it shares a history with , and my appreciation for it was definitely enhanced by having read that short novel right before this one. I also had fun trying to parse out where exactly Falk was in his travels through what used to be the United States, based on clues like "Mzurra" and "Arksa" and "Inland River." (Kansas, for whatever reason, has proudly hung onto its name.)
A good old-fashioned SF adventure, not as deep as Le Guin's later work, but a great ending bumped up my rating.
And so a dangerous, cross-country journey begins. Earth is sparsely populated by humans who live very simply, reportedly enforced by a conquering group (the Shing) from another planet. But there are layers upon layers of misunderstanding and deception, and it's not clear to Falk (or the reader) until very late in the novel where the truth lies.
The ending was great fun, but I really wanted to know What Happened After. And what exactly was up with the main character's cat eyes?
While this novel works fine as a stand-alone read, it shares a history with , and my appreciation for it was definitely enhanced by having read that short novel right before this one. I also had fun trying to parse out where exactly Falk was in his travels through what used to be the United States, based on clues like "Mzurra" and "Arksa" and "Inland River." (Kansas, for whatever reason, has proudly hung onto its name.)
A good old-fashioned SF adventure, not as deep as Le Guin's later work, but a great ending bumped up my rating.
September 3, 2011
Like the rest of the early books in the Hainish series, this one has a very familiar tone and plot. We have our isolated, alienated protagonist on his quest for one single goal through an unpredictable world which he cannot comprehend, making strangely disconnected romantic liaisons on the way, and constantly lost in thought about how human relationships are supposed to work.
But of all the series, this book uses these recurrent themes in the most interesting and naturalistic ways. The first half of the book, where the post-apocalyptic theme is most prominent, is the stronger portion. LeGuin gives us many brief vignettes of our protagonist's journey across the world, each one different in tone, each one modifying the character's overall experience and giving new insight to his fundamental quest of self-discovery.
Every encounter seems to reveal some aspect of the madness of humanity, but always remembering that in our mad obsessions and unpredictability lie also our wisdom, our unique experiences--something to be learned. It seems telling that LeGuin's standard character psychology of an emotionally stunted paranoid works best in a story about a complete amnesiac lost in a post-apocalyptic world of deadly dangers, but kudos to her for writing to suit her habits; it's a trick more writers should use.
The dystopian aspect comes on rather suddenly and completely changes the tone of the story, almost as if each half were a separate short piece loosely connected, except that the first half does not have a conclusion without the second to cap it. The dystopia of hidden psychics bears a definite resemblance to , though LeGuin's is a more subtle and practised hand.
This latter arc is fairly exciting and interesting, but has less of the unique vision. Its tone of oppressive confusion is also somewhat repetitive, and might have benefited from the character actively switching between options rather than sitting inactively avoiding either one. The character does eventually come to a conclusion, but it would have helped the depth of the conflict if the character had more actively explored the sides rather than sitting and ruminating.
Then again, a lot of LeGuin's conflicts play out internally as struggles within the characters' minds. This is not a bad method, but I think such conflicts play out better when such conflicts are clearly demonstrated by the character's actions and patterns of speech and behavior, bolstered here and there by a thought, rather than descending entirely into the character and leaving the plot behind for the period of digression.
But despite these caveats, I found this the most varied and imaginative of LeGuin's books, with a truly engrossing combination of verisimilitude and hallucinatory imagery from the cusp of madness. I look forward to more LeGuin in the future, especially if this work is an indication of her evolution as a writer, who here seems almost to have found her ideal voice, if sometimes fleetingly.
But of all the series, this book uses these recurrent themes in the most interesting and naturalistic ways. The first half of the book, where the post-apocalyptic theme is most prominent, is the stronger portion. LeGuin gives us many brief vignettes of our protagonist's journey across the world, each one different in tone, each one modifying the character's overall experience and giving new insight to his fundamental quest of self-discovery.
Every encounter seems to reveal some aspect of the madness of humanity, but always remembering that in our mad obsessions and unpredictability lie also our wisdom, our unique experiences--something to be learned. It seems telling that LeGuin's standard character psychology of an emotionally stunted paranoid works best in a story about a complete amnesiac lost in a post-apocalyptic world of deadly dangers, but kudos to her for writing to suit her habits; it's a trick more writers should use.
The dystopian aspect comes on rather suddenly and completely changes the tone of the story, almost as if each half were a separate short piece loosely connected, except that the first half does not have a conclusion without the second to cap it. The dystopia of hidden psychics bears a definite resemblance to , though LeGuin's is a more subtle and practised hand.
This latter arc is fairly exciting and interesting, but has less of the unique vision. Its tone of oppressive confusion is also somewhat repetitive, and might have benefited from the character actively switching between options rather than sitting inactively avoiding either one. The character does eventually come to a conclusion, but it would have helped the depth of the conflict if the character had more actively explored the sides rather than sitting and ruminating.
Then again, a lot of LeGuin's conflicts play out internally as struggles within the characters' minds. This is not a bad method, but I think such conflicts play out better when such conflicts are clearly demonstrated by the character's actions and patterns of speech and behavior, bolstered here and there by a thought, rather than descending entirely into the character and leaving the plot behind for the period of digression.
But despite these caveats, I found this the most varied and imaginative of LeGuin's books, with a truly engrossing combination of verisimilitude and hallucinatory imagery from the cusp of madness. I look forward to more LeGuin in the future, especially if this work is an indication of her evolution as a writer, who here seems almost to have found her ideal voice, if sometimes fleetingly.
February 16, 2021
This book should probably be a wake up call for me to stop judging books based on their cliche titles, but it most certainly won't. In my defense, I read the dreadful as a teenager and immediately fought the urge to cleanse my mind with sanitizer. (I know how this sounds, okay? It was just that bad for my brain cells.) And fantasy writers aren't exactly remarkably creative with their book titles. I also disliked the first two books from The Hainish Cycle (to my great dismay) so I had low expectations from this one to begin with.
But, this is my first five star review of 2021 and I can easily vouch for its brilliance.
The book deals with many themes, the central one being about the illusory nature of the self and the city one inhabits - about how each of us can be lost amidst a myriad of possibilities, shackles, dead ends and lies. It is also about how language deceives us into substituting truth with propoganda. As with its central character, silence is sometimes the only solace one can find.
What I personally liked the most about the book is its witty deconstruction of the idea of the state machinery. Le Guin masterfully and rightly shows that a defensive society simply hides behind a conformist facade, thereby forcing its residents to live in a suspended state of perpetual slavery.
Despite its dreary setting, the book conveys a very important message (especially for our times) - that ultimately the only way forward is to accept the truth of all the various selves we carry within us, even with all their mutual contradictions
I alone am confused
confused
desolate
Oh, like the sea
adrift
Oh, with no harbor
to anchor in�
But, this is my first five star review of 2021 and I can easily vouch for its brilliance.
The book deals with many themes, the central one being about the illusory nature of the self and the city one inhabits - about how each of us can be lost amidst a myriad of possibilities, shackles, dead ends and lies. It is also about how language deceives us into substituting truth with propoganda. As with its central character, silence is sometimes the only solace one can find.
What I personally liked the most about the book is its witty deconstruction of the idea of the state machinery. Le Guin masterfully and rightly shows that a defensive society simply hides behind a conformist facade, thereby forcing its residents to live in a suspended state of perpetual slavery.
Despite its dreary setting, the book conveys a very important message (especially for our times) - that ultimately the only way forward is to accept the truth of all the various selves we carry within us, even with all their mutual contradictions
I alone am confused
confused
desolate
Oh, like the sea
adrift
Oh, with no harbor
to anchor in�
May 8, 2022
“They let us be, here, in the cage of our ignorance.�
Ursula Le Guin's City of Illusions begins with an interesting premise, a man with yellow eyes appears deep in the forest of a depopulated future Earth. With no memory of who or what he is, and with those yellow eyes, is he even human? Despite his strangeness, he is taken in by a group of people, taught their customs and given a name, Falk. The day comes when Falk must leave and find answers about his identity. That quest takes up the rest of the novel, and really picks up steam in the final third of the book. Some interesting ideas to think about. 3.75 stars
Ursula Le Guin's City of Illusions begins with an interesting premise, a man with yellow eyes appears deep in the forest of a depopulated future Earth. With no memory of who or what he is, and with those yellow eyes, is he even human? Despite his strangeness, he is taken in by a group of people, taught their customs and given a name, Falk. The day comes when Falk must leave and find answers about his identity. That quest takes up the rest of the novel, and really picks up steam in the final third of the book. Some interesting ideas to think about. 3.75 stars
March 29, 2023
3.5 Estrellas
Pues la verdad es que este ciclo Hainish me está resultando muy interesante.
