Kibrika reviewed The Found and the Lost by Ursula K. Le Guin
Good but too grounded for my taste
3.0 stars
There were several stories set in four or five worlds. The first one I liked, it was fairy-tale or fable like, but a bit more mundane, and that was cool. Then there was one that read like a long poem, not as cool as The Poet X but like, very much a vibe, though the vibe was oppressed women, imho, so did not like that one that much. Then there was some sci fi and I got excited, and I really enjoyed that one. There were several stories in that universe spanning several different times and places and each time a different protagonist made it feel very real because each protagonist felt real even though it was happening in a universe where accidental time travel and multi world coalition was possible. Enjoyed that one a lot. Then there were Erthsea stories, and I realized why I never liked The Earthsea …
There were several stories set in four or five worlds. The first one I liked, it was fairy-tale or fable like, but a bit more mundane, and that was cool. Then there was one that read like a long poem, not as cool as The Poet X but like, very much a vibe, though the vibe was oppressed women, imho, so did not like that one that much. Then there was some sci fi and I got excited, and I really enjoyed that one. There were several stories in that universe spanning several different times and places and each time a different protagonist made it feel very real because each protagonist felt real even though it was happening in a universe where accidental time travel and multi world coalition was possible. Enjoyed that one a lot. Then there were Erthsea stories, and I realized why I never liked The Earthsea Trilogy, because I don't like the world. It feels like it should be amazing because the magic system is really fantasy-trope-fundamental, and we hear about people doing their day-to-day things, yet it does not feel evocative and enchanting like Howls Moving Castle despite being in a world with magic but more like Straumēni - dull and depressing. (Apologies for the weird analogies.) And lastly, we're back on a spaceship again, and I thought this would be it, but again, no. I really loved the setup, the ideas behind it. However, the way it was all described somehow makes it feel duller than it should be. I feel like I'm constantly wishing for books to be more grounded and closer to realistic, and now that I got it am somehow unsatisfied with it. Eh. I'll just call myself a picky reader from now on.
