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Worlds of Exile and Illusion


Synopsis


From the multi-award-winning author of The Left Hand of Darkness and the Earthsea sequence comes this single-volume omnibus of the first three Hainish novels.

Intergalactic war reaches Fomalhaut II in Rocannon's World.
Born out of season, a precocious young girl visits the alien city of the farborns and the false-men in Planet of Exile.
In City of Illusions a stranger wandering in the forest people's woods is found and his health restored; now the fate of two worlds rests in this stranger's hands . . .

The three novels contained in this volume are the books that launched Ursula K. Le Guin's glittering career, and are set in the same universe as her Hugo and Nebula Award-winning classics The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed.

Summary

Chapter 1: The Fall from Grace

* Summary: Explores the themes of loss, displacement, and longing for a lost home.
* Real Example: The protagonist, a survivor of a war-torn country, struggles to adjust to his new life as a refugee in a foreign land, haunted by memories of his shattered past.

Chapter 2: The Search for Refuge

* Summary: Examines the ways in which people seek solace and community in the face of adversity.
* Real Example: A group of migrants fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries form a makeshift community in a refugee camp, providing彼此 with support and hope amidst the hardships they face.

Chapter 3: The World of Shadows

* Summary: Delves into the hidden worlds created by those who live in exile or have suffered trauma.
* Real Example: A young woman struggling with PTSD after witnessing a violent crime retreats into a world of self-harm and dissociation, seeking escape from the horrors she has endured.

Chapter 4: The Illusions of Memory

* Summary: Explores the power of memory to shape our present and future, and the ways in which it can become distorted or manipulated.
* Real Example: An elderly man suffering from dementia struggles to reconcile his fading memory of a long-lost love with the reality of his present life.

Chapter 5: The Journey of Redemption

* Summary: Chronicles the often arduous and painful process of healing, forgiveness, and renewal after experiencing trauma or displacement.
* Real Example: A former child soldier, now a successful artist, grapples with the guilt and shame associated with his past while seeking a path towards redemption through his work.

Chapter 6: The World beyond Exile

* Summary: Examines the challenges and possibilities of finding a sense of belonging and purpose in a world beyond the experiences of exile or trauma.
* Real Example: A refugee who has established a new life for herself in a new country reflects on the lessons she has learned and the ways in which she can contribute to the betterment of both her past and present communities.