cover

Author: Ursula K. Le Guin

Format: Hardcover

Planet of Exile is the second book in the Hainish cycle, set between Rocannon’s World and City of Illusions. The novel is set on “Werel”, the home-world of Falk (from City of Illusions); uniquely, the planet revolves around the sun on a much longer cycle, so individual years on Werel are ~60 Earth-years long (so, e.g., winter will last decades). At the time of the novel, settlers from the Hainish League have been stranded for about 10 full Werel-years since the war (hinted at in Rocannon’s World) between the Hainish League (comprised of Terrans) and the Shing started; they inhabit a dwindling settlement near the native Tevarans.

The novel centres on the relationship between Rolery, a Tevaran, and Jakob Agat Alterra, one of the leaders of the Terran settlement, who fall in love (? unclear) and eventually sleep together - this causes Rolery to be exiled and exacerbates tensions between the two groups just a barbarian-like tribe, the Gaal, sweep down and begin conquering the region. After the sacking of the Tevaran city, the Terran settlement holds out with the survivors until the Gaal are forced to leave them alone.

It’s possible that it’s just because I read the other two books before this, but Planet of Exile definitely feels weaker than Rocannon’s World and City of Illusions. In large part, I didn’t particularly vibe with the interpersonal conflict that is the core of the novel (or Rolery / Alterra’s relationship) - it ended up feeling pretty tropey / not particularly novel, and there wasn’t much else in the short plot to hold me. It’s a fun snapshot at one interaction between Hainish League settlers and the natives of the planets they reach out to, but didn’t feel particularly meaningful beyond that (though in the overarching plot, it sets up that the Terrans and Teverans can interbreed to the point of saving both of their species, and sets up the eventual return in City of Illusions).