Kibrika reviewed The Found and the Lost by Ursula K. Le Guin
Good but too grounded for my taste
3 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.