En "El Mundo de Rocannon" los humanos exploran un lejano planeta, para incorporar nuevas formas de vida inteligente a la Liga de los Mundos. En su interacción con las formas de vida avanzadas de esta planeta aprenden a comunicarse telepáticamente.
En "planeta de exilio" colonos provenientes de este primer planeta llegan a Eltanin, al que pretenden integrar, a su vez, a la Liga. Sin embargo, por causas desconocidas, las comunicaciones con los planetas de la Liga se cortan y quedan aislados en Eltanin, donde interaccionan durante milenios con las formas de vida avanzada que allí habitan.
En "la Ciudad de las Ilusiones" la civilización que ha florecido en Eltanin, decide armar una expedición a la Tierra para conocer de primera mano que ha ocurrido con la Liga. Han pasado miles de años sin comunicación entre ambas poblaciones de origen humano.
¿Qué ha pasado en la Tierra? Una élite de humanos o humanoides denominados "shing" detentan el poder sobre una población humana, fragmentada, desorganizada y embrutecida que conserva vagos recuerdos de su pasado esplendor.
Esto se van a encontrar los humanos de Eltanin cuando llegan a la Tierra, donde no van a ser bien recibidos. Un único superviviente, Ramarren/Falk, vivirá una increíble epopeya para ser capaz de desentrañar la red tecnológica, militar y mental con que los Shing han dominado a la población humana durante milenios.
Una de los dogmas de la comunicación telepática es que en este tipo de comunicación no se puede mentir. De mente a mente sólo vale la verdad. Los humanos de Eltanin dominan la comunicación mental...¿Habrán podido superar los shing esta barrera de la mentira mental? ¿será esta la piedra angular de su dominio en la Tierra y de su victoria?
Demasiada ida de olla con el tema de la telepatía, pero el giro final entre Ramarren/Falk y el Shing ha sido genial.
Como siempre una imaginación desbordante para explicarnos las distintas situaciones políticas y sociales por las que puede evolucionar, o involucionar, una población humana derrotada, sometida, aislada y alienada culturalmente.
Una aventura de superación también, de la capacidad humana para ir más allá y no rendirse nunca.
La propaganda política como base de la victoria. La mente como el eje de todo. La semilla cultural sembrada en el rincón más recóndito de la galaxia, acudiendo al rescate de la madre Tierra.
¿Lo conseguirá?
Son 3 libros independientes, pero hay un fino hilo conductor que hace que sea aconsejable leerlos en orden.
Ahora a por "La Mano izquierda de la oscuridad"
Pues la verdad es que este ciclo Hainish me está resultando muy interesante.
En "El Mundo de Rocannon" los humanos exploran un lejano planeta, para incorporar nuevas formas de vida inteligente a la Liga de los Mundos. En su interacción con las formas de vida avanzadas de esta planeta aprenden a comunicarse telepáticamente.
En "planeta de exilio" colonos provenientes de este primer planeta llegan a Eltanin, al que pretenden integrar, a su vez, a la Liga. Sin embargo, por causas desconocidas, las comunicaciones con los planetas de la Liga se cortan y quedan aislados en Eltanin, donde interaccionan durante milenios con las formas de vida avanzada que allí habitan.
En "la Ciudad de las Ilusiones" la civilización que ha florecido en Eltanin, decide armar una expedición a la Tierra para conocer de primera mano que ha ocurrido con la Liga. Han pasado miles de años sin comunicación entre ambas poblaciones de origen humano.
¿Qué ha pasado en la Tierra? Una élite de humanos o humanoides denominados "shing" detentan el poder sobre una población humana, fragmentada, desorganizada y embrutecida que conserva vagos recuerdos de su pasado esplendor.
Esto se van a encontrar los humanos de Eltanin cuando llegan a la Tierra, donde no van a ser bien recibidos. Un único superviviente, Ramarren/Falk, vivirá una increíble epopeya para ser capaz de desentrañar la red tecnológica, militar y mental con que los Shing han dominado a la población humana durante milenios.
Una de los dogmas de la comunicación telepática es que en este tipo de comunicación no se puede mentir. De mente a mente sólo vale la verdad. Los humanos de Eltanin dominan la comunicación mental...¿Habrán podido superar los shing esta barrera de la mentira mental? ¿será esta la piedra angular de su dominio en la Tierra y de su victoria?
Demasiada ida de olla con el tema de la telepatía, pero el giro final entre Ramarren/Falk y el Shing ha sido genial.
Como siempre una imaginación desbordante para explicarnos las distintas situaciones políticas y sociales por las que puede evolucionar, o involucionar, una población humana derrotada, sometida, aislada y alienada culturalmente.
Una aventura de superación también, de la capacidad humana para ir más allá y no rendirse nunca.
La propaganda política como base de la victoria. La mente como el eje de todo. La semilla cultural sembrada en el rincón más recóndito de la galaxia, acudiendo al rescate de la madre Tierra.
¿Lo conseguirá?
Son 3 libros independientes, pero hay un fino hilo conductor que hace que sea aconsejable leerlos en orden.
Ahora a por "La Mano izquierda de la oscuridad"
August 27, 2016
City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin is a part of her Hainish cycle of books.
This work involves an alien traveler who has arrived in a forest region of what was once the eastern United States with amnesia. His journey across the continent allows Le Guin to describe a dystopian landscape that could compliment the future as described by Walter M. Miller, Jr’s .
The book is highlighted by Le Guin’s remarkable imagination and her sparse but descriptive prose. The subject matter lags some and her vision is sometimes difficult to follow but for a fan of Le Guin this is a good read.
This work involves an alien traveler who has arrived in a forest region of what was once the eastern United States with amnesia. His journey across the continent allows Le Guin to describe a dystopian landscape that could compliment the future as described by Walter M. Miller, Jr’s .
The book is highlighted by Le Guin’s remarkable imagination and her sparse but descriptive prose. The subject matter lags some and her vision is sometimes difficult to follow but for a fan of Le Guin this is a good read.
April 12, 2025
„� Не владея мисловната реч � произнесе Фалк след известна пауза. Гласът му прозвуча дрезгаво. � Но мога да чувам онова, което ми казвате. Освен това, не съм настоявал за истината. Кой съм аз, че да питам за нея?�
„Градът на илюзиите� е чудесен роман, който страшно силно ме развълнува! Според мен, той представлява най-вече забележителна антиутопия, но същевременно съдържа елементи на постапокалиптичен фантастика и приключенска история. Урсула Ле Гуин е вложила в него много мъдрост, както и изградила страхотен и запомнящ се главен герой.
Действието се развива на Земята и в далечното бъдеще, обаче атмосферата е доста сурова и обществото е технически изостанало. Фалк изненадващо се оказва в гората и не си спомня нищо от своето минало и как е попаднал там. Местните жители му помагат и той живее сред тях няколко години, но впоследствие решава да тръгне към загадъчния град Ес Ток, където да се опита да разбере какво наистина се случило. По пътя към него Фалк преживява разнообразни и вълнуващи приключения, а пък в самия град на илюзиите му предстоят шеметни и далеч по-заплетени и опасни събития...
„Межд� мисълта и произнесената дума съществува празнина, в която нерядко се вмества намерението, което променя смисъла и отваря път на лъжата.�
„Колкот� повече едно общество мисли за отбраната си, толкова по-конформистко е то. Хората, сред които живееше, следваха много тесен, мъчителен и ограничен Път през просторните, свободни равнини.�
„Принцът бе абсолютен господар на своето царство, но никога не налагаше волята си със сила: другите по-скоро я възприемаха като чест, сякаш с правото да служат на този изключителен човек те потвърждаваха собствените си човешки достойнства.�
„Никог� досега не му бе говорила с такава завладяваща увереност. Думите ѝ пробуждаха в душата му нова надежда, ала същевременно го озадачаваха, защото в последно време тя бе станала твърде загрижена и мълчалива.�
„Единственот� му оръжие си оставаше честността. Беше се вкопчил като удавник във вярата, че честният човек не може да бъде измамен и че истината � ако играта бъде изиграна до край � ще го отведе пак до истина.�
„П�-важното е какво са забравили, за да спечелят тази награда? � попита Фалк, но въпросът изглежда нямаше смисъл за Ори.�
„Та�, където няма взаимоотношения между хората, където ръцете не се докосват, чувствата атрофират в празното пространство, а разумът става стерилен и губи солидна почва под себе си. И тогава единствената връзка между хората е между господар и слуга, между убиец и жертва.�
„Винаг� има повече от един път до истината.�
„Градът на илюзиите� е чудесен роман, който страшно силно ме развълнува! Според мен, той представлява най-вече забележителна антиутопия, но същевременно съдържа елементи на постапокалиптичен фантастика и приключенска история. Урсула Ле Гуин е вложила в него много мъдрост, както и изградила страхотен и запомнящ се главен герой.
Действието се развива на Земята и в далечното бъдеще, обаче атмосферата е доста сурова и обществото е технически изостанало. Фалк изненадващо се оказва в гората и не си спомня нищо от своето минало и как е попаднал там. Местните жители му помагат и той живее сред тях няколко години, но впоследствие решава да тръгне към загадъчния град Ес Ток, където да се опита да разбере какво наистина се случило. По пътя към него Фалк преживява разнообразни и вълнуващи приключения, а пък в самия град на илюзиите му предстоят шеметни и далеч по-заплетени и опасни събития...
„Межд� мисълта и произнесената дума съществува празнина, в която нерядко се вмества намерението, което променя смисъла и отваря път на лъжата.�
„Колкот� повече едно общество мисли за отбраната си, толкова по-конформистко е то. Хората, сред които живееше, следваха много тесен, мъчителен и ограничен Път през просторните, свободни равнини.�
„Принцът бе абсолютен господар на своето царство, но никога не налагаше волята си със сила: другите по-скоро я възприемаха като чест, сякаш с правото да служат на този изключителен човек те потвърждаваха собствените си човешки достойнства.�
„Никог� досега не му бе говорила с такава завладяваща увереност. Думите ѝ пробуждаха в душата му нова надежда, ала същевременно го озадачаваха, защото в последно време тя бе станала твърде загрижена и мълчалива.�
„Единственот� му оръжие си оставаше честността. Беше се вкопчил като удавник във вярата, че честният човек не може да бъде измамен и че истината � ако играта бъде изиграна до край � ще го отведе пак до истина.�
„П�-важното е какво са забравили, за да спечелят тази награда? � попита Фалк, но въпросът изглежда нямаше смисъл за Ори.�
„Та�, където няма взаимоотношения между хората, където ръцете не се докосват, чувствата атрофират в празното пространство, а разумът става стерилен и губи солидна почва под себе си. И тогава единствената връзка между хората е между господар и слуга, между убиец и жертва.�
„Винаг� има повече от един път до истината.�
March 17, 2021
Seen rightly, any situation, even a chaos or a trap would come clear and lead of itself to its one proper outcome: for there is in the long run no disharmony, only misunderstanding, no chance or mis-chance but only the ignorant eye.
An amber-eyed man enters consciousness within a vast forest, remembering nothing, knowing nothing; he walks and he is found.
A forest-dwelling people take him in, name him Falk, and teach him the ways of planet Earth. Unsure of his origins and his biology, they accept him as their own; until the time comes when he must leave and seek himself in the city of Es Toch where the Shing rule over humankind. He believes this city holds the truth about who he was and who he is. He believes the City of Lies may unwrap his story.
My favorite thing about Ursula K. Le Guin is her ability to create cultures and living worlds. Xenomythology is an intellectual turn-on. Science fiction is fascinating because it allows us to learn about fictional cultures and experience their creation, and in learning through fiction, we are allowed to look at ourselves and see where we came from and how our stories came to be. Science fiction is a place of self-reflection. It is a place of Truth.
An amber-eyed man enters consciousness within a vast forest, remembering nothing, knowing nothing; he walks and he is found.
A forest-dwelling people take him in, name him Falk, and teach him the ways of planet Earth. Unsure of his origins and his biology, they accept him as their own; until the time comes when he must leave and seek himself in the city of Es Toch where the Shing rule over humankind. He believes this city holds the truth about who he was and who he is. He believes the City of Lies may unwrap his story.
My favorite thing about Ursula K. Le Guin is her ability to create cultures and living worlds. Xenomythology is an intellectual turn-on. Science fiction is fascinating because it allows us to learn about fictional cultures and experience their creation, and in learning through fiction, we are allowed to look at ourselves and see where we came from and how our stories came to be. Science fiction is a place of self-reflection. It is a place of Truth.
August 10, 2019
It’s difficult to believe that Le Guin wrote this book only two short years before her masterpiece The Left Hand of Darkness; they both take place in the same basic “Hainish� universe, but they each feature extremely different versions of the details and the history of that universe.
This novel is also much more cerebral and restrained than the incredibly impassioned, brutal, beautiful Left Hand of Darkness, although it is also beautifully written. But I do prefer the latter.
However, she still manages to create a deeply compelling, mysterious portrait of one man’s quest and inquiry into the nature of his identity, and how his identity relates to � and is governed by � memory.
I will always marvel at Le Guin’s ability to write with incredible restraint, clarity, and a deep and profound regard for each human being’s right to selfhood.
She was a treasure, and left us with so many incredible gifts.
This novel is also much more cerebral and restrained than the incredibly impassioned, brutal, beautiful Left Hand of Darkness, although it is also beautifully written. But I do prefer the latter.
However, she still manages to create a deeply compelling, mysterious portrait of one man’s quest and inquiry into the nature of his identity, and how his identity relates to � and is governed by � memory.
I will always marvel at Le Guin’s ability to write with incredible restraint, clarity, and a deep and profound regard for each human being’s right to selfhood.
She was a treasure, and left us with so many incredible gifts.
July 5, 2023
Un extraño hombre de ojos amarillos aparece deambulando por el bosque. No solo no recuerda nada, sino que su mente ha sido absolutamente borrada, como si tuviera la cabeza vacía. Aunque sus ojos indican que no es humano, y puede formar parte de su enemigo, los habitantes del bosque se apiadan de él, le dan el nombre de Falk y le enseñan todo lo que saben sobre su mundo y sobre los seres que ejercen el control de este: los shing. Estos seres aprendieron a mentir usando el idioma de la mente, convirtiendo la mentira en verdad. Algunos años después, cuando Falk ha aprendido lo suficiente sobre el mundo más allá del bosque donde vive, sigue el que cree que es su destino y emprende un largo viaje de autodescubrimiento, un camino donde tratará de rellenar todos los huecos de su mente, cuyo objetivo será llegar a Es Toch, la ciudad donde los shing tienen su asentamiento.
“Ciudad de ilusiones� es la tercera obra que leo perteneciente al Ciclo Hainish de la gran Ursula K. Le Guin, después de “El nombre del mundo es bosque� y “Cuatro caminos hacia el perdón�, y pese a que no me ha parecido tan redonda como las otras dos, he encontrado una obra igual de cargadita de reflexiones y críticas al ser humano, a las sociedades que este crea y a las relaciones que se dan entre ellos y con otras especies. “Ciudad de ilusiones� relata el viaje de Falk en busca de su pasado y en busca de la verdad a través de un mundo devastado, donde los atemorizados humanos que quedan han formado diferentes y salvajes tribus, que se esconden del ojo vigilante de los que consideran sus apresores. ¿Son los shing el enemigo? ¿O es solo un malentendido?
La historia está dividida en dos partes, por un lado veremos ese viaje de Falk y todo lo que va aprendiendo en su camino, y por otra asistimos a lo que encuentra al llegar a Es Toch, esa ciudad de ilusiones. Debo admitir que la primera mitad se puede hacer más lenta y eso hace que tardes un poco más en conectar con la historia, cosa que no pasa con otras novelas de la autora. Pero en cuanto la trama empieza a rodar, es imposible no meterse de lleno en el viaje de Falk y en los conocimientos que va adquiriendo. La “crisis de identidad� que experimenta Falk durante el libro aporta muchísimas reflexiones increíbles y es, sin lugar a dudas, mi parte favorita de la obra.
Creo que uno de los grandes puntos a favor de la trama es que genera cierta intriga en el lector, que al final se encuentra igual de desconcertado que el protagonista y necesita saber la verdad, ¿son los shing unos expertos embusteros o son, para sorpresa de Falk, aliados de los humanos? No puedo evitar adorar los libros donde hay una crítica bien construida sobre como se relacionan las personas entre sí y creo que el Ciclo Hainish hace un trabajo espectacular en ese sentido. A través de la historia de diferentes planetas, las batallas entre ellos y la invasión de unos a otros, Ursula aprovecha para hacer un retrato increíble del despotismo y la crueldad del que tiene el poder, pero también de la lucha y la resiliencia del que es sometido. Y como al final el miedo a lo diferente resume la mayoría de las acciones de las personas. Mención especial a los dos personajes femeninos Estrel y Parth, que me gustaron mucho y me quedé con ganas de saber más de ellas.
Ahora que llevo tres novelas del ciclo Hainish, tengo la impresión de que lo adecuado sería leerlo por orden de publicación, ya que la autora usa muchos conceptos que quizás sean más fáciles de entender si se lee en orden. También creo que debe ser muy interesante conocer los hechos de manera cronológica, pese a que las historias se puedan leer de manera independiente y no sea una continuación directa de la anterior. Resumiendo, "Ciudad de ilusiones" es otra obra exquisita de Ursula que reafirma mi amor por esta genia. ¡Me chifla! Acabo de terminarlo y ya estoy pensando cual será mi próxima lectura de la autora. Me da que este año va a ver mucha Le Guin entre mis lecturas.
“Ciudad de ilusiones� es la tercera obra que leo perteneciente al Ciclo Hainish de la gran Ursula K. Le Guin, después de “El nombre del mundo es bosque� y “Cuatro caminos hacia el perdón�, y pese a que no me ha parecido tan redonda como las otras dos, he encontrado una obra igual de cargadita de reflexiones y críticas al ser humano, a las sociedades que este crea y a las relaciones que se dan entre ellos y con otras especies. “Ciudad de ilusiones� relata el viaje de Falk en busca de su pasado y en busca de la verdad a través de un mundo devastado, donde los atemorizados humanos que quedan han formado diferentes y salvajes tribus, que se esconden del ojo vigilante de los que consideran sus apresores. ¿Son los shing el enemigo? ¿O es solo un malentendido?
La historia está dividida en dos partes, por un lado veremos ese viaje de Falk y todo lo que va aprendiendo en su camino, y por otra asistimos a lo que encuentra al llegar a Es Toch, esa ciudad de ilusiones. Debo admitir que la primera mitad se puede hacer más lenta y eso hace que tardes un poco más en conectar con la historia, cosa que no pasa con otras novelas de la autora. Pero en cuanto la trama empieza a rodar, es imposible no meterse de lleno en el viaje de Falk y en los conocimientos que va adquiriendo. La “crisis de identidad� que experimenta Falk durante el libro aporta muchísimas reflexiones increíbles y es, sin lugar a dudas, mi parte favorita de la obra.
Creo que uno de los grandes puntos a favor de la trama es que genera cierta intriga en el lector, que al final se encuentra igual de desconcertado que el protagonista y necesita saber la verdad, ¿son los shing unos expertos embusteros o son, para sorpresa de Falk, aliados de los humanos? No puedo evitar adorar los libros donde hay una crítica bien construida sobre como se relacionan las personas entre sí y creo que el Ciclo Hainish hace un trabajo espectacular en ese sentido. A través de la historia de diferentes planetas, las batallas entre ellos y la invasión de unos a otros, Ursula aprovecha para hacer un retrato increíble del despotismo y la crueldad del que tiene el poder, pero también de la lucha y la resiliencia del que es sometido. Y como al final el miedo a lo diferente resume la mayoría de las acciones de las personas. Mención especial a los dos personajes femeninos Estrel y Parth, que me gustaron mucho y me quedé con ganas de saber más de ellas.
Ahora que llevo tres novelas del ciclo Hainish, tengo la impresión de que lo adecuado sería leerlo por orden de publicación, ya que la autora usa muchos conceptos que quizás sean más fáciles de entender si se lee en orden. También creo que debe ser muy interesante conocer los hechos de manera cronológica, pese a que las historias se puedan leer de manera independiente y no sea una continuación directa de la anterior. Resumiendo, "Ciudad de ilusiones" es otra obra exquisita de Ursula que reafirma mi amor por esta genia. ¡Me chifla! Acabo de terminarlo y ya estoy pensando cual será mi próxima lectura de la autora. Me da que este año va a ver mucha Le Guin entre mis lecturas.
October 17, 2015
Parth and her family live in a comfortable house in the forest, in a timeless tranquility. Suddenly, a man with yellow eyes and no mind stumbles into the sunny clearing where she sits weaving. How's that for an alien encounter scene?
This book takes place on a mysteriously depopulated future Earth. For some reason, perhaps because it's so far from the reality of the tamed landscape of this isle, I've had recurring dreams and fantasies of the land covered in forest 'thick with deer' with only occasional settlements for most of my life, so this story tapped into a ready vein of my imaginary, with an edge of post-apocalypic unease. The forest is itself unthreatening, though some of its human inhabitants offer crude violence, but then Falk, on his quest for himself, meets a wild pig. In fear he aims his laser. 'It is wrong to take life', the pig opines.
Double take. Yes, the pig spoke, and I laughed, but is this some enchantment? I was unexpectedly reminded of , in which Dick explores ideas of empathy and relationships with animals in a more completely industrialised future and weaves these into a religion; there's something irresistibly fabular about a talking pig. But is this a vegan moment? I asked myself. The animal at last has voice to protest her treatment. Perhaps not. The pig's words are the single law of the 'Shing', deceivers who hold the Earth's drastically reduced population in thrall through their lies and technology and mind science. Falk knows of them only the little he could learn from Parth's father, Zove. They are fearsome, but he has to seek them. As he passes on through the beautiful, treacherous landscape, he meets more animals urging the law: it is wrong to take life.
Through the problem of the Shing and their Law, we are forced to (re)consider what it means 'to take life', but Le Guin marks the talking animals as creepy and associates them with Shing deceit. The Shing, the villains of the book, are vegans, while Falk effortlessly hunts his way through the abundant wilderness. When he eats the Shing food he finds 'the food was queer stuff, highly flavoured, disguised, but he ate it all and looked for more'. Ambiguous! Is he unsatisfied by the plant food or does he find it nourishing? The Shing's relationship with the Earth is shown to be sterile and unfeeling; they avoid touch. Other people that Falk meets reveal different attitudes. The 'Thurro-dowdist' (a kind of Waldenesque moderate ascetic) old telepath who shelters him and gives him advice tuts at Falk for killing an animal and then not eating her, while the Basnasska, a group he encounters living a parody of hypermasculine tribalism-as-conceived-by-white-supremacist-imperialism, valorize their 'hunting' of the cattle herds whose weakest members they effortlessly pick off. Wiping meat juices off one's chin is seen as excessively dainty among these misogynistic oafs, who Falk considers have rejected history, though I think they have done something much more selective. I propose a name for their religion 'Morrisism' after the author of .
If the law is uncomfortably filtered through these texts of meat, it is more pointedly problematised in hints about Shing 'mindscience', including brainwashing. The authenticity of a professed blanket 'reverence' for life is called into question, and relational ideas about respect for living beings and freedom are mobilised instead. The Shing's law is a tactic like the spectre of 'national security', or perhaps the 'right to life' logic of anti-choice campaigners, disseminated to justify their 'peaceful' rule. The naïve Har Orry speaks vaguely of the Shing's 'democratic ideals', ringing unmistakable bells in my real-world ears.
