Rocannon's World

By: Ursula Le Guin

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

This debut novel from preeminent science-fiction writer Ursula Le Guin introduces her brilliant Hainish series, set in a galaxy seeded by the planet Hain with a variety of humanoid species, including that of Earth. Over the centuries, the Hainish colonies have evolved into physically and culturally unique peoples, joined by a League of All Worlds. 

Earth-scientist Rocannon has been leading an ethnological survey on a remote world populated by three native races: the cavern-dwelling Gdemiar, the elvish Fiia, and the warrior clan Liuar. But when the technologically primitive planet is suddenly invaded by a fleet of ships from the stars, rebels against the League of All Worlds, Rocannon is the only survey member left alive. Marooned among alien peoples, he leads the battle to free this newly discovered world and finds that legends grow around him as he fights.

©1966 Ursula LeGuin (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

good story, poor editing

As usual this author turns in an excellent story, however the editor fell down on their job. Several paragraphs are repeated verbatium and the joins overlap between cuts in several places. Slightly frustrating for listeners.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Not all roads that lead down lead up as well

“Not all roads that lead down lead up as well.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, Rocannon's World

'Rocannon's World' is the first book in LOA's Ursula K. Le Guin: Hainish Novels and Stories, Vol. 1. It was Ursula Le Guin's first published novel (1966) and the beginning of her Hainish Cycle, 'Rocannon's World' is beautiful literature and not just poetic SciFi. It reads like a Space Opera told with Fantasy characters in the style of The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue, or some other Norse myth.

Negatives? It was a bit short, a bit light, but I can excuse most of that knowing that Le Guin is simply building a grand story and this is just one clever brick, one stone in the crown that will be Hainish.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Needs editing but good story

There are several parts that are repeated through out the book....editors messed up.

However this is good story line. I enjoyed the plots within the plots. It reminded me of a little bit of Ender's Choices after Battle school.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Okay, but not as good as later works

I bought this because I thought it would be the setup for the beginning of the Hainish cycle, since it is one of LeGuin's oldest books. Not really, and the characters and plot aren't remotely as strong as The Dispossessed or Left Hand of Darkness. It's a fun read, but she definitely evolved as a writer!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Legends Arise

This is Ursula Le Guin's debut novel and one of the earliest in her Hannish cycle. This time, the focus is on mythology and legends in the time before the Ekumen. This novel isn't as polished as her later Hannish novels such as The Dispossessed or Left Hand of Darkness, but fans of Le Guin still will find a lot to enjoy here; I certainly did. Actually, it opens with a very impressive short story, which may justify a credit in and of itself. Overall, is recommended giving this a go.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Potent

I definitely enjoyed this book. The only thing that bothers me about it is I feel like there are some loose ends, things about which I would have liked to know more. The author employees what seems to me poetic prose in many portions especially while establishing the feel for the alien languages. That might be a lot for some people to chew but I liked it.

P.S. I hate the cover picture for this audiobook. The artwork does not do this book any justice.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

good book,

I really enjoyed this book, the story, while slower paced is interesting enough to keep one engaged, it's a relaxing listen.

Ursula K. Le Guin's debut

Originally posted at FanLit.

Rocannon’s World, published in 1966, is Ursula Le Guin’s debut novel and the first in her HAINISH CYCLE. The story describes how Rocannon, an ethnographer, became stranded on the planet he was charting when a spaceship from Faraday, a rogue planet that is an enemy to the League of All Worlds, blew up his spaceship and the rest of his crew. Rocannon thinks he’s trapped forever until he sees a helicopter and realizes that Faraday must have a secret base on the planet. If he can find it, he can use its ansible to communicate with the League, not only letting them know that he lives, but also the location of the secret enemy base. (Fun Fact: This is the book that one of Orson Scott Card’s characters in Ender’s Game refers to when he mentions that the word “ansible” came out of an old book. Card enjoys playing this little game with SFF fans. I read Rocannon’s World after I read Ender’s Game, so this was an “ah-ha!” moment for me.)

So Rocannon collects a small group of companions and sets out across the planet on a quest to find the enemy base. Along the way he meets a few different cultures, some who are typical residents of high fantasy literature — castle-dwelling lords of a feudal society; the Fiia, who are like elves; the underground Clay People, who are like dwarves, etc. He tries to document information about these species and cultures as he goes (as usual, Le Guin’s anthropological interests are clear), but the difficulty of his quest interferes. He suffers much loss and tragedy along the way. Will he find the enemy base? Will he be rescued, or will he live on this planet forever? What Rocannon gets out of his mission is not something he expected.

Rocannon’s World has elements of both science fiction and fantasy — a technologically advanced star-traveler visits and charts the unknown species on a backward planet. The episodic plot, which sort of jumps from one cultural experience to the next, is entertaining, but not always compelling or believable. All these different HILFs (Highly Intelligent Life Forms) on one small planet, isolated from each other with no apparent cooperation or competition? Hard to believe.

Le Guin’s signature epigrammatic style is on display in Rocannon’s World, but her creativity and deep character development isn’t up to the level we’ll see later in her career. For example, I was disappointed to discover that this unknown planet was inhabited mostly by races who are recognizable from Earth’s history or mythology.

The prologue to Rocannon’s World is the short story “Semley’s Necklace,” which was published in 1964 in Amazing Stories. It tells of a young queen named Semley who met Rocannon when she went to the Clay People to ask them to help her claim a sapphire necklace that was her inheritance. They take her on a spaceship to retrieve the jewels and when she returns home with the necklace she gets an unpleasant lesson in space-time relativity. I liked this story, especially the intermingling of science fiction and fantasy, and I liked how this carried over to Rocannon’s story — he was also personally affected by the effects of space-time relativity.

Rocannon’s World is not up to Le Guin’s later level, but it’s enjoyable enough and a worthy read just because of its historical value as Le Guin’s debut novel. I listened to Stefan Rudnicki narrate Blackstone Audio’s version which is five hours long. Rudnicki was very good, as always.

5 of 10 people found this review helpful