Ursula K. LeGuin

[Timezone LaFontaine]

The dire seriousness of my work over the past few years has shifted my reading tastes from nonfiction to fiction... specifically sci-fi lately. After reading the first couple of books in Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series, now I want to read something by Ursula K. LeGuin. But I'd like some recommendations on which of her novels to begin with, having never read anything by her yet. Anyone familiar with her work want to give me some suggestions?

[theCryptofishist]

If you like children's fantasy, try A Wizard of Earthsea.

Or you could go with The Lathe of Heaven or The Dispossesed. For something very different, where you can really see that she's the daughter of an anthropologist, Always Coming Home.

[yellowdog]

Good advice from the 'fishist.

Always Coming Home is interesting partly because she went the extra step and created spoken language, songs, poetry to flesh out her created culture (attached to the book as a cassette tape, perhaps CD these days).
And...AND...It has some Burning Man resonance. It is conceived as an "anthropology of the future", like what might happen after our culture destroys itself and we become tribal again, reverting to what seems to be our human default state, and creatively addressing the importance of oral history, music and songs to tribal culture. So there are unintentional parallels (It was published in 1985)

Agree it's not necessarily representative of her body of work, nor of anyone else's, but it's really creative.

Try 'The Dispossessed' first, but if you find a copy of "Always Coming Home" with the cassette or CD still attached, snap it up for later.

[fciron]

I am an utter cheapskate and would read the first Ursula K. LeGuin book that I found at the used book store. I really don't think you can go wrong.

It is also very likely that the first thing you will find is the 'Wizard of Earthsea' series which I greatly enjoyed when I reread them last year.

[HughMungus]

The dire seriousness of my work over the past few years has shifted my reading tastes from nonfiction to fiction... specifically sci-fi lately. After reading the first couple of books in Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series, now I want to read something by Ursula K. LeGuin. But I'd like some recommendations on which of her novels to begin with, having never read anything by her yet. Anyone familiar with her work want to give me some suggestions?

I like her work.

Suggestion: Get some scifi short story anthologies from your local bookstore (or even better, your local used bookstore), read the stories and figure out which authors you like.

[Jordan 10-E]

"A Wizard of Earthsea" series was one of my favorites for a long while. I have read them a couple times. Fairly easy reading but good story and I found some philosophical aspects to it that I liked. Good ole' Ged and his shadow.

The only other book of hers that I have is "Always Coming Home". A different approach to a book for sure, but I also enjoyed that one.

[Timezone LaFontaine]

Thanks all. A world of literature awaits me! *improbably diving into the pages of a book as music swells*

[Box Burner]

My favorites were Heinlein and Asimov. Still are. Asimov is a little more heavy on "hardware", while Heinlein is more philosophical, although still good on hardware.