Synopses & Reviews
Young Gav can remember the page of a book after seeing it once, and, inexplicably, he sometimes "remembers" things that are going to happen in the future. As a loyal slave, he must keep these powers secret, but when a terrible tragedy occurs, Gav, blinded by grief, flees the only world he has ever known. And in what becomes a treacherous journey for freedom, Gav's greatest test of all is facing his powers so that he can come to understand himself and finally find a true home.
This third book in the Annals of the Western Shore series is an epic story of survival and self-discovery that speaks to the power of new beginnings, and most importantly, of hope.
Review
"Author Ursula Le Guin weaves an interesting fantasy as she spins many colorful threads into this powerful book that requires a reader's complete focus." Children's Literature
Review
"Billed as a 'companion' to Gifts and Voices, in its musing on this power of story, it complements them beautifully, though readers hoping to reacquaint themselves with characters met in the first two novels will find themselves disappointed until the very end." Kirkkus Reviews
Synopsis
In this Nebula Award-winning novel, the third in the Annals of the Western Shore trilogy, Ursula K. Le Guin writes of the proud cruelty of power, of how hard it is to grow up, and of how much harder still it is to find, in the world's darkness, gifts of light.
Young Gav can remember the page of a book after seeing it once, and, inexplicably, he sometimes "remembers" things that are going to happen in the future.
As a loyal slave, he must keep these powers secret, but when a terrible tragedy occurs, Gav, blinded by grief, flees the only world he has ever known. And in what becomes a treacherous journey for freedom, Gav's greatest test of all is facing his powers so that he can come to understand himself and finally find a true home.
"Powers is rich with action, with battles, escapes, strategy, and skulduggery, but it has a still, quiet place at its heart, a place of moral complexity." --Sarah Ellis, The Globe and Mail
"In her facility in world-making and her interest in human nature, Le Guin stands above almost all of what's out there. Her exploration of identity and power, of social structures and the meaning of freedom, can only enrich her readers. Gav's vulnerability and his slow recognition of his real gifts make him both familiar and admirable, like any child who struggles to know one's strengths and place in the world. This is a good, long trek of a fantasy." --Deirdre Baker, Toronto Star
"With compelling themes about the soul-crushing effects of slavery, and a journey plotline that showcases Le Guin's gift for creating a convincing array of cultures, this follow-up to Gifts and Voices may be the series' best installment. --Jennifer Mattson, Booklist
The Annals of the Western Shore Trilogy includes:
Synopsis
A haunting and complex coming-of-age tale from master storyteller Ursula K. Le Guin, this is the third book in the Annals of the Western Shore Sequence, which began with Gifts and continued with Voices.
Synopsis
Young Gav can remember the page of a book after seeing it once, and, inexplicably, he sometimes remembers things that are going to happen in the future. As a loyal slave, he must keep these powers secret, but when a terrible tragedy occurs, Gav, blinded by grief, flees the only world he has ever known. And in what becomes a treacherous journey for freedom, Gav's greatest test of all is facing his powers so that he can come to understand himself and finally find a true home. Includes maps.
About the Author
Ursula K. Le Guin was born in Berkeley, California, in 1929. Over the course of her career she has published more than sixty books of fiction, fantasy, science fiction, childrenandrsquo;s literature, poetry, drama, criticism, and translation, and is the multiple winner of the highest awards in several fields. Among her honors are a National Book Award, a PEN/Malamud Award for short fiction, five Hugo and five Nebula Awards, twenty-one Locus Awards, the Kafka Award, a Pushcart Prize, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the National Book Foundationandrsquo;s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband.