Five Ways to Forgiveness
Author
Series
Publisher
Library of America
Publication Date
2017
Language
English
Description
A companion to Ursula K. Le Guin's award-winning Hainish novels—including The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed—Five Ways to Forgiveness tells the story of the planet Werel and its colony planet Yeowe, and how their societies are shaped by the legacies of slavery and revolution. When the enslaved people on the colony Yeowe (called "assets") overthrow the slave-holding class (called "owners"), the owners on neighboring Werel launch a war to preserve the master-slave society that undergirds the economy of both planets. Told from the perspectives of people caught in the crosshairs of the struggle, the stories in this collection are linked by the character "Old Music," an Ekumen ambassador who is secretly working as an abolitionist and supporter of Yeowe's emancipation. Together they ask: What does forgiveness look like in a world riddled by racism and caste? In "Betrayals," a disgraced revolutionary leader makes peace with his past. In the intersectional "Forgiveness Day," a female ambassador from the Ekumen struggles with the patriarchal culture of Werel, while "A Man of the People" tells the life story of a male Ekumen ambassador to Yeowe. "A Woman's Liberation" tells the story of a woman who, after escaping to freedom, must reckon with the internalized racism that still enchains her. And finally, the story "Old Music and the Slave Women" braids the collection together and counts the cost of justice.First published in 1994 as Four Ways to Forgiveness, this is the first standalone edition that includes the fifth story, "Old Music and the Slave Women," that Le Guin wrote years after to augment this extraordinary, vital suite.
More Details
Contributors
Le Guin, Ursula K. Author
ISBN
9781598535716
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Like Ursula K. Le Guin, A.S. Byatt achieves plot tension via sharply contrasting, paired elements, like the everyday and the fantastic; or the beautiful and the cruel. -- Kim Burton
Like Ursula Le Guin, Nancy Kress writes elegant but cool prose, distancing herself from her characters and story but also focusing on larger issues. -- Krista Biggs
Peter Hoeg and Ursula Le Guin offer stringent political and social commentary in carefully crafted, subtle prose that uses magical realism, fantasy, science fiction, and varied settings to convey real-world messages. Hoeg's themes are more directly presented, and his atmosphere is more consistently dark or moody; Le Guin is more specifically feminist. -- Katherine Johnson
Like Ursula Le Guin, Sharon Shinn sets her fantasy and science fiction stories in societies where the underlying reality differs greatly from outward appearances. While Shinn's writing is more lyrical and places a greater emphasis on romance, its worlds and cultures will appeal to Le Guin's fans. -- NoveList Contributor
Both Catherine Fisher and Ursula Le Guin write intricately plotted, suspenseful fantasy fiction for teens. Both writers' stories incorporate world-building, an often bleak tone, and a lyrical writing style. Fisher's work, however, tends to be more action-packed and fast-paced than Le Guin's more leisurely style. -- Kelly White
Though Hal Clement writes hard science fiction and the work of Ursula K. Le Guin is more character-driven, both build engaging, wholly original science fiction worlds with rich culture and language. Expect more scientific detail from Clement, while Le Guin's work often reflects contemporary political or gender issues. -- Kaitlyn Moore
Both authors include political and social commentary in their works and often disguise that commentary within mythic lands and otherworldly protagonists. They frequently use the stranger-in-a-strange-land trope to point out the ways in which their worlds differ from the ones we know. And the ways in which they don't. -- Halle Carlson
Ayize Jama-Everett and Ursula Le Guin are science fiction writers who weave issues relating to spirituality and race throughout their vivid fantastical landscapes. Jama-Everett's novels are action-packed whereas Le Guin's follow a more leisurely pace, but science fiction readers looking for something compelling and thought-provoking will enjoy the works of both authors. -- Catherine Coles
While more prolific than her science fiction predecessor, Ursula K. Le Guin shares with Mary Shelley a talent for crafting thought-provoking, atmospheric novels that are entrenched in the social and technological developments of their respective eras. -- Basia Wilson
These authors have written fantasy and social science fiction classics. Their character-driven, thought-provoking stories share an atmospheric and lyrical writing style. Ray Bradbury's nostalgic stories often have near-future settings while Ursula LeGuin writes about fantasy worlds or the far future. Both authors have written for young readers and adults. -- Alicia Cavitt
Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin may find a lesser-known kindred spirit in Australian writer Alexis Wright. These lyrical, thought-provoking writers cross any division between literary fiction and science fiction, especially of the dystopian variety. Both feature recurrent environmental themes and storytelling as a vessel of history and culture. -- Michael Shumate
Michael Cunningham may appeal to Ursula Le Guin's readers who especially appreciate her depictions of modern society and social concerns. Cunningham occasionally employs science fiction conventions; all his writing is carefully crafted and includes believable characters as he builds stories that illuminate contemporary issues. -- Katherine Johnson
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