3 Best Books by Ursula K. LeGuin

When I heard the news about Ursula LeGuin’s death last month, I knew that I had to sit down and write a blog about her — but I wasn’t sure where I should start… LeGuin is such an impressive writer and I appreciate her work on so many levels. I almost felt like I wouldn’t be able to do her justice, no matter what I wrote.

One of the reasons that I hold LeGuin in such high esteem is that she was incredibly prolific. During her prime, she was publishing a novel every year. It was during this phase, between 1966 and 1974, that she wrote many of the books for which she would become famous.

She is also a giant of fantasy and science fiction, with classics written in both genres. This is such a rare feat that I actually can’t name anyone else who’s done it. Maybe someone can help me? I’m not sure she’s the only one, but she’s the only one I can think of…

From a very young age, LeGuin’s writing has had a huge impact on me. I read the Earthsea trilogy as a teenager and I can’t name a series that unlocked my imagination in quite the same way. Earthsea was simply so different from other fantasy series that I’d read.

As a young adult, I discovered LeGuin’s science fiction, which further broadened my horizons with fascinating explorations of gender dynamics, political systems, and power structures. Even today, I have so much of her oeuvre left to explore and I look forward to doing so for years to come.

Since I’m not qualified, I won’t try to provide a comprehensive guide to LeGuin’s work. Instead, I will simply highlight three of my favourite books by her, which I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to get started with this unique and excellent writer. Hope you enjoy!

The Wizard of Earthsea

Map of the Earthsea archipelago

The Wizard of Earthsea is the first book in LeGuin’s Earthsea series. The original trilogy was written in the early 70s and consists of The Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore. LeGuin would go on to write three more works in the same series, a novel released in 1990 and a novel and collection of short stories, released in 2001.

The Earthsea series takes place in an archipelago world, inhabited by diverse warring nations, magic-users of all stripes, and, of course, dragons. In the first book, we are introduced to one of the series’ two protagonists, Ged or Sparrowhawk. Ged is a young boy from the island of Gont, where the inhabitants are goat herders.

Ged grows up without any knowledge of a his magical ability until his village is attacked by raiders and Ged saves many of the inhabitants using magic. He then is sent to attend the School of Wizardy on the island of Roke to study to become a mage. It’s a tale of self-discovery, where Ged must learn how to control his newfound powers and confront the darker aspects of himself.

The Wizard of Earthsea mimics the structure and narrative style of an epic myth, while also subverting it in a number of ways. The novel was originally intended for older children, but, like so many great children’s stories, it is one that can be enjoyed by adults as well. I would highly recommend it to children, teenagers, and young adults alike.

The Left Hand of Darkness

The Left Hand of Darkness is the fourth novel in LeGuin’s Hainish Cycle series. It’s a science fiction novel, set on a world where there are no fixed genders. It won both the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1972, when it was published, and is hailed as one of LeGuin’s masterpieces, putting on her on the literary map.

In the world of the Hainish Cycle novels, there is interstellar travel between planets, each with its own near-human species that bears some similarity to our own. An ambassador from one of these worlds comes to Winter, the planet where there is no gender, and must navigate the complex politics of the world — as well as its strange norms around gender.

The Left Hand of Darkness is a fascinating exploration of many things that we take for granted around sex and gender. It is an iconic work in feminist literature and I would recommend that everyone read this as a teenager or young adult, for the way it will challenge your assumptions

The Dispossessed

The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia stands as my favourite LeGuin novel and that is why I have left it until last. The story takes place in a solar system where both the main planet and the moon orbiting it are inhabitable, although the moon is quite barren and desert-like.

Sometime in the world’s past, a sect of anarchists split with the rest of society and were given the moon as their own to inhabit. Goods, such as food and ore, are traded between the two worlds, yet no other contact is made between them. The societies are radically different: one anarchist, the other capitalist.

The story begins when a scientist is exiled from the moon, where he was born and raised, to the main planet. The scientist is in the final stages of a great discovery that will change the entire dynamic of trade between solar systems — and the story follows his life, giving us a look into an imaginary anarchist society, as well as his adult interactions with capitalist society.

It is a fascinating look at power and how power must exist in all forms of political system. It also a deeply ethical book; the main character is driven to make many difficult choices about his society and how it will impact others. Finally, it is a beautiful account of the main character’s life, from childhood to partnership to adult accomplishments. This is a book that everyone should read — you will not be the same person afterward.

Have any Ursula LeGuin book that you think I should read? Let me know in the comments below!