Journal Entry 1 by futurecat from Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand on Saturday, September 20, 2003

A second copy picked up at a second hand bookshop. My review of the copy I read is at http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/860162

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Journal Entry 2 by futurecat from Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand on Monday, December 15, 2003

Given to ORNOT at tonight's meetup (I'm not sure why he didn't just take it last time he was visiting). 

Journal Entry 3 by ORNOT from Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand on Monday, December 15, 2003

Okay, I remained silent about this when Journalling "A Wizard of Earthsea" but not this time. FutureCat cut and paste her entry for this book from Wizard. Not even the decency of typing out the same comments again - which would be bad enough - couldn't be bothered to do that. Just copied the comments from another book over to here. I think this is a disgrace, and a trial should be set up - preferably an international tribunal, but the USA won't agree to that, so one in Iraq. France or Germany don't have to be involved, and we won't let them take home any of the commemorative paperclips if they say anything about us. Nah nah nahnah nah.

Anyway, the book.

I read this one ages ago as a set text for a university course - Hooray Dr. Brigg - I think his name was, from Canada. I had to write some essay about Jung and Le Guin. They had an affair, apparently, but I never told you.

Love this book. It's another one of Le Guin's books that has a certain feel, a depth to it that shows that this author really creates her worlds, rather than trot out pat nonsense that will sell. I would like to mention the word Subtlety here. Much better than "The Dispossessed" - though that could just be a taste thing.

I loved the sauna room scene in the hotel.

And for those of you who like that sort of thing there's some philosophical explorations of life. Yeah, whatever. Yaya.

Love,
Tanya.

Ps Loved the Philosophy, Brian. 

Journal Entry 4 by ORNOT from Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand on Friday, June 18, 2004

Love this book, still, after all these years - all the arguments, the tears, the broken teapots - despite them, I still love it.

Sent to foreign climes. He, he, he!! 

Journal Entry 5 by GoryDetails from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Friday, July 02, 2004

Excellent! I've read (and enjoyed) many of LeGuin's books but hadn't gotten to this one before, so I was delighted to find this in the "Fear's Favours Foxed" gift-pack - many thanks! 

Journal Entry 6 by GoryDetails from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Thursday, August 19, 2004

I had heard about this for ages, as a classic of science fiction with differently-gendered characters, but I hadn't realized that it's also something of a survival story with elements of political intrigue and cross-cultural discoveries, mixed with elements of myth. The premise is that Genly Ai, an earthling, has been stationed on the planet called Winter as an emissary of the Ekumen, a sort of arbitrating body that represents the planets who choose to join. (I liked the whole idea of wooing newly-discovered civilizations by sending a single emissary to introduce the concept; the similarity to certain religious figures was not pointed out too much in the story but hovered around the background nicely. I'd love to imagine that, if there ever was a galactic group or federation of planets, it would be as patient, benign, and hands-off as this one seems to be - although we only hear about it from Ai's point of view, so perhaps it's not as nice as he paints!)

Ai finds himself considered something of a freak, as his state of being male - all the time - is considered awkward at best and perverted at worst on a world where everyone is neutral/asexual except for a day or two once a month. [At those times the people go into what is effectively "heat," and may develop either male or female genitalia on any given cycle.] The sociological implications of people who do not spend all their time in a state of sexual availability were interesting - would it make a difference and if so, how much? - but this was not the major element of the story, just a part of the whole picture.

The tale is told from alternating viewpoints, that of Ai and of Estraven (his initial contact on Winter), with excerpts from various myths and legends tucked in between (and, usually, reflecting or illuminating some aspect of the main characters' stories). The social and environmental differences were interesting; the planet is perhaps the coldest inhabited world known, and at one point Ai mentions having hot beer with dinner and adds, "On a world where a common table implement is a little device with which you crack the ice that has formed on your drink between draughts, hot beer is a thing you come to appreciate." The political maneuvering was well-presented, although it's not my favorite thing to read about; the action/adventure portion was more to my taste, and the long journey over the most forbidding part of the planet reminded me very much of accounts of Antarctic expeditions - in fact I would not be at all surprised to find that Cherry-Garrard's Worst Journey in the World had inspired much of this portion.

Most interesting of all were the moments when each character would recognize either a fundamental difference or - sometimes - a deep similarity. From Estraven, about Ai:

His obtuseness is ignorance. His arrogance is ignorance. He is ignorant of us; we of him. He is infinitely a stranger, and I a fool, to let my shadow cross the light of the hope he brings us.

Journal Entry 7 by GoryDetails at Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd. & Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City, New York USA on Sunday, August 22, 2004

Released 7 yrs ago (8/22/2004 UTC) at Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd. & Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City, New York USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Journal Entry 8 by AnonymousFinder on Monday, April 19, 2010

This was probably the slowest and most pretentious book I've read but I was intrigued to learn about the Book Crossing system so wanted to let you know that this little book is still in good condition and happy in The Leela hotel library. Having tried to let you know I don't thnk its worth it. The log in was ridiculously complex and wouldn't allow about 10 different passwords. Why do you even need to log2

CAUGHT IN KOVALAM KERALA INDIA