City of Illusions by Ursula K. LeGuin Series: Hainish Cycle #3
Published: 1967 by Ace
Genres: Science Fiction
Pages: 217
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Buy on Amazon
View on Goodreads
City of Illusions is the story of an alien who awakens on earth with amnesia. He doesn’t know who he is or why he’s there, but a group of earthlings take him in, and he takes the name Falk. From these people, Falk learns Earth’s history. It was a technologically advanced society, but then the Shing invaded. The Shing are kind of like parasites; they rule the world, but they don’t build anything or do anything for the benefit of society. The Shing eradicate human settlements if they try to do anything big or cooperative, and so humans are forced to live in primitive groups, trying their hardest not to be noticed. Falk’s new friends acknowledge that it shouldn’t have to be that way.
As much as Falk has found a home among the humans, he realizes that he doesn’t belong there. There had to have been a reason why he ended up on Earth, and he decides to go on a quest to try to get his memory back. That quest will lead him on a journey across the planet culminating in a confrontation with the Shing.
As with most Ursula K. LeGuin novels, City of Illusions isn’t about action, it’s about society. Everything Falk encounters in his travels translates to very real commentary about LeGuin’s own setting. For example, Falk quickly realizes that his alien appearance means that people will treat him differently and with open hostility rather than with respect, even though he’s pretty much the same as everybody else. It’s a not-so-subtle commentary on race, especially when you consider that the book was written in the late 1960s. Or the fact that the Shing seem to parallel what can happen when an authoritarian government gets out of control to the point where it suppresses progress and begins to crumble from within–an eerie prediction when one thinks of the Soviet Union’s ultimate demise. One of the things I love most about science fiction is that it allows writers to explore ideas and themes that they see in their own lives in a different world, which changes readers’ perspective on them by removing the “that’s just the way life is” factor, and City of Illusions is an excellent example.
I’ve read a few books in the Hainish Cycle, both older and more contemporary, and I’ve been impressed with all of them. If you stumble across a copy of City of Illusions, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s a short but thoughtful read.
I have not read this, but I love the story idea. It’s fun to go back and read older books, and I love when authors come up with ideas that resonate in today’s society.
Exactly! And I was a bit worried when I started reading this one because it was the author’s first book, and I worried that it wouldn’t be as good as her newer ones, but it was such a thoughtful story. 🙂
I’ve got a LeGuin on my shelf and I can’t wait to dive into it and LeGuin’s works.
She’s fantastic! You’ll enjoy her. Which one do you have?
I have never read a book by Ursula LeGuin, which is terrible and something which I must rectify! She’s a rather iconic sci-fi/fantasy author.
She’s one of my favorites, although I’ve come nowhere near reading all of her books. 🙂
I have read some of her newer stuff but not a lot of her older stuff… Just a few books here and there. She is on my list, just tends to fall off my radar.
I tend to look for her books when I visit used book stores, which isn’t as often as I’d like these days.
I have not seen this one by Le Guin, so I will need to look for it. I find Le Guin incredibly intelligent and compassionate. I adore Left Hand of Darkness and recommended it to my book group members and was so happy they all loved it, too. I love your new blog look and have nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award: http://peninherhand.com/one-lovely-blog-award/ Congratulations!
Thank you! I feel the same way about LeGuin’s writing. She always makes me think. 🙂
Ursula K. LeGuin must be the one author from scifi’s golden age that I’ve not made myself well familiar with. Thanks for a great review; maybe I should start with City of Illusions to get to know her better.
You’re welcome! It’s definitely a good one to start with. My favorite by her is “The Left Hand of Darkness,” in which she explores the impact of gender roles on society by creating a world where people are something in between, fluctuating genders throughout their lives.