Helpful Score: 1
Fantastic!
a good collection of short stories; it reads like fantastic anthropology.
Science Fiction of a Different Ilk
Funny that they put the label "Fantasy" on the spine of this book. I would call it science fiction, but then, I'm a woman, and see science fiction differently. She comments on the ways that technology and environment shape beings, rather than commenting solely on the technology and environment themselves.
I found this book somewhat repetitive toward the end, but fascinating in its perspectives.
Funny that they put the label "Fantasy" on the spine of this book. I would call it science fiction, but then, I'm a woman, and see science fiction differently. She comments on the ways that technology and environment shape beings, rather than commenting solely on the technology and environment themselves.
I found this book somewhat repetitive toward the end, but fascinating in its perspectives.
This is such an inventive book. Really smart short stories that explore what life could be like if things were just a little different. For example, what happens if genetic modifications get taken too far (Porridge on Islac) or what it would look like if corporations colonized planets (Great Joy)?
There is a light and humorous tone to these stories of fantastical societies until you catch yourself thinking, "That sounds just like my father-in-law", or even "That sounds like me", and you realize how much of our human personalities, both our strengths and our foibles, Ms. LeGuin has put into her tales. Most of her writing I find depressing; most of these tales I did not.
