Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume--Rocannon's World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Le Guin writes in quiet, straightforward sentences about people who feel they are being torn apart by massive forces in society--technological, political, economic--and who fight courageously to remain whole."--The New York Times Book Review

"As good as any contemporary at creating worlds, imaginary or our own...Le Guin writes with painstaking intelligence. Her characters are complex and haunting, and her writing is remarkable for its sinewy grace."--Time Magazine
-- Review

Review

"Le Guin writes in quiet, straightforward sentences about people who feel they are being torn apart by massive forces in society--technological, political, economic--and who fight courageously to remain whole."--The New York Times Book Review

"As good as any contemporary at creating worlds, imaginary or our own...Le Guin writes with painstaking intelligence. Her characters are complex and haunting, and her writing is remarkable for its sinewy grace."--Time Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Orb Books; First Edition. 1 in number line edition (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312862113
• ISBN-13: 978-0312862114
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,952 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just magnificent., November 19, 2007

By	neurotome "neurotome" (San Luis Obispo, CA) - See all my reviews

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I've been a LeGuin fan for many years, so I've long been skeptical about reading this, a collection of her first three novels. (They form a loosely-connected trilogy and should be read in order for best effect.) I was worried that they might not live up to the standard of her later works, that they might somehow spoil my appreciation of what I've come to regard as one of the greatest bodies of work of any author.

My hesitation was misplaced. These stories bring LeGuin's anthropologist's eye; deft hand for character; and talent to create unknown, fully detailed worlds together as well as any of her other novels. The opener, Rocannon's World, shows what happens when an anthropological expedition to a new planet gets tangled in bureaucracy before going suddenly wrong. Planet in Exile, set 600 years later, follows a tale of two cultures - one alien, one human - forced to meld into one. Finally, World of Illusion closes the circle, showing us the final confrontation between humankind and the mysterious race variously known as the Shing, the Lords of Es Toch, the Enemy, and the Liars of Earth.

Like all LeGuin's work, the thrill-ride is subtle; some of the themes hit you late, sort of like the heat from a chipotle pepper that's been simmering in soup for a couple hours. The reward of reading LeGuin is a pleasure not to be missed and I'd recommend this book for any SF fan.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the Beginning...., March 30, 2000

By A Customer

There were these 3 books, Ursula Leguin's first science fiction novels. They are all set at different times in the same far distant future as her best known work, "The Left Hand of Darkness". Leguin's skill as a writer is evident in these books, and while they may lack some of the weight of the "Left Hand", they also are more concise and exciting. Leguin is a rarity in the sci-fi field, she is such a good writer that you are drawn into the worlds she creates. It is easy to forget that you are reading works of fiction when reading these books; the narratives and characterizations have the force of non-fiction. Another highly recommended, hard to find book by Leguin, again set in the distant future, is "The Word for World is Forest".

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worlds of Exile and Illusion, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

Having read the Earth-sea Trilogy, I couldn't get enough of U.K. LE Guin. She displays how even early in her career, she could spin facinating stories. Rocannon's World was great fun with trogs, knights, and flying felines. Planet of Exile seems like a place not unlike Mongolia in the time of Ghengis Khan--which just happens to have a village of aliens living near by. Of course the barbarians think the aliens are witches. City of Illusions begins with an alien from the Planet of Exile who is suffering from amnesia and must walk across the USA from the Eastern Hardwood Forrest to a canyon-edged city (Grand Canyon?) to find his lost identity. Well written but this last is the most frustrating because it just stops--there is no conclusion. Did Ursula run out of paper? or typewriter ribbon? What is the 4th book in this series? What ever happened to the characters in City of Illusion? All three are a great read--just a dumb ending. Was that writers' block or is there a 4th book? Definitely worth the time, I'm glad I bought the book, but feel like I was watching a miniseries and the "To Be Coninued" sign comes on but I can't find the listing for the final episode. Try it, you'll like it.