My L Author

Unlocking the Air and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"This collection of mainstream stories, which have been published in such distinguished magazine as The New Yorker, Harper's Omni, and Playboy, is a stunning example of the virtuosity of the legendary Ursula K. LeGuin.

In her own words:'These stories span twelve years of writing, from the early eighties to the mid-nineties. It took them a long time to gather themselves into a whole, with the shape and the subtle interconnections that make a bunch of stories into a book.

'Recently I have published two collections of science fiction stories. The stories in Unlocking the Air aren't science fiction; they belong variously to plain realism, or magical realism, or surrealism, or post-modern genres that don't even have names yet. They approach reality sometimes frontally, confrontationally, in daylight; sometimes deviously, by a back road in the dark; but they always approach it. Some take place in realistic setting, such as the central European country of Orsinia or the town of Ether, OR. Others take place in high fantastic settings, such as Oakland, Cleveland, or Portland. Several of them use a multiple voice, or a mythic voice, to talk about reality, because reality is a slippery fish that often can be caught only in a net of spells, or with the hook of metaphor. These stories are explorations of the mysteries of name and time and ordinary living and ordinary pain.' "
~~front flap

This is one of my favorite authors, so I was glad to dive into this book. The first story put me off a bit -- I didn't quite understand what was being done, or hinted at -- multiple realities? parallel universes? It got worse before it got better -- about halfway through I caught myself feeling disappointed, that these stories weren't the same caliber I've come to expect from the author. The last half of the book picked up, and I think that's my opinion because the stories toward the back of the book are more like science fiction. I think Ms. LeGuin is at her best when she's creating a reality tailored to her specific plot and message.

I'll keep the book, because I keep all the books I get written by her. Maybe a second reading, a few years from now, will sharpen my appreciation for this facet of her writing.