Review

“City of Illusions” by Ursula K. Le Guin is the third book in the Hainish Cycle. It is a cleverly constructed journey, which follows the main character’s search for truth. The journey taken brings the main character past a number of different perspectives and related behaviours on a somewhat strange planet. The book itself is a extension of the universe created in the Hainish Cycle and deals with the subjects of mindspeech and truth, and by extension trust.

It is a classic Ursula K. Le Guin book, which seeks to explore a certain subject and this is best done, through a steady journey. It carries all the hallmarks of her writing and is probably the book in the series that deals most directly with the over-reaching story-arc of the series. In retrospect, the book is quite casual to read, but it has an ominous quality throughout.

There are not many books to which Ursula K. Le Guin can be compared to other, than books by Ursula K. Le Guin. The closest comparison I can make is “1984” by Orson Welles.

Score: 8/10

Ursula K. Le Guin’s style is unique among science fiction writers, as she is often almost poetic in style and her inspiration from religious sources is often evident, but often well-considered and gives her writing a spiritual side, that not many writers can bring to light. Her style is thoughtful and well-constructed, it is based on thought rather than sudden surprises to drive the plot. She explores what it means to be human and uses science fiction as a laboratory to test her hypotheses.

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