In making space for both the strategist and opportunist game-player, Le Guin demonstrates what Audre Lorde told us: difference and diversity make us great, and when we revere and celebrate them we are strong in alliance against the liars who enact genocide (cultural or otherwise)
Few authors grapple as commitedly, as seriously with ideas of freedom as Le Guin. It may be that freedom is the great theme of (Western?) literature, but how many writers have really challenged and opened my ideas of what it means, rather than assuming that I already feel the shape of it, beyond nuances of language and culture?
This book takes place on a mysteriously depopulated future Earth. For some reason, perhaps because it's so far from the reality of the tamed landscape of this isle, I've had recurring dreams and fantasies of the land covered in forest 'thick with deer' with only occasional settlements for most of my life, so this story tapped into a ready vein of my imaginary, with an edge of post-apocalypic unease. The forest is itself unthreatening, though some of its human inhabitants offer crude violence, but then Falk, on his quest for himself, meets a wild pig. In fear he aims his laser. 'It is wrong to take life', the pig opines.
Double take. Yes, the pig spoke, and I laughed, but is this some enchantment? I was unexpectedly reminded of , in which Dick explores ideas of empathy and relationships with animals in a more completely industrialised future and weaves these into a religion; there's something irresistibly fabular about a talking pig. But is this a vegan moment? I asked myself. The animal at last has voice to protest her treatment. Perhaps not. The pig's words are the single law of the 'Shing', deceivers who hold the Earth's drastically reduced population in thrall through their lies and technology and mind science. Falk knows of them only the little he could learn from Parth's father, Zove. They are fearsome, but he has to seek them. As he passes on through the beautiful, treacherous landscape, he meets more animals urging the law: it is wrong to take life.
Through the problem of the Shing and their Law, we are forced to (re)consider what it means 'to take life', but Le Guin marks the talking animals as creepy and associates them with Shing deceit. The Shing, the villains of the book, are vegans, while Falk effortlessly hunts his way through the abundant wilderness. When he eats the Shing food he finds 'the food was queer stuff, highly flavoured, disguised, but he ate it all and looked for more'. Ambiguous! Is he unsatisfied by the plant food or does he find it nourishing? The Shing's relationship with the Earth is shown to be sterile and unfeeling; they avoid touch. Other people that Falk meets reveal different attitudes. The 'Thurro-dowdist' (a kind of Waldenesque moderate ascetic) old telepath who shelters him and gives him advice tuts at Falk for killing an animal and then not eating her, while the Basnasska, a group he encounters living a parody of hypermasculine tribalism-as-conceived-by-white-supremacist-imperialism, valorize their 'hunting' of the cattle herds whose weakest members they effortlessly pick off. Wiping meat juices off one's chin is seen as excessively dainty among these misogynistic oafs, who Falk considers have rejected history, though I think they have done something much more selective. I propose a name for their religion 'Morrisism' after the author of .
If the law is uncomfortably filtered through these texts of meat, it is more pointedly problematised in hints about Shing 'mindscience', including brainwashing. The authenticity of a professed blanket 'reverence' for life is called into question, and relational ideas about respect for living beings and freedom are mobilised instead. The Shing's law is a tactic like the spectre of 'national security', or perhaps the 'right to life' logic of anti-choice campaigners, disseminated to justify their 'peaceful' rule. The naïve Har Orry speaks vaguely of the Shing's 'democratic ideals', ringing unmistakable bells in my real-world ears.
In making space for both the strategist and opportunist game-player, Le Guin demonstrates what Audre Lorde told us: difference and diversity make us great, and when we revere and celebrate them we are strong in alliance against the liars who enact genocide (cultural or otherwise)
Few authors grapple as commitedly, as seriously with ideas of freedom as Le Guin. It may be that freedom is the great theme of (Western?) literature, but how many writers have really challenged and opened my ideas of what it means, rather than assuming that I already feel the shape of it, beyond nuances of language and culture?
August 26, 2021
Third in the Hainish Cycle this book again deals with an emissary from another planet, another civilization, facing a new world alone.
He lived two lives, losing his mind to find himself. This is humanity's home world but here humanity has been conquered. The remnants of the last human civilization now subsist by hiding or serving the new overlords: The Shing.
These Shing, an alien race with a unmatched use of mindspeech subdued all the planets that once were The League of All Planets and remained in Terra where they seems to be slowly dying. Now, one member of the human race, from a distant planet, one the Shing couldn't conquered, is back in Terra. An accident, or perhaps a designed event, took his memory. The conquerors, capable of taking minds hostage, take his. The rest is a tale of rediscovering, a world, a mission, oneself.
Not my favorite Le Guin but an interesting one nonetheless. Darker. Denser. Less optimistic than other of the stories in the Hainish Cycle. Older too, published before the ones that gained her the title of sci-fi master, yet a magnificent effort in convincing a civilization radically different that the ones we know.
If you like stories like Total Recall or The Nine Princess of Amber, you'll like this book.
He lived two lives, losing his mind to find himself. This is humanity's home world but here humanity has been conquered. The remnants of the last human civilization now subsist by hiding or serving the new overlords: The Shing.
These Shing, an alien race with a unmatched use of mindspeech subdued all the planets that once were The League of All Planets and remained in Terra where they seems to be slowly dying. Now, one member of the human race, from a distant planet, one the Shing couldn't conquered, is back in Terra. An accident, or perhaps a designed event, took his memory. The conquerors, capable of taking minds hostage, take his. The rest is a tale of rediscovering, a world, a mission, oneself.
Not my favorite Le Guin but an interesting one nonetheless. Darker. Denser. Less optimistic than other of the stories in the Hainish Cycle. Older too, published before the ones that gained her the title of sci-fi master, yet a magnificent effort in convincing a civilization radically different that the ones we know.
If you like stories like Total Recall or The Nine Princess of Amber, you'll like this book.
September 14, 2022
City of Illusions opens to a mysterious premise, grows increasingly intriguing, intensely distressing, and reveals itself cunningly profound. A truly captivating and thought provoking tale - a literally cerebral read, if there ever was one. Impossible to put down, once it starts seeking, asking, answering and hypothesizing.
Pure and delightful Le Guin train-of-thought.
______
Reading updates.
Pure and delightful Le Guin train-of-thought.
______
Reading updates.
July 26, 2022
I rather enjoyed this instalment of the Hainish Series.
This story is full of “Easter Eggs� if you know where to look.
If you are in the mood for some very descriptive fantasy, give this story a go.
This story is full of “Easter Eggs� if you know where to look.
If you are in the mood for some very descriptive fantasy, give this story a go.
June 4, 2024
Le Guin really hits her stride here with City of Illusions, the third book of the Hainish Cycle (and once the final in the 'trilogy'). While there are connections between this and and , this can be read as a standalone.
This starts with a rather terrified naked man walking out of the forest to a house; the inhabitants take him in, but he seems to be suffering from a rather bad case of amnesia or worse, with no memories what-so-ever, even how he got there. The setting is Earth, some 1000 years or so after the Shing took over the League of Worlds, and Earth has been reduced to lonely homesteads and various 'tribes'; it seems the 'age of the cities' is over. Anyway, the family, actually a rather extended household of about 50, nurse the poor guy back to health and he stays there for 6 years. The family knows he is alien-- yes, a hominoid, but with strange cat-like eyes. Where did he come from? Interstellar travel has all but stopped under the Shing...
This exhibits a common trope in Le Guin's writings, the quest for self discovery. The family gives the stranger the name Falk, and one day he decides to 'find his roots' if you will, or at least who he really is, and that means he must go to the only city left on Earth-- the capitol of the Shing. Who are the Shing? Everyone Falk encounters has a tale-- they lie, you cannot trust them, they are only a few, etc.-- and Falk runs into lots of strange and bizarre characters. City of Illusions reminded me of Jack Vance's work here, with Falk travelling and encountering all kinds of bizarre but believable people/tribes as he makes his way West (he must have started in what would have been Ohio or something). Good stuff and a must if you like Le Guin's work. 4 Illusionary stars!!
