or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
22 used & new from £4.55

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Worlds of Exile and Illusion
 
See larger image
 

Worlds of Exile and Illusion (Paperback)

by Ursula K. Le Guin (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £15.95
Price: £8.93 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £7.02 (44%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, November 18? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
13 new from £6.80 9 used from £4.55

Frequently Bought Together

Worlds of Exile and Illusion + The Left Hand of Darkness + The Dispossessed
Price For All Three: £19.38

Show availability and delivery details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Left Hand of Darkness

The Left Hand of Darkness

by Ursula Le Guin
4.3 out of 5 stars (42)  £5.47
Gifts

Gifts

by Ursula Le Guin
4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £3.98
The Dispossessed

The Dispossessed

by Ursula Le Guin
4.2 out of 5 stars (22)  £4.98
Orsinian Tales: Stories

Orsinian Tales: Stories

by Ursula K. Le Guin
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £7.78
Lavinia

Lavinia

by Ursula Le Guin
4.4 out of 5 stars (5)  £9.97
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Saint Martin's Press Inc.; 1st Orb Ed edition (9 May 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0312862113
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312862114
  • Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.8 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 75,465 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Product Description

The author's first three novels--City of Illusions, Rocannon's World, and Planet of Exile--are included in an omnibus edition, all set in the same universe as The Left Hand of Darkness, as her characters battle forces in society that seek to tear them apart. Reprint.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Worlds of Exile and Illusion
45% buy the item featured on this page:
Worlds of Exile and Illusion 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£8.93
The Left Hand of Darkness
22% buy
The Left Hand of Darkness 4.3 out of 5 stars (42)
£5.47
Lavinia
14% buy
Lavinia 4.4 out of 5 stars (5)
£9.97
The Lathe Of Heaven (S.F. Masterworks)
10% buy
The Lathe Of Heaven (S.F. Masterworks) 4.5 out of 5 stars (20)
£4.98

 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:    (0)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Admirable collection of minor LeGuins, 20 Feb 2004
By Martin Turner "Martin Turner" (Marlcliff, Warwickshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)      
Rocannon's World was Ursula K LeGuin's first published novel, and begins the Ekumen series, although in Ekumen chronology The Dispossessed comes first.

City of Illusions in the last in Ekumen chronology, after the Ekumen has been destroyed. It is about the rediscovery of Earth by two men from a far planet - one of whom is mind-wiped and dumped in the forest by the Shing. The Shing are aliens who have conquered or destroyed the Ekumen because of their ability to lie telepathically.

The Exile novella is the direct predecessor to City of Illusions - about an Ekumen settlement that gets cut off and learns to make common cause with the local people, finally uniting with them.

The unifying factor in these three stories is telepathy - or 'bespeaking', as Le Guin puts it. Rocannon's World introduces telepathy to humanity, and City of Illusions studies the effects of an alien race that are able to exploit it. Like the Old Tongue in the Earthsea quartet, Bespeaking binds a human to the truth. Like the dragons in Earthsea, the Shing are able to misuse it - with the 'mindlie'.

None of these stories reach the visionary level of the Left Hand of Darkness, which should still be seen as one of the masterpieces of SF. Rocannon's World is a journey-adventure which begins with a powerfully evocative demythology of a Rip-van-Winkel type story, entitled 'Semley's Necklace'. It finishes with one of the finest endings in SF, which still brings a tear to my eye.

Planet of Exile is a slighter work. It's better than 'the Word for World is Forest', but not up to the level Rocannon's World. It forms a pleasing introduction to City of Illusions.

City of Illusions is the main work in this collection. It begins from the same premise as Asimov's 'The Currents of Space' - about an adult who has been mindwiped and tries to rediscover his identity and his destiny. The context, though, is much more compelling. LeGuin again returns to the idea of a sparsely populated world where mankind must struggle to survive. It is woven together with a strong backstory which is only gradually made clear as the novel develops. Like Rocannon's World, and the main section of The Left Hand of Darkness, it is a journey-adventure.

All in all, these stories are a very enjoyable read. In my opinion LeGuin's best books are the first two of the Earthsea Quintet, the Left Hand of Darkness and the Lathe of Heaven. This collection does not quite reach these heights. There's no denying, though, that LeGuin is a major artist, even in the minor works.

Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Three stunning short stories, 12 Jan 2000
These three short stories classics with a lose underlying plot of a terran galactic empire overun by a telepathically superior culture.

It's pointless to discuss the various plots - if you've read LeGuin before (dispossed, Lathe of Heavan, Left Hand of Darkness) then you are in for a treat. In these three short novellas she is at the height of her powers - combining breathtaking science fiction and minute and sympathetic examanination of the human condition (albeit through the prism of a world based in the future).

Each of the stories is excellent in its own way, and heightened by the underlying theme of subervsion of a future terran civilisation.

But for my money, the final story - City of Illusions - is without any doubt the best sci fi short story LeGuin has ever written.

Get this book, lock yourself away for a day or two and enjoy you will not be able to put it down !

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.