Telling (Hardcover)

I own and have read most of her career's work. She currently writes like the wise old crone she is, no longer "like a man", which readers may or may not appreciate. 'The Telling' illustrates the ways LeGuin's characters are forced to confront themselves psychologically, making choices based on experience, need, limitations: the old woman taking in her neighbor the political exile; the smartass diplomat chick trapped in a cell with the bodyguard she'd misunderstood from day one (and he, her); a man leaving the village and home planet as historian-adventurer, to the grief of his family. Thoughtful stuff set in the Hainish Cycle of Le Guin's created future.

The only character who seemed real in this book was the protaganist, Sutty, and I really wish she could have faded into the background with the rest. Unfortunately, she leapt out from the pages as the most irritating, nosy, self-righteous moron I have encountered in any book by any author. Again unfortunately, I have actually met a lot of real people who resemble her, so she was certainly convincing. I don't have a problem with main characters who are intentionally despicable (e.g. Captain Davidson in "The Word for World..."), but here it seemed that we were expected to like and sympathise with Sutty - this was impossible for me.

One thing that I have enjoyed with many of Le Guin's other works is the ambiguity with which they present the various cultures across the Hainish universe. This is particularly true in "The Left Hand of Darkness". The general culture of the Gethenians never (for me) corresponded too clearly to any Terran ethnic culture, and I liked the fact that the author didn't present definitive judgement on it, or even on the contrasts between the Karhiders and Orgota - realistically, each are shown to have their good, and bad, points and people. The less balanced the presentation of the world, its culture and issues, the less I tend to enjoy the books (e.g. "Four Ways to Forgiveness" came on a bit strong, as did "The Word for World is Forest"). I don't read sci-fi to have an ideology, any ideology, rammed down my throat!

The world on which this book focuses, Aka, too clearly represents mainland China, with the oppressed rural areas a fairly weak, one-sided characterisation of Tibet. From the first few lines, we are force-fed a single perspective of the current cultural state of this planet/country and the style of regime which rules them both. This may suit readers incapable of independent thought (and also unable to comprehend that there are two sides to every story), but it really doesn't appeal to me.

My advice: for some excellent sci-fi with a strong human touch, read "The Left Hand of Darkness", "The Dispossessed" or "The Birthday of the World". For a much better understanding of the issues with which this book fails to deal satisfactorily, just visit the PRC!