This starts with a rather terrified naked man walking out of the forest to a house; the inhabitants take him in, but he seems to be suffering from a rather bad case of amnesia or worse, with no memories what-so-ever, even how he got there. The setting is Earth, some 1000 years or so after the Shing took over the League of Worlds, and Earth has been reduced to lonely homesteads and various 'tribes'; it seems the 'age of the cities' is over. Anyway, the family, actually a rather extended household of about 50, nurse the poor guy back to health and he stays there for 6 years. The family knows he is alien-- yes, a hominoid, but with strange cat-like eyes. Where did he come from? Interstellar travel has all but stopped under the Shing...
This exhibits a common trope in Le Guin's writings, the quest for self discovery. The family gives the stranger the name Falk, and one day he decides to 'find his roots' if you will, or at least who he really is, and that means he must go to the only city left on Earth-- the capitol of the Shing. Who are the Shing? Everyone Falk encounters has a tale-- they lie, you cannot trust them, they are only a few, etc.-- and Falk runs into lots of strange and bizarre characters. City of Illusions reminded me of Jack Vance's work here, with Falk travelling and encountering all kinds of bizarre but believable people/tribes as he makes his way West (he must have started in what would have been Ohio or something). Good stuff and a must if you like Le Guin's work. 4 Illusionary stars!!
January 26, 2016
I'm reading this for the "Evolution of SF" group
/group/show/...
I always feel as if I should like LeGuin more, especially the Hannish Cycle, of which this is #3, the one before which is supposed to be a true classic. While I did like the original EarthSea trilogy & , these books are just OK yet most seem to think they have great messages & are fantastically written. I don't understand it. The idea of a race that changes sexes () or the ansible (an instantaneous communication device over stellar distances) are creative, but the stories are fairly boring & rather superficial in most other respects.
The truth will set Falk free, honesty will always win out, & men are supposed to be diverse & free to reach their full potential. Nothing particularly new. The different societies that Falk travels through are rather overdone & static, obvious pictures showing the worst parts of the Shing rule without showing any real benefits to them. They didn't seem to live any better than the Forest People & about as statically.
On the plus side, their treatment of Orry is very well done, a far better & more subtle way of showing their true colors. The idea of the Tool Men was very good, but almost completely undeveloped. There was a perfect opportunity for some real horror.
The end really disappointed me. Not the way things worked out, just the mechanics of it. It was clunky, not what I expect from an author of LeGuin's stature.
/group/show/...
I always feel as if I should like LeGuin more, especially the Hannish Cycle, of which this is #3, the one before which is supposed to be a true classic. While I did like the original EarthSea trilogy & , these books are just OK yet most seem to think they have great messages & are fantastically written. I don't understand it. The idea of a race that changes sexes () or the ansible (an instantaneous communication device over stellar distances) are creative, but the stories are fairly boring & rather superficial in most other respects.
The truth will set Falk free, honesty will always win out, & men are supposed to be diverse & free to reach their full potential. Nothing particularly new. The different societies that Falk travels through are rather overdone & static, obvious pictures showing the worst parts of the Shing rule without showing any real benefits to them. They didn't seem to live any better than the Forest People & about as statically.
On the plus side, their treatment of Orry is very well done, a far better & more subtle way of showing their true colors. The idea of the Tool Men was very good, but almost completely undeveloped. There was a perfect opportunity for some real horror.
The end really disappointed me. Not the way things worked out, just the mechanics of it. It was clunky, not what I expect from an author of LeGuin's stature.
December 5, 2023
The third of the first cycle of Hainish stories, this is a really fun read about one man's journey of self discovery. It occurs later in the Hainish timeline as the Shing have invaded the Ekumen and wreaked havoc on the various systems, eliminating most of them because they are able to "mind lie". You see, mindspeak's basic principle is that it is all truth. The Shing were able to lie via paraverbal mind to mind communication and thus undermine the entire alliance. In this story, we have an epic journey (although not as epic as the one in ), betrayal, and redemption all in a short 130-odd pages. Definitely worth your time.
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June 3, 2021
En realidad mi puntaje es 3.5. Ciudad de Ilusiones forma parte del Ciclo Hainish, una serie de novelas interconectadas. Le Guin rechazaba esa idea y sostenía que cada novela era totalmente independiente. Sin embargo, personas que no hayan leído otras obras o no sepan nada sobre el Ciclo Hainish encontrarán difícil comprender algunas cosas de este libro. El mismo se divide en dos partes. La primera mitad abarca el viaje de Falk, un hombre amnésico, por un planeta devastado y salvaje, dominado por tribus bárbaras. La segunda trata su estadía en la ciudad de Es Toch e incluye muchas revelaciones.
March 30, 2021
“Her zaman gerçeğe giden birden fazla yol vardır. �
Sürgün Gezegeni'nin ardından büyük bir zaman sıçraması ile Werel'e dair anlatı bambaşka bir ortamda devam ediyor. Bu sefer sosyolojik yapıların detayından daha uzaklaşıp tek karakter üzerinden gidiyor. Kadın karakterler biraz daha geride kalmış durumda ama yine de okunması gerekenlerden.
Sürgün Gezegeni'nin ardından büyük bir zaman sıçraması ile Werel'e dair anlatı bambaşka bir ortamda devam ediyor. Bu sefer sosyolojik yapıların detayından daha uzaklaşıp tek karakter üzerinden gidiyor. Kadın karakterler biraz daha geride kalmış durumda ama yine de okunması gerekenlerden.
June 13, 2023
Hasta la fecha, mi balance con los libros de Ursula K. Le Guin se reducen a dos lecturas previas: La mano izquierda la oscuridad, que no me convenció, y El Nombre del mundo es Bosque, que sí me gustó bastante. Este Ciudad de ilusiones cae del lado de los que sí.
La novela cuenta con un inicio que siempre es intrigante y muchas veces efectivo: la del personaje que despierta amnésico en un lugar que desconoce. Este tipo es bautizado como Falk y es adiestrado por unas gentes que viven en los bosques, le cuentan como es el mundo y lo forman para afrontarlo. A pesar que Falk tiene toda la apariencia de ser extraterrestre y sus ojos amarillos despiertan cierta inquietud, Falk se integra en la comunidad y encuentra su lugar en el mundo, no obstante siempre baila en su cabeza la cuestión de su identidad y por eso marcha hacia la ciudad de Es Toch, dónde viven los shin, la raza maquiavélica que domina el planeta y de la que en su pueblo de adopción Falk es debidamente instruido para que desconfíe. En ese largo camino hacia la ciudad, se descubrirá que la realidad es siempre muy difícil de manejar y encajar en los principios que son entregados.
Una primera parte de la narración tiene el sabor tolkieniano, nos ofrece la cuestión del viaje, aunque con cierta intención antropológica, pues en ese errar por diferentes culturas se aprecian los contrastes y las posibilidades de los diferentes pueblos. Desde los más bárbaros, muy violentos, que practican sacrificios humanos y mutilaciones rituales hasta el enclave Kansas, gobernado por un personaje megalomaníaco y sin embargo mucho más clarividente de lo que en un principio parece, un lugar dónde se aprecian los refinamientos de la vida civilizada y los juegos. A través de este recorrido, Le Guin nos muestra la dificultad de la existencia entre esos pueblos dispersos, que los shin mantienen subdesarrollados para controlarlos mejor, la complicación de la comunicación y el entendimiento resultan imposibles sin el debido progreso. A su vez, deduzco, la narración es una metáfora acerca del imperialismo, sostenido con engaños y falsos mitos que consagran el dominio de los shin sobre todos esos lugares y gentes.
