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[LGBTQ][Sci-Fi][Fantasy] Influential female sci-fi and fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin remains one of the most influential and genre-defining figures of the 20th-century, celebrated for her philosophical depth and radical reimaginings of gender, identity, and power. This archive gathers three early and pivotal works by Le Guin: City of Illusions (1967), A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), and The Left Hand of Darkness (1969). As a female author working in a male-dominated field, Le Guin s integration of anthropological theory, Taoist philosophy, and gender fluidity into speculative fiction offered a sharp counterpoint to prevailing genre norms. Her writing gave voice to alternative ways of being, and The Left Hand of Darkness in particular became foundational to feminist and gender-focused science fiction. [1] Le Guin, Ursula K. City of Illusions. New York: Ace Books, 1967. First edition. 160 pages. Original illustrated wrappers with cover art by Jack Gaughan. 12mo. A psychological and metaphysical novel, City of Illusions follows a lone, memoryless man traversing a ruined Earth dominated by an alien regime. The novel interrogates the nature of truth, perception, and cultural identity, laying the groundwork for Le Guin's subsequent Hainish Cycle novels. Its atmospheric prose and layered themes critique systems of power while affirming personal transformation as a revolutionary act. [2] Le Guin, Ursula K. A Wizard of Earthsea. New York: Ace Books, 1968. First Ace edition, published in arrangement with Parnassus Press. 204 pages. Illustrated wrappers. 12mo. Le Guin s breakthrough novel and the first in her Earthsea series, A Wizard of Earthsea combines mythic storytelling with a subtle challenge to Eurocentric fantasy conventions. The protagonist Ged is a dark-skinned boy from a rural archipelago who grapples with pride, shadow selves, and the consequences of power. The work quietly upends the white-male hero archetype while introducing a more complex vision of growth and moral responsibility. [3] Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness. New York: Ace Books, 1969. First edition. 286 pages. Original wrappers in striking abstract design. 12mo. Arguably Le Guin s most iconic work, The Left Hand of Darkness is a landmark of feminist and queer science fiction. Set on the planet Gethen, whose inhabitants are ambisexual and shift between genders, the novel explores how gender structures human relationships and political institutions. Through its diplomatic plot and intimate prose, Le Guin interrogates dualisms light and dark, male and female, self and other establishing a speculative foundation for a more fluid understanding of identity. Overall very good condition. Together, these works represent Le Guin s early legacy as a woman author who radically expanded the possibilities of speculative fiction by embedding feminist, ecological, and philosophical concerns into its very structure. Seller Inventory # 21727
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