crasscasualty's review against another edition
4.0
This young adult novel is the final installment in the Annals of the Western Shore trilogy, but essentially acts as a stand-alone. Unlike most young adult fiction, this book does not assume teenagers are fucking morons and actually has sophisticated style and thoughtful philosophical undercurrents.
It’s solid, insightful, and entertaining. But Ursula K Le Guin is a boss so of course everyone should already know this. Le Guin always embeds thought experiments (which I think is speculative fiction’s most awesome form) and she didn't decide to dumb things down for the chillins. IT’S ALMOST LIKE SHE RESPECTS THEIR INTELLIGENCE.
She raises some interesting questions about agency and the degree to which we can be complicit in our own lack of agency. That’s a lot more interesting than I make it sound. Promise.
Though this is a YA novel, I don’t need to give it two (adult and target audience) ratings. It is objectively a great novel for all ages.
It’s solid, insightful, and entertaining. But Ursula K Le Guin is a boss so of course everyone should already know this. Le Guin always embeds thought experiments (which I think is speculative fiction’s most awesome form) and she didn't decide to dumb things down for the chillins. IT’S ALMOST LIKE SHE RESPECTS THEIR INTELLIGENCE.
She raises some interesting questions about agency and the degree to which we can be complicit in our own lack of agency. That’s a lot more interesting than I make it sound. Promise.
Though this is a YA novel, I don’t need to give it two (adult and target audience) ratings. It is objectively a great novel for all ages.
magnetgrrl's review against another edition
2.0
Third in the series I liked the least. One of the most anticlimactic "the villain is finally gone" moments ever. Might have well just said "Oh, and I think I heard somewhere, 35 years later, he died or something, I'm not sure." Unsatisfying.
eliseabril's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
indrabindra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Stayed up late to finish this one
riverleafing's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.0
anna_hayward's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
riemaa's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
smemmott's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
meganihauck's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
3.0
In the hands of a lesser writer, this book would be an absolute mess. As it stands, it's still an untidy narrative, with long sections of journeying and childhood biography that amount to very little. As a baby, Gav is captured and sold as a slave in the city state of Etar. Here, he is educated and trained to be a teacher. Having known nothing else, he at first finds his slavery acceptable, and only extreme events make him question the status quo. Here begins his long journey, begun in grief and trauma, as he wanders from place to place, trying to find somewhere he can be appreciated for who he is: a scholar, a visionary, a gentle and intelligent man. The plot reminds me a little of one of those books for young children, where a small creatures goes from one home to another asking for its parent, and is always sent away. This description, of course, belies the maturity of Le Guin's themes: the experience and aftermath of slavery, the abuse of women, the meaning of gender roles. But overall this book had a lost quality for me, as though it was trying to become a narrative and could not quite get there. Le Guin's prose holds it together, and at times the plot is compelling and moving. As a final part to this trilogy, however, it does not satisfy.