Si bien el arranque no me ha entusiasmado demasiado, cuando Le Guin introduce cierta característica de los shin, que respetan a rajatabla la ley de no quitar vidas, ahí sí me interesé y enganché al mundo que se propone en la novela. Me pareció ciertamente refinado el hecho que este pueblo tan dominador mantenga una ley en apariencia tan humanista y que luego han hallado otras formas de malmeter, de infiltrar impostores para corromper pueblos, destruir su cultura, desorientarlos y mantenerlos en la ignorancia para que sean más manejables. La fábula antimperialista me parece evidente y bien cimentada, todo encajado en esa primera parte de travesía por el mundo salvaje y que culmina en la llegada de Falk a Es Toch y cómo tiene que luchar contra la falta de certezas, dirimir entre ilusiones qué es cierto y qué es falso. Ahí Le Guin también está fina, pues la actitud de estos shin se demuestra muy cortés y amable, por lo menos en su fachada, y en verdad consigue sumergirte en la duda de Falk. Ése podría ser el título alternativo de la novela: la duda de Falk. Una novela que expresa con acierto la incerteza a la hora de aprehender el mundo real y hasta qué punto es esforzado luchar contra la fuerza de las apariencias.
Una novela escrita con belleza y una prosa ágil y sensible, en absoluto sensiblera, pues cuando toca expresar la violencia la brutalidad es notoria. Así, puede ser vista como una novela juvenil de calidad, que posee sustancia para desmenuzarla y estudiarla con detenimiento, masticar con paciencia las ideas que se van diseminando a lo largo del relato.
November 27, 2019
The truth is largely inaccessible to the limited scope of a single perspective. One of the key themes here that remains highly pertinent today. Also, the utility of falsehood, the ease with which a false narrative may be created and corroborated, the complex truth of identity. If Rocannon's World was LeGuin's early fantasy quest reimagining, this is her post-apocalyptic barbarian story, but it's also the hinge point from her more direct early work into her more thematically complex later works (the next Hainish novel would be The Left Hand of Darkness two years later). As such, this gradually grows into great philosophical weight, even as the punchy episodes and images that make it up are discovered to illuminate its themes in retrospect. Even the central city of Es Toch is two-minded, spanning a dark chasm. As in a divided brain, Corpus callosum severed.
...
Picaresques that remythologize the American westward journey in some ahistorical fashion (ie not actual pioneer fiction):
Others? It's an interesting formal constraint in genre quests, I'm noticing. I feel like there's a non-sci-fi surrealist take I'm not quite remembering right now.
...
Picaresques that remythologize the American westward journey in some ahistorical fashion (ie not actual pioneer fiction):
Others? It's an interesting formal constraint in genre quests, I'm noticing. I feel like there's a non-sci-fi surrealist take I'm not quite remembering right now.
July 7, 2022
Reading Ursula Le Guin is like watching Star Wars!
Forgive me, I know it is not appropriate, but bear with me and I will show the similarity I have in mind.
If you were born in a previous millennium, you were likely to watch the Star Wars starting with an Episode 4. You followed this with an Ok Episode 5 and finally with a great Episode 6. Like me, you were likely disappointed when Episodes 1 through 3 came out. This was quite below the bar set by the original series.
If, like me, you stumbled upon works of Ursula Le Guin in this millennium, you likely started with her number 4 in the Hainish cycle, The Left Hand of Darkness. It must have blown your mind (otherwise why would you be reading this?). Number 5 was quite OK but then number 6, The Dispossessed, was incredible again!
You get the numerical similarity, right? But we are not done yet.
If, like me, you decided you needed to read the entire Hainish cycle, you must have been disappointed with numbers 1 and 2 , Rocannon's World and Planet of Exile. You lowered your expectations for number 3. Yet, this is where the real convergence in my silly analogy happens.
Episode 3 of the Star Wars was different from 1 and 2. It was dark, it was ominous, it was atmospheric again. It told a story about the lie winning over the truth.
Finally, in the novel number 3 of the Hainish cycle, this book, City of Illusions, Le Guin finds her true style. The story flows beautifully but the story is only secondary to the questions and the main question is the same as the one in Episode 3 of Star Wars. Do you lie or do you tell the truth? The lie can win you the war but without the truth you can not understand those you want to rule. And without this understanding the war you win turns into the war you inevitably lose.
Just ask those Russians fighting in Ukraine...
Forgive me, I know it is not appropriate, but bear with me and I will show the similarity I have in mind.
If you were born in a previous millennium, you were likely to watch the Star Wars starting with an Episode 4. You followed this with an Ok Episode 5 and finally with a great Episode 6. Like me, you were likely disappointed when Episodes 1 through 3 came out. This was quite below the bar set by the original series.
If, like me, you stumbled upon works of Ursula Le Guin in this millennium, you likely started with her number 4 in the Hainish cycle, The Left Hand of Darkness. It must have blown your mind (otherwise why would you be reading this?). Number 5 was quite OK but then number 6, The Dispossessed, was incredible again!
You get the numerical similarity, right? But we are not done yet.
If, like me, you decided you needed to read the entire Hainish cycle, you must have been disappointed with numbers 1 and 2 , Rocannon's World and Planet of Exile. You lowered your expectations for number 3. Yet, this is where the real convergence in my silly analogy happens.
Episode 3 of the Star Wars was different from 1 and 2. It was dark, it was ominous, it was atmospheric again. It told a story about the lie winning over the truth.
Finally, in the novel number 3 of the Hainish cycle, this book, City of Illusions, Le Guin finds her true style. The story flows beautifully but the story is only secondary to the questions and the main question is the same as the one in Episode 3 of Star Wars. Do you lie or do you tell the truth? The lie can win you the war but without the truth you can not understand those you want to rule. And without this understanding the war you win turns into the war you inevitably lose.
Just ask those Russians fighting in Ukraine...
April 30, 2018
"There's always more than one way towards the truth. Strap yourself in."
- Ursula K. Le Guin, City of Illusions
"Truth, as ever, avoids the stranger."
- Ursula K. Le Guin, City of Illusions
'City of Illusions' is the third book in . It was originally published in 1967. It has two main narrators Falk and Ramarren. It is infused with anthropology, philosophical speculations on the nature of truth, time, lies, patterns, knowledge, mortality, isolation, the alien and the self. It is also heavily influenced by Taoism (Thurro-dowism; the Old Canon).
The book started off probably a 3-star book. A bit slow, heavy, unwieldy. But the last couple chapters were definitely 5-stars. Perhaps, it is just my preference for the philosophical twistings and lint-picking that happens at the end: the explanation and unwinding of the story. Who knows? I also rather liked the taoist chessplayer aspects; mind-against-mind, playing for worlds.*
*I'm being purposefully opaque here not wanting to give away the ending.
- Ursula K. Le Guin, City of Illusions
"Truth, as ever, avoids the stranger."
- Ursula K. Le Guin, City of Illusions
'City of Illusions' is the third book in . It was originally published in 1967. It has two main narrators Falk and Ramarren. It is infused with anthropology, philosophical speculations on the nature of truth, time, lies, patterns, knowledge, mortality, isolation, the alien and the self. It is also heavily influenced by Taoism (Thurro-dowism; the Old Canon).
The book started off probably a 3-star book. A bit slow, heavy, unwieldy. But the last couple chapters were definitely 5-stars. Perhaps, it is just my preference for the philosophical twistings and lint-picking that happens at the end: the explanation and unwinding of the story. Who knows? I also rather liked the taoist chessplayer aspects; mind-against-mind, playing for worlds.*
*I'm being purposefully opaque here not wanting to give away the ending.
October 26, 2024
UPDATE: 26 October 2024
4.75 stars.
Upon a reread after eight years, I now appreciate this book even more than before. Apart from what I had loved about it on my first read, this time I was able to enjoy the second half of the book more (than even the first half), having understood and contemplated over, I can admit, all of the complexities regarding the plot of the story as should be. It was an amazing and a very enjoyable read!! :)
ORIGINAL REVIEW, January 2016 (3-stars)
A decent book. Great imagination of imagery, surroundings and ideas; loved this part the most. Liked the first half more than the other. Bleak dystopian landscape. Various factions of Terrans displaying different expert abilities, was nice. Interesting ideas, like Mindspeech, Talking animals (a slightly disturbing idea), lying and mind-lies, etc. Overall story was okay/good. The journey of the Quest was interesting. Perhaps not amongst one of Le Guin's finest books.
A one-time-read certainly recommended. :)
4.75 stars.
