competencefantasy's Reviews (912)

Very little about the premise of this book is remotely my thing. That Leguin is able to more or less make it my thing for the length of the book is why she is awesome.

A little too openended to be helpful as instructions. Not creative enough as a collection of novel ideas.

This is pure high-fantasy sword and sorcery comfort food. There is a real gentleness here, possibly because this interpretation of the hero's journey arc does not involve the usual amount of violent conflict. The prose is not overdone and in fact is deceptively simple, but finds a meter that gives the impression of being told the story verbally, in a way that is both lulling and relaxing. The plot is an uncomplicated and somewhat metaphysical one, yet the characters feel genuine. Oftentimes a statement will jump out as quotable in a longing and truthful way, rather than just a way that feels clever.

There's something really otherworldly about a well done portrait.

I love the sense of isolation and disorientation. It makes a premise that could be done with standard science fiction execution weird and driving.

I liked the book well enough as a mystery, and I found it pleasant that the characters were distinguishable to me, as opposed to the standard historical mystery protagonist. I'm not sure it did anything too interesting with the historical setting, but I'm also not sure it needed that. My primary complaint is that there was a gendered violence plotline that wasn't needed and seemed to exist entirely to ensure the readers see the villain as dangerous and the female protagonist as in danger.

I loved the concept and liked the execution. There was a proper noun dump at one point that I found difficult to keep up with, which resulted in some issues getting acquainted with minor characters, which is a shame since the author has a real skill for capturing backstories in quick vignettes. Some additional difficulties, for example with the humor, also manifested. I suspect these are down to me lacking sufficient familiarity with the cultural references, so I won't grade the book down for them.

Finally, this was one of many books where the author and I did not agree on which character ought to be made the protagonist.