In the wake of Ursula K. Le Guin's passing, friends have been asking what book they should read first.
So I thought about this and created a flowchart. (Click to enlarge and sharpen!)
Obviously, you may be interested in many things that will cause you to follow many paths.
Note that:
- Many great Le Guin books and stories are not on this chart, although all of the books shown are great. Those listed are simply the best points of entry.
- The books shown include gateways to all of Le Guin's worlds: Orsinia, Earthsea, the Western Shore, and the vast array of planets that belong to an informal league called the Ekumen. Once you're into any of these, there's much more to explore.
- Don't be put off by the fictional frame of the Ekumen, which may seem poorly explained in whatever book you start with. The frame explains why a visitor from outside a world would come to that world to study it, but beyond that, the meta-narrative of the Ekumen plays only a small role in each novel. As you read multiple books, it becomes more interesting but never dominates the story.
- Ignore the confusing term "Hainish Cycle," which makes it sound like these books should be read in a particular order. The novels set in the Ekumen are all independent and there is no narrative sequence linking them.
- "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" is online in many places, and these places sometimes appear and disappear. At the moment, it's here.
Questions? Objections? Please comment.