Worlds of Exile and Illusion

Very close to being a 5 star collection, I love the world Le Guin built with the Hainish series.

What kept it from that last star was the fact that the author's writing style, especially with descriptions, made my eyes glass over and mind wander so that I'd have to re-read pages or paragraphs multiple times before I finally managed to stay conscious while reading, or just gave up and continued without getting the details. I have no idea why that keeps happening but I had the same issue with every story (and with the author's other works) while going through the world building.

But the worlds! They were interesting, as we're their inhabitants, and especially the fantasy trope-like setup of Rocannon's World tickled my brain in a good way. I found the workings of the Planet of Exile interesting to ponder on and the people on City of Illusions fascinating yet distasteful.

Definitely a recommended read.