22 January 2018 saw the sad passing of the American
novelist Ursula Le Guin. Working mainly
in the genres of fantasy and science fiction, she also authored
children's books, short stories, poetry, and essays.
She influenced Booker Prize winners and other
writers, such as Salman Rushdie and David Mitchell, and science
fiction and fantasy writers including Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks.
In 2016, The New York Times described her as 'America's greatest living
science fiction writer'.
In honour of her life and works, this week’s blog post
features titles from Le Guin alongside a couple from authors clearly inspired
by her output.
Earthsea: The First Four Books
Ged is but a goatherd on the island of Gont when he comes
by his strange powers over nature. Sent to the School of Wizards on Roke, he
learns the true way of magic and proves himself a powerful magician.
As the Archmage Sparrowhawk he helps the High Priestess
Tenar escape the labyrinth of darkness. Over the years, Ged witnesses true
magic and the ancient ways submit to the forces of evil and death. Will he too
succumb, or can he hold them back?
The Lathe of Heaven
George Orr is a mild and unremarkable man who finds the
world an unpleasant place to live: seven billion people jostle for living space
and food. But George has dreams which do in fact change reality - and he has no
means of controlling this extraordinary power.
Psychiatrist Dr William Haber offers to help. At first
sceptical of George's powers, he comes to astonished belief. When he allows ambition
to get the better of ethics, George finds himself caught up in a situation of
alarming peril.
Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks
The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died. Moons and planets, faced destruction,
cold-blooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith;
the Culture for its moral right to exist.
Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet
of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and
the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley
crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and
with it their own destruction.
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
Six interlocking lives - one amazing adventure. In a
narrative that circles the globe and reaches from the 19th century to a
post-apocalyptic future, Cloud Atlas erases the boundaries of time,
genre and language to offer an enthralling vision of humanity's will to power,
and where it will lead us.
Ar 22 Ionawr 2018 bu
farw’r nofelydd Americanaidd, Ursula Le Guin.
Gweithiodd y bennaf gyda ffurfiau ffantasi a ffuglen wyddonol, ond ysgrifennodd
llyfrau i blant, straeon byrion, barddoniaeth a thraethodau hefyd.
Bu’n ddylanwad ar enillwyr
Gwobr Booker ac awduron eraill fel Salman Rushdie a David Mitchell, ac awduron
ffuglen wyddonol a ffantasi gan gynnwys Neil Gaiman ac Iain Banks. Yn 2016,
fe’i disgrifiwyd gan y New York Times fel 'awdur byw ffuglen wyddonol
fwyaf America'.
Er anrhydedd i’w bywyd a’i
gwaith, bydd erthygl yr wythnos yma ar y blog yn trafod teitlau gan Le Guin
ynghyd â rhai gan awduron a ysbrydolwyd gan ein gwaith.
Earthsea: Y Pedwar Llyfr
Cyntaf
Bugail geifr ar ynys Gont
yw Ged pan fo’n darganfod ei bwerau od dros natur. Ar ôl cael ei ddanfon at yr Ysgol Ddewiniaid
ar Roke, mae’n dysgu gwir ffordd hud a lledrith ac yn dangos ei fod yn ddewin
grymus.
Fel Gwalch Glas Archmage
mae’n helpu’r Uchel Offeiriades Tenar i ddianc o labrinth tywyllwch. Dros y
blynyddoedd mae Ged yn gweld gwir hud a lledrith ac mae’r ffyrdd hynafol yn
ildio i rymoedd drygioni ac angau. A fydd ef hefyd yn ildio, neu a all eu dal
yn ôl?
The Lathe of Heaven
Mae George Orr yn ddyn
mwyn ac annodweddiadol sy’n gweld y byd fel rhywle annymunol i fyw ynddo: saith
biliwn o bobl yn gwthio am le a bwyd. Ond mae gan George freuddwydion sy’n
newid realiti – a does dim ffordd ganddo o reoli’r grym anhygoel yma.
Mae’r Seiciatrydd, y Dr
William Haber yn cynnig helpu. I ddechrau, mae’n amheus o bwerau George, ond
yna daw i gredu ynddyn nhw. Pan ddaw uchelgais yn drech na moeseg, mae George yn
cael ei hun mewn perygl brawychus.
Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks
Roedd y rhyfel yn rhemp ar
draws yr alaeth. Roedd biliynau wedi marw. Roedd lloerau a phlanedau’n wynebu
dinistr, mewn gwaed oer, yn greulon ac, yn waeth, ar hap. Ymladdodd yr Idiriaid
dros eu Ffydd, y Diwylliant am ei hawl foesol i fyw.
Yn ddwfn mewn labrinth ar
fyd diffaith, Planed y Meirw y gwaherddir meidrolion ohoni, roedd Meddwl ar
ffo. Roedd y Diwylliant a’r Idiriaid am ei gael. Ffawd Horza, y Newidiwr, a’i griw o filwyr
tâl, yn ddynol ac yn beiriannau, yw cael hyd iddo, a darganfod eu dinistr eu
hunain.
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
Eneidiau yn croesi’r oesau
fel cymylau ar draws y ffurfafen ...
Chwe bywyd yn plethu - un
antur anhygoel. Mewn stori sy’n
cwmpasu’r byd o’r 19eg ganrif i ddyfodol ar ôl apocalyps, mae Cloud Atlas yn
dileu ffiniau amser, genre ac iaith i gynnig gweledigaeth gyfareddol o
ewyllys y ddynoliaeth am rym, a ble fydd yn ein harwain.