Upon a reread after eight years, I now appreciate this book even more than before. Apart from what I had loved about it on my first read, this time I was able to enjoy the second half of the book more (than even the first half), having understood and contemplated over, I can admit, all of the complexities regarding the plot of the story as should be. It was an amazing and a very enjoyable read!! :)
ORIGINAL REVIEW, January 2016 (3-stars)
A decent book. Great imagination of imagery, surroundings and ideas; loved this part the most. Liked the first half more than the other. Bleak dystopian landscape. Various factions of Terrans displaying different expert abilities, was nice. Interesting ideas, like Mindspeech, Talking animals (a slightly disturbing idea), lying and mind-lies, etc. Overall story was okay/good. The journey of the Quest was interesting. Perhaps not amongst one of Le Guin's finest books.
A one-time-read certainly recommended. :)
September 20, 2019
There's a very concise Philip K Dick novella if you just take the last third or quarter of the book: a game of deceit and reality-plumbing and distrust of identity, but nowhere near as freewheeling. From a pure plotting perspective, this phildickian aspect is undercut by the previous three-quarters of the book, as Falk's experiences form the reader's bedrock. But I doubt that Philip K Dick is really where Le Guin was going.
I never quite warmed to this. The long journey to Es Toch felt meandering and thematic, and in Es Toch much was spent on Falk's ruminations and Ramarren's mental anguish.
I never quite warmed to this. The long journey to Es Toch felt meandering and thematic, and in Es Toch much was spent on Falk's ruminations and Ramarren's mental anguish.
June 20, 2024
City of Illusions (Hainish Cycle, #3) - Ursula K. Le Guin
"Remember that... Never believe the truth of anything the Enemy has said."
"Remember that... Never believe the truth of anything the Enemy has said."
May 18, 2023
A story concerned with what it means to be a man, in every sense of the word: a man as opposed to an alien, as opposed to an animal, as opposed to a woman, as opposed to a boy.
This book does at times feel disconnected from itself. The first and second half are extremely different in terms of tone, setting, and plot structure. But both are engaging and interesting in their own way, and even Le Guin’s early work has a meditative rhythm to the prose that I love.
This book does at times feel disconnected from itself. The first and second half are extremely different in terms of tone, setting, and plot structure. But both are engaging and interesting in their own way, and even Le Guin’s early work has a meditative rhythm to the prose that I love.
August 2, 2015
Se jugaba entero a esta creencia: que un hombre honesto no puede ser engañado, que la verdad, si el juego se jugaba hasta las últimas consecuencias conduciría a la verdad.
Un hombre con los ojos amarillos con pupilas semejantes a un gato sale del Bosque sin memoria, una comunidad lo cuida, le enseña su lengua, y después de unos años Falk-como le han llamado- decide ir en busca de respuestas y quienes probablemente le dejaron asi: los Shing.
Durante su jornada se muestra una Tierra post-apocaliptica de comunidades muy cerradas en Casas que no son más que clanes xenófobos, y tribus bárbaras supersticiosas dedicadas a la caza y hasta canibales. Mientras animales parlantes dicen una sola cosa: 'Respeta la Vida'.
Como hombre sin memoria, se ve constantemente en duda acerca de quien dice la verdad, quien conoce de verdad lo que pasó. Y por supuesto ¿Quién es él? ¿cómo llegó hasta allí?, y ¿quién o qué lo dejó así?
Considero esta historia el cierre de un arco argumentativo que inicia con y , donde los terranos se encuentran apartados de la Tierra originaria y se habla de que la Liga de los Mundos se encuentra en guerra y se han esparcido a causa de El Enemigo, el cual nunca se ve.
¿Quiénes son los Shing? O más aún ¿existen los Shing? ¿Son los tiranos que ahogan las comunidades sin dejarlas crecer? ¿O son parte de la paranoia que afecta a todos, y son los únicos que han conservado tecnología y quieren lo mejor para todos?
Juega gran parte de la historia la comunicación mental. Según una ley de la Liga no es posible mentir mentalmente, y es precisamente este el quid de la historia. Ya que desde el principio le advierten los del Bosque que va a la ciudad de la Ilusión y la Mentira.
* ¿Qué pasa con las mujeres? En este caso, son compañeras sin liderazgo, y son frutos de la violencia y bienes de uso común e traspaso. :/
*Extraño e Interesante: El Príncipe de Kansas y su ¡profecia?
* ¿Lo que más me gustó?: Que se ve la conexión con la política de Planeta de Exilio, de Werel, acerca del secreto del conocimiento, y de no meterse en la política local. Esto resulta clave en esta historia.
Y que por fin sabemos que pasó con la Tierra, doce mil años después.
Un hombre con los ojos amarillos con pupilas semejantes a un gato sale del Bosque sin memoria, una comunidad lo cuida, le enseña su lengua, y después de unos años Falk-como le han llamado- decide ir en busca de respuestas y quienes probablemente le dejaron asi: los Shing.
Durante su jornada se muestra una Tierra post-apocaliptica de comunidades muy cerradas en Casas que no son más que clanes xenófobos, y tribus bárbaras supersticiosas dedicadas a la caza y hasta canibales. Mientras animales parlantes dicen una sola cosa: 'Respeta la Vida'.
Como hombre sin memoria, se ve constantemente en duda acerca de quien dice la verdad, quien conoce de verdad lo que pasó. Y por supuesto ¿Quién es él? ¿cómo llegó hasta allí?, y ¿quién o qué lo dejó así?
Considero esta historia el cierre de un arco argumentativo que inicia con y , donde los terranos se encuentran apartados de la Tierra originaria y se habla de que la Liga de los Mundos se encuentra en guerra y se han esparcido a causa de El Enemigo, el cual nunca se ve.
¿Quiénes son los Shing? O más aún ¿existen los Shing? ¿Son los tiranos que ahogan las comunidades sin dejarlas crecer? ¿O son parte de la paranoia que afecta a todos, y son los únicos que han conservado tecnología y quieren lo mejor para todos?
Juega gran parte de la historia la comunicación mental. Según una ley de la Liga no es posible mentir mentalmente, y es precisamente este el quid de la historia. Ya que desde el principio le advierten los del Bosque que va a la ciudad de la Ilusión y la Mentira.
(...)Me pregunto si detrás del hecho quizás hayas percibido la... leyenda; la creencia; el anhelo...
Falk no respondió.
—Nos ocultamos de los Shing. También eludimos aquello que una vez fuimos. ¿Te das cuenta de eso, Falk? Vivimos bien en las Casas... bastante bien. Pero estamos completamente dominados por el miedo. Hubo una época en que viajábamos en naves entre las estrellas, y ahora no nos atrevemos a alejarnos ni cien millas de la Casa. Conservamos algunos conocimientos y nada hacemos con ellos. Pero, alguna vez, utilizamos ese saber para tejer la trama de la vida como un tapiz a través de la noche y del caos. Ampliamos las probabilidades de vida. Hicimos obra de hombres.
* ¿Qué pasa con las mujeres? En este caso, son compañeras sin liderazgo, y son frutos de la violencia y bienes de uso común e traspaso. :/
*Extraño e Interesante: El Príncipe de Kansas y su ¡profecia?
* ¿Lo que más me gustó?: Que se ve la conexión con la política de Planeta de Exilio, de Werel, acerca del secreto del conocimiento, y de no meterse en la política local. Esto resulta clave en esta historia.
Y que por fin sabemos que pasó con la Tierra, doce mil años después.
January 5, 2019
6/10. Media de los 23 libros leídos de la autora : 7/10
La casi siempre efectiva Le Guin no suele ser nunca una mala opción de lectura. Te podrá sorprender más o menos, pero suele ser interesante leerla.
Recordemos que escribió mucho, mucho, tiene varios Hugo, Nébula, Locus y demás y fue la primera Gran Maestra de la CF.
La casi siempre efectiva Le Guin no suele ser nunca una mala opción de lectura. Te podrá sorprender más o menos, pero suele ser interesante leerla.
Recordemos que escribió mucho, mucho, tiene varios Hugo, Nébula, Locus y demás y fue la primera Gran Maestra de la CF.
March 18, 2021
I found this on my dad's bookshelf and didn't know it was the third part of a series but managed to read it okay. It turns out that all the books are totally independent of one another regardless of being part of the "Hainish Cycle". Enjoyable book all in all, and very different from how I thought it would be.
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