Unreal Tales from the Real World

The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories Volume One: Where on Earth [Ursula K. Words Are My Matter: Writings About Life and Books, , with a.
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However, he quickly reveals his fear of undergoing electro-shock therapy. Initially she is skeptical of him, but as the sessions proceed she gains sympathy for him and starts to wonder exactly why he has been detained and whether he is truly mentally ill or not. To describe any further would be to ruin the story, but suffice to say that many of the assumptions of her profession and world view are thrown on their head, and the ending is devastating. Another gem from Le Guin that explores her favorite themes of political and intellectual freedom.

Coyote is constantly telling stories and boasting, but shows a rough kindness and takes her to her village. There she meets many animals of different persuasions like Bluejay and Grandma Spider, who don't seem to mind her presence. As she gets to know them, she learns about their lives and history and how they have had their territories encroached upon by the "new people", namely humans. And yet they don't seem to hold a grudge. Their open acceptance is contrasted with the crass behavior of humans in their towns and hunters with their guns who treat the natural world with contempt.

By telling the story through the eyes of an innocent child, Le Guin strips all the layers of the adult civilized world away to reveal the essential spiritual wasteland of the modern world. Jan 29, Nikki rated it liked it Shelves: This volume of Le Guin's stories contains the work that is perhaps furthest from what you expect of her, which would usually be science fiction and fantasy. These are her realist works, which doesn't mean straight forward or more serious or anything like that.

It just means that they do, or could, take place in the world we're used to. While Le Guin's writing is always beautiful, and I love the atmosphere of her stories -- there's something cool and clear about them, something steady and patient This volume of Le Guin's stories contains the work that is perhaps furthest from what you expect of her, which would usually be science fiction and fantasy.

While Le Guin's writing is always beautiful, and I love the atmosphere of her stories -- there's something cool and clear about them, something steady and patient and knowing -- I'm not a big fan of most of these stories. They're very literary, sometimes to the point where I find them a little overdone, maybe pretentious.

I'm not quite sure what the word I want is, but anyway, a lot of these don't work for me. They make me feel not clever enough, or just frustrated with their meandering. Jun 17, GraceAnne rated it really liked it.

I have read nearly all these stories before, in all the places they were previously published. Most I remembered, but I was struck with how powerful, and how elegantly written, they were and are. There were a couple e. Treat yourself and read it. Read them a I have read nearly all these stories before, in all the places they were previously published. Apr 05, Charles rated it really liked it Shelves: That would be Volume Two of this two volume set, which explores the more speculative, otherworldly stories that she has written.

And I must say I was surprised with the quality and fantasy that exist even in these stories. Criminally I only discovered most of her works more recently and this volume seemed like a good way to catch myself up on some of the stories that she likes best. And despite it being a collection of stories set on Earth, or presumably on Earth, there is a lot of spec elements at play here.

Many of the stories either take place in a completely fictional European country or incorporate things like manifestations of Native American lore, sentient trees, and a lot of nontraditional narratives. There is a good mix of types of stories, too, ranging from themes of political oppression to familiar identity, cultural heritage, perspective, and the nature of stories. That only makes sense, though, when you stop to examine what exactly these stories are dealing with.

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There is such a sense of yearning and pain in those stories, and the ending was almost heartbreaking, tragic and inevitable. I was perhaps less a fan of some of the stories that played around too much with the actual structure of the story, though I did like some of them. It just became a little difficult in some of the stories to follow what was happening, what was taking place when, when the narrative jumped so many times.

And where this was used to create a tapestry of perspectives to hint at there not being much of a real story or person so much as a number of them, I found I liked it. But again, there were times that I had trouble following, and it made some of those stories more frustrating. I still liked them, but those were the ones I would check to see how many pages were left on. And sprinkled in throughout are some nice very short stories, which is always refreshing for a collection to do, because it does give something of a creak from some of the longer, denser stories.

They are like breaths of air, and were necessary at times despite taking a long time to get through the book.

And with all that in mind I give this volume of stories an 8. Dec 28, Nick rated it really liked it. These short stories were a revelation to me. Le Guin is one of my favorite authors, and books like The Left Hand of Darkness changed my understanding of what's possible in life and the largeness of the human spirit. I think of her, naturally enough, as a sci fi writer -- one of the best. These short stories are written with all the artistry and nuance one expects of Le Guin, and yet they are not really sci fi -- at least not in atmosphere.

They read more like John Steinbeck or even, a These short stories were a revelation to me. They read more like John Steinbeck or even, a bit of a stretch Jack London -- books about the American west with a bit of a frontier attitude and a chip on the shoulder toward the east. As such, I was both enthralled, because they were so well written, and a tiny bit disappointed, because they didn't take me anywhere new. Instead, we get small, precious insights into families, sexual politics, human dreams and daydreams -- all the stuff of everyday life.

I'm hoping that volume 2 takes me to other planets, but I am grateful for volume 1. Jan 01, Therese rated it it was amazing Shelves: Reading this first "Unreal" volume of stories from Ursula K. Le Guin is like floating down a complex river on a spring day. Eddies, calms, and steady currents punctuated by brief, thrilling rapids.

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She selected the included stories herself, and they are mostly--not all--set in non-fantastical homes and places, among non-fantastical people. But holy cow, are Le Guin's characters and ideas ever fantastic. No author has ever better succeeded in riveting me with family dynamics. If you're looking fo Reading this first "Unreal" volume of stories from Ursula K. If you're looking for SFF, you'll find more if it in Volume 2, but I urge you to give the first set a try. If it helps, just think of these stories as exquisitely written anthropological examinations of a truly weird species.

