City of Illusions feels like it has two main sections, one much cleverer than the other. The majority of the novel is Falk's journey west, which reprises a lot of such journeys west and doesn't feel particularly engaging. Many of the events along the way don't seem to add a ton to the narrative besides giving us more time with Falk himself. The payoff comes at the culmination of the novel, where upon reaching the City Es Toch, we find that Falk is an alien from another world that sent an expedition to Earth. He has had his prior memory erased, and upon recovering it must navigate the hostile city while combining the two experiences. This is a compelling conceit, touching on questions of the sense of self and the nature of truth. I'm also intrigued by the barebones skeleton of how the League of All Worlds fell to the Shing, an enemy whose ability to lie appears to be their sole advantage. I haven't read much in the way of space war, so thinking about how an ansible-connected galactic civilisation could crumble is fascinating. I love that the Hainish universe is able to provide a setting for all sorts of different stories, including this one. ( )

If you liked The Left Hand of Darkness, read Planet of Exile! If you liked Planet of Exile, read City of Illusions. ( )

A man—with unusual cat-like eyes—awakes in a strange place, not knowing who he is, where he‘s from, or where he‘s at. A kind family “adopts” him and teaches him the ways of their unusual world. It turns out to be a dystopian USA, with tribes, many violent, & one feared by all others. He goes on a journey to try to learn who he is & ends up in the city ruled by the most feared tribe. But they are so so nice to him. He feels, though, the kindness and offers to return his memories are actually deceptions. I found his journey to the city tedious, but once there, his self-discovery is very interesting. It‘s somewhat hard sci-fi so not my genre and not an author I‘m inclined to read again. But the story was interesting and I‘m glad I finally tried something by this author. ( )

The best so far of the series. Not perfect, but excellent. It certainly makes me look forward to the continuation of the Hainish cycle. City of Illusions has complex, interesting characters (or at least characters that you suspect might be interesting), and a story that doubles back on itself and already shows glimmers of Le Guin’s tendency to revisit her old or earlier ideas and reconsider them. Taoism pops up here in full force, and there are some interesting philosophical ideas to consider about the nature of Truth.
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A science fiction novel published in 1967 and early in the career of acclaimed author Ursula K Le Guin. The novel received little critical attention when published and I picked it up only because of its publication date ( my own category of science fiction novels from 1967). I thoroughly enjoyed the read and it took me back in time to the excitement of reading science fiction as a teenager.

The story starts with a humanoid figure crawling through a forest and finally coming across a clearing whereupon it stands up on two legs and is noticed by a young woman (Parth) working in the fields. Parth goes over to him and leads him into the small community; they call him Falk and Zove a father figure of the community with the help of Parth help to educate him. Falk's mind has been wiped clean, but his intelligence enables him to learn the ways of the community and become a useful member. He learns that the world is made up of small communities separated by immense forests and that the inhabitants have been subjugated by the Shing an alien species. The scattered communities are left to their own devices as long as they do not band together and threaten the aliens. After a four year period Falk feels the need to travel, to visit the city of Es-Toch which people of the forest commune have heard speak. The first part of the book describes Falk's adventures as his path westwards leads him to various other settlements and many hostile encounters. He meets Estrel a woman captured by a nomad tribe on the great plains. They escape together and she leads him to Es-Toch the home of the Shing and where Falk feels he will meet his destiny. The second part of the book details Falk's struggles against the Shing who were responsible for wiping his mind and who now hold open the option of restoring his other self.

The novel therefore falls into two distinct parts, the first a dangerous journey through a hostile environment, which is America after the Alien conquest and the second part is Falk's mind games with the aliens themselves. They are both voyages of discovery for Falk and the reader and the mystery of Falk is revealed carefully by Le Guin. There is mystery and imagination throughout, although the final battle with the aliens is perhaps oversimplified to ensure the reader is not left behind. Le Guin's writing is a cut above much of the pulp science fiction of the era and she handles the adventure story well enough. She imparts that sense of wonder that keeps the pages turning and the resolution is satisfying. Themes of identification and truth telling in City of Illusions add another layer and so a 4 star read. ( )