Understandable and valid, but if or when you decide to give it another try I can recommend starting with “The Word for World is Forest”, then going on to “The Left Hand of Darkness” and later “The Dispossessed”
imo the barrier of entry for Le Guin’s SciFi works (especially in that order) is relatively low compared to other progressive and socialist SciFi novels (which is quite a feat as well, since her works handle important themes just as well if not better thanks to her relatively concise but still “warm” writing style)
As a somewhat contrary opinion, while I agree that Le Guin is a fantastically good worldbuilder, sadly her stories and characters often barely reach mediocre quality. I still strongly recommend The Disposessed - it shifted my politics massively towards anarchism and I re-read it every few years.
Otoh many of Le Guin’s works feature strong misogyny, and The Word for World is Forest is one of the worst examples.
spoiler
Lots of sexual violence, and one of the PoV characters being a rapist.
While the depicted native culture is interesting, we see very little of it in proportion to all the violence and destruction.
Then there’s The Left Hand of Darkness which I’m quite on the fence about. I’m fascinated by the gender and sexual dynamics of its society, but sadly we experience the whole story through the thoughts of a very sexist cishet guy. Imho that spoils it a lot.
My second favourite Le Guin novel after The Disposessed is The Telling. Here, too, we see very oppressive societies, and as symptomatic of Le Guin’s works the pacing is uneven and the plot feels unfinished - but in its entirety the novel still feels like a beautiful poem about cultural and personal resilience in face of oppression.
I have to admit I’ve not read the full works (focus eludes me!) but I’m familiar with and generally support her views and ideas!
Understandable and valid, but if or when you decide to give it another try I can recommend starting with “The Word for World is Forest”, then going on to “The Left Hand of Darkness” and later “The Dispossessed”
imo the barrier of entry for Le Guin’s SciFi works (especially in that order) is relatively low compared to other progressive and socialist SciFi novels (which is quite a feat as well, since her works handle important themes just as well if not better thanks to her relatively concise but still “warm” writing style)
That’s a great tip, I’ll try to remember that, thanks!
As a somewhat contrary opinion, while I agree that Le Guin is a fantastically good worldbuilder, sadly her stories and characters often barely reach mediocre quality. I still strongly recommend The Disposessed - it shifted my politics massively towards anarchism and I re-read it every few years.
Otoh many of Le Guin’s works feature strong misogyny, and The Word for World is Forest is one of the worst examples.
spoiler
Lots of sexual violence, and one of the PoV characters being a rapist.
While the depicted native culture is interesting, we see very little of it in proportion to all the violence and destruction.
Then there’s The Left Hand of Darkness which I’m quite on the fence about. I’m fascinated by the gender and sexual dynamics of its society, but sadly we experience the whole story through the thoughts of a very sexist cishet guy. Imho that spoils it a lot.
My second favourite Le Guin novel after The Disposessed is The Telling. Here, too, we see very oppressive societies, and as symptomatic of Le Guin’s works the pacing is uneven and the plot feels unfinished - but in its entirety the novel still feels like a beautiful poem about cultural and personal resilience in face of oppression.
That is very valuable information that I will definitely consider before deciding to read her work, thanks!