Jan 31, Dan Guajars rated it really liked it. Tuve que dejar de leerlo. No tengo huesos para tanta dureza. No me siento capaz de seguir leyendo. Some of these stories are absolutely beautiful, poetic, immediate, and stirring.

The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories, Volume Two: Outer Space, Inner Lands

Some others are a little obtuse, as if Le Guin was experimenting with things, but in such a way that made them feel a bit remote. But her writing is always fascinating and full of wisdom, keen observations, and a deep and abiding respect for the mysterious, epic, gorgeous natural world. Jan 05, Werther Azevedo rated it it was ok Shelves: These stories are not in the sci-fi genre, though, and are really slow paced.

I read three, fell asleep twice, and gave up. Some better than others, but overall beautifully written stories. Dec 31, Marjorie Jensen added it. This lovely autographed two-volume set was a very thoughtful gift from my partner's parents. Volume 1 was a good mix of stories I had read before and stories I hadn't. Several of the stories that I hadn't read before were realism, and they made me consider the link between this genre and tragedy.

I have to mention that "May's Lion" destroyed me. There were only one or two This lovely autographed two-volume set was a very thoughtful gift from my partner's parents. There were only one or two stories that I didn't love in this collection; the rest were fantastic. Nice collection of short stories by Le Guin that are set on this earth, i. I don't like her political short stories so much oddly , but there are some brilliant classics in here, like "Buffalo Gals".

The selection is by herself. Mar 21, Ashlea plotdriven. LeGuin may be better known for her fantasy fiction, but these are a mix of dystopian and odd. Not at all what I expected - it was a great deal more. Amazed by both her imagination and imagery. Feb 09, Alicea rated it did not like it. I'm going to come straight out and say that I think this book was too cerebral, abstract, and "out there" for me.

The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories, Volume One: Where on Earth

Surprisingly, I had never read anything by her and so I set out to remedy that by picking up a short story collection entitled The Unreal and the Real: I should have been wary after that convoluted title but I went in ready to be ab I'm going to come straight out and say that I think this book was too cerebral, abstract, and "out there" for me. I should have been wary after that convoluted title but I went in ready to be absolutely knocked off of my feet.

While this selection was categorized as sci-fi only one of the stories even vaguely felt like it was in that genre. If I'm completely honest I don't remember a single one of the stories and even when compiling my notes directly after reading it I felt the same. After completing each story, I would realize that I wasn't entirely sure I grasped the meaning much less any hidden meaning in the words.

See why I felt it was too cerebral for me? I struggled to finish this book even when there were less than 50 pages remaining and I have absolutely no interest in seeking out her work in the future. I just don't get it. I've only listened to 1 story and half of the next. The first was beautiful. It's amazing how LeGuin makes you care about the characters in such a short time. The 2nd story features one of the same characters, but instead of in some made-up place it's in Ohio. Maybe I misunderstood something.

The character may not be the same person even if he has the same unusual name. I'm looking forward to the rest. Sep 29, Matthew Hunter rated it really liked it Shelves: Stories , The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories Volume One: Where on Earth is the second really good collection of short stories I've read in recent months. Both were up for the World Fantasy Award, neither won.

Where on Earth is the first of two volumes in this short story collection. Outer Space, Inner Lands includes stories of speculative fiction, while Where on Earth provides examples of Le Guin's earthbound realism. Whatever the story, UKLG offers up gems that grab the reader's attention: The smile of an adult lying flat on his back resembles the smile of an infant, in that gravity works with it, not against it. You couldn't be dead. You couldn't be anything but alive. If you weren't alive, you weren't--you had been. You shouldn't have to say "He's dead now," as if it was just some other way of being, but "He isn't now," or "He was.

Because you didn't live on in others, as people said. Tackle the Realism after some of the speculative stuff. Oct 18, Jennifer rated it liked it. This was an interesting read. I was unaware that Le Guin had written realistic, non-SF stories and I'm sure the decision to put them all together in the first volume was an intentional one. Although I am certainly not an SF purist and read in a lot of genres including literary I didn't always enjoy these modern literary-style tales but I do believe the book proves that Le Guin can hold her own among the New Yorker crowd.

I was very grateful for the introduction which explained a bit of the backg This was an interesting read. She also clarified that these people are not supposed to be the same so the Ella in one story is not necessarily the same as the Ella in the next. This was certainly an interesting experiment that created many odd resonances. Sometimes I felt that the comparisons drawn were very useful, other times it was just too random to get much out of.

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Either way it was a fascinating approach. There were a few stories that really shone and were quite memorable.


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I loved the insight that "May's Lion" gave into the inspiration and ramifications of storytelling. Many of these stories took an experimental approach like the way "Horse Camp" played on your assumptions about the protagonists. The idea of a set of townspeople vignettes in "Ether or" about a town that periodically, mysteriously shifts to other locations was a clever one though sometimes hard to follow with so many character changes. Overall this was a quite challenging but educational read that gives you perspective on the breadth of Le Guin's talents. Nov 24, Ushan rated it really liked it.

This 2-volume anthology has 38 pieces that she herself chose as her best, the first volume more realistic ones, and the second volume more in line with the conventions of science fiction and fantasy. I read her collection The Compass Rose a week ago, and A Fisherman of the Inland Sea some 20 years ago, so many of the stories were already familiar to me. One story in the Hainish cycle describes a race of humanoids where sixteen girls are born to each boy; in their society, men are little more than sex objects and inseminators, denied education and normal jobs.

When interstellar masculinist imperialists demand that men be given equal rights, cultural tensions result. This story made me look up Fisher's principle from evolutionary biology: Another story looks at a mouse in a maze from the point of view of an intelligent mouse.

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