The Eye of the Heron (1978)

by Ursula K. Le Guin

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The story of two communities of outcasts from Earth living on another planet. In Victoria on a former prison colony, two exiled groups--the farmers of Shantih and the City dwellers--live in apparent harmony. All is not as it seems, however. While the peace-loving farmers labor endlessly to provide food for the City, the City Bosses rule the Shantih with an iron fist. When a group of farmers decide to from a new settlement further away, the Bosses retaliate by threatening to crush the "rebellion." Luz understands what it means to have no choices. Her father is a Boss and he has ruled over her life with the same iron fist. Luz wonders what it might be like to make her own choices. To be free to choose her own destiny. When the crisis over the new settlement reaches a flash point, Luz will have her chance.… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 18 (next | show all)

This was a short, timely read, a novel of ideas that had as much in common with late 19th and early 20th-century literature as it did with science fiction.

As a novel, The Eye of the Heron isn't as nuanced as Le Guin's best SF fiction; it's a bit self-consciously political in a way that reminded me of The Word for World Is Forest, and some of the characters felt like platforms for philosophical musings that would be better explored in an essay or short story.

But I still found it memorable and compelling. Le Guin plays with the setting of a young colony world struggling to define its own political process. The text poses urgent questions about our political and moral obligations to one another, giving tentative answers through images and story.

A worthwhile book for the end of 2016. (

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raschneid | Dec 19, 2023 |

paperback

SueJBeard | Feb 14, 2023 |

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2020/11/review-of-eye-of-heron-by-ursula-le-gui... (

)

HanJie | Nov 27, 2020 |

The late Ursula K. Le Guin out to be a Nobel nominee in my opinion. I've never read a book of hers that didn't speak to me of profound and important things. In this novel, she imagines a confrontation between violence and nonviolence and she is realistic about the outcome but as the story proceeds, so do her explorations of what those terms mean and how they might apply to human behavior and relationships. (

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nmele | Jul 27, 2020 |

The people of the City arrived on the planet Victoria by one-way spaceship, exiled from Earth, convicted criminals. Many years later the People of the Peace arrive in the last such spaceship, also exiled, but by choice. They form a town and call it Shantih, but the people of the City call it Shanty - deftly contrasting the views of the City folk and the townfolk. Over time the People of the Peace have become the peasants of a feudal society in microcosm but now confrontation is coming. The People of the Peace apply their principles of nonviolent non-co-operation. Where will the confrontation lead the colonists of Victoria to?

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY

See the complete review here:

http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/335138/post

Arbieroo | Jul 17, 2020 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Ursula K. Le Guin	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Craft, Kinuko	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Grandpre, Mary	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Iivonen, Jyrki	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Lee, Alan	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Prisma Fantasy (2152)

Is contained in

The Eye of the Heron / The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin

Millennial Women by Virginia Kidd

Ursula K. Le Guin: Five Novels by Ursula K. Le Guin

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Tähtivaeltaja Award (Finalist – 2016)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1978

People/Characters

Lev Shults

Luz Marina Falco Cooper

Vera Adelson

Councillor Luis Fermin Falco

Herman Macmilan

(show all 10 items)

Important places

Victoria (Planet)

The City, Victoria (Planet)

Shantih Town, Victoria (Planet)

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

In the sunlight in the center of a ring of trees Lev sat cross-legged, his head bent above his hands.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Please do not combine with 'The Eye of the Heron' (ISBN 0575050608), which is believed to be the work that contains both 'The Eye of the Heron' and 'The Word for World is Forest'.

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

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Wikipedia in English (1)

The Eye of the Heron

▾Book descriptions

The story of two communities of outcasts from Earth living on another planet. In Victoria on a former prison colony, two exiled groups--the farmers of Shantih and the City dwellers--live in apparent harmony. All is not as it seems, however. While the peace-loving farmers labor endlessly to provide food for the City, the City Bosses rule the Shantih with an iron fist. When a group of farmers decide to from a new settlement further away, the Bosses retaliate by threatening to crush the "rebellion." Luz understands what it means to have no choices. Her father is a Boss and he has ruled over her life with the same iron fist. Luz wonders what it might be like to make her own choices. To be free to choose her own destiny. When the crisis over the new settlement reaches a flash point, Luz will have her chance.

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