City of Illusions

LeGuin really was ahead of her time. City of Illusions is a wonderful blend of pulp adventure and philosophy on the nature of truth, and while certainly parts of it feel dated (especially some of the gender dynamics), it was still a really great read.

читаю третий роман из хайнского цикла и с каждым романом все лучше и лучше. то что начиналось как классический роман-путешествие, неспешное, но захватывающее, по вновь ставших дикими пространствам земли, ближе к концу обрастает кучей почти философских проблем - тут и парадокс лжеца и проблема телепортации и проблема тождества личности и наконец, после финальной схватки...снова в путь. очень очень понравилось.

City of Illusions feels like it has two main sections, one much cleverer than the other. The majority of the novel is Falk's journey west, which reprises a lot of such journeys west and doesn't feel particularly engaging. Many of the events along the way don't seem to add a ton to the narrative besides giving us more time with Falk himself. The payoff comes at the culmination of the novel, where upon reaching the City Es Toch, we find that Falk is an alien from another world that sent an expedition to Earth. He has had his prior memory erased, and upon recovering it must navigate the hostile city while combining the two experiences. This is a compelling conceit, touching on questions of the sense of self and the nature of truth. I'm also intrigued by the barebones skeleton of how the League of All Worlds fell to the Shing, an enemy whose ability to lie appears to be their sole advantage. I haven't read much in the way of space war, so thinking about how an ansible-connected galactic civilisation could crumble is fascinating. I love that the Hainish universe is able to provide a setting for all sorts of different stories, including this one.

Ursula K Le Guin was just getting started as an author. This novel was the start of seeing how good she'd become. There's a lot to like in this one and it can be read without reading the two initial Hainish cycle stories. I enjoyed the exploration of the basis of knowledge, myth, lies and how we understand each other within the context of the main character's journey of self-rediscovery.

Short Review: this is the third book of the Hainish Cycle that I have read. I think it is the best story, but also the one that philosophically is doing the least. Which may be somewhat connected. It is out of print as a stand alone book except for this audiobook edition. It is included in some collections of Le Guin's work.

My full review which doesn't really have any spoilers is on my blog http://bookwi.se/city-of-illusions/

Let Guin tells a good story, but this one felt a little flat to me.

If a picture is worth 1000 words, this book is about 50 pictures- very cool pictures. The snapshots of future Earth create little itchy spots in my heart and brain, some get scratched some are still itchy. I'm very interested in sliding this slice of Le Guin's overall story arc into a slot on the bookshelf besides others in the Hainish series. This is the first I've read of that collective and will be reading more. I hope we get to meet up with Falk again.