Back to science fiction with another installment in the Hainish Cycle! The Telling is about orthodoxy, totalitarianism, and cultural revolution. It felt different than other sci-fi I’ve read from Le Guin. Instead of being a man from an alient planet like Hain-Davenant or Annares, the narrator is an Indian-Canadian woman from Earth. While the story takes place on the recently-uplifted planet Aka, Earth and the narrator’s rememberings and attitudes towards our home feature strongly in the book.

The Hainish Cycle is all about celebrating how our differences make us stronger while emphasizing our common humanity. Bringing Earth to the forefront of this installment helped drive the lesson home in a new way.