Title: Voices
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
First published September 1, 2006
341 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780152056780 (ISBN10: 0152056785)
Rating: 3.94
Overview
In the town of Ansul, reading and writing were once cherished arts, until the Alds took over. Now, these acts are punishable by death, and the Waylord’s House is the only sanctuary for the few books that remain.
Memer, the Waylord’s daughter, guards them with her life. But when a Uplands poet and his wife arrive, their voices ignite a spark of hope in the hearts of the oppressed.
Set against a backdrop of magic, violence, and intolerance, Voices is a haunting coming-of-age story that will grip you until the very end. It is the second book in the Annals of the Western Shore series by the legendary Ursula K.
Le Guin.
About the Author
Ursula K. Le Guin was a prolific author who wrote an impressive collection of literary works throughout her career.
Her published works include twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve children’s books, six volumes of poetry, and four translated works. She was a celebrated author and won numerous awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, and more.
Le Guin was based in Portland, Oregon.
Le Guin was renowned for her unique portrayal of gender, political systems, and otherness in all its forms. She had a deep interest in non-Western philosophies, which is evident in works like “Solitude.” However, what makes her work truly fascinating is her creation of imagined societies, which often blend traits from her extensive knowledge of anthropology.
Her father, the famous anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, inspired this knowledge. The Hainish Cycle is a reflection of an anthropologist’s experience of immersing themselves in new and strange cultures.
Most of the main characters and narrators in Le Guin’s stories are envoys from a humanitarian organization called the Ekumen. They are sent to explore, ally, and learn the ways of different worlds and their people.
Le Guin often preferred using first-person narration to tell the story.
Editoral Review
Voices, a novel by the acclaimed science-fiction and fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin, was first published on September 1, 2006.
Le Guin is known for her thought-provoking and evocative writing, particularly in works such as The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed.
Voices is a genre-bending novel that defies easy categorization. It is part speculative fiction, part historical fiction, and part commentary on contemporary issues.
The novel is set in the fictional city of Ansul, which is undergoing a political and cultural upheaval as a conquering empire seeks to suppress the local culture and languages.
The plot of Voices follows several characters, including Memer, a young woman who becomes involved in a rebellion against the empire; Orrec, a former ruler of Ansul who has lost his magical powers; and Gry, a soldier in the invading army who becomes sympathetic to the Ansulites’ cause. The novel explores themes of language, power, and identity, as well as the effects of colonization on both the colonizers and the colonized.
Le Guin’s writing in Voices is characteristically beautiful and evocative. She creates a vivid and fully-realized world in Ansul, complete with its own history, culture, and mythology.
The characters are complex and nuanced, with their own desires, fears, and motivations. Le Guin’s use of language is particularly effective in conveying the sense of displacement and loss that many of the characters feel as their world is torn apart.
The novel is not without its flaws, however. The pacing can be slow at times, particularly in the early chapters, and some readers may find the political and philosophical themes to be heavy-handed.
Additionally, the ending may feel unsatisfying to some readers, as it leaves many of the characters’ fates uncertain.
Despite these limitations, Voices is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that is well worth reading. It is particularly relevant in today’s world, where issues of language, culture, and identity are increasingly important.
Le Guin’s writing is a reminder of the power of literature to challenge our assumptions and broaden our perspectives.
Overall, I would highly recommend Voices to anyone who enjoys thoughtful and evocative writing, as well as to fans of speculative and historical fiction. While it may not be to everyone’s taste, it is a novel that rewards careful reading and reflection.
I would give it a solid four out of five stars.
