Last week I read Rocannon’s World, Planet of Exile, and City of Illusions. Some of her recurring themes of loneliness and simplicity are there, but these were clearly first attempts, and not really that great. Certainly not as good as Coming of Age in Karhide and some of the other shorter pieces she wrote later. City of Illusions in particular was quite flawed. For a good reader, like me, it just didn’t make much sense. Planet of Exile, dealing with social upheaval and intercultural communication, likewise had characters that were a strange mix of sharp perception and arrogant ignorance. They seemed to not ask questions of others, not really even curious. Which of course is the first role of any explorer worthy of the name.