Having read other books of LeGuin, I recognize a certain love she weaves into her books - her main characters have something honorable, likable, proud, soft yet strong, worthy in them. This makes it a pleasant read, but i miss the richness of imagination present in her other books, as well as the excitement - the plot is fairly predictable. Understandable as this book is mainly an ode to the Aeneid and she had to limit her imagination to the frame setting of that world. A pleasant, interesting read nonetheless.