Fantasy Languages

Le Guin’s sharp and witty voice is on full display in this collection of twenty-four essays, revised by the author a decade after its initial publication in 1979. The collection covers a wide range of topics and Le Guin’s origins as a writer, her advocacy for science fiction and fantasy as mediums for true literary exploration, the writing of her own major works such as A Wizard of Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness, and her role as a public intellectual and educator.

Vivien Featherswallow has translated a secret language of dragons – sparking an all-out civil war, with dragons and humans fighting on both sides, in the process. Unsure of her purpose, and torn with doubt about the life she thought she was meant to lead, Vivien travels to the remote Scottish Isles to find a mysterious, long-forgotten species of dragon – one which might hold the key to ending the war… forever.

Londres, 1923. Los dragones surcan los cielos y las protestas estallan en las calles, pero Vivien Featherswallow no está preocupada. Ella se ha propuesto seguir acatando las reglas, conseguir una beca de prácticas para estudiar los idiomas de los dragones durante el verano y asegurarse de que su hermana pequeña no crezca como miembro de la tercera clase. A medianoche, Viv ha desatado una guerra civil.

One mistake by space linguist Jalila could cost an alien species their lives. The crew of the starship IBN BATTUTA has 24 hours to prepare the people of planet Vox to face an approaching invasion fleet. But when Jalila mistakenly uses a forbidden slur, the Vox locals attack their supposed saviors. Drawn into a violent revolution, a "war of words" to decide language dominance, Jalila must rely on other resources when deprived of communication technology and even the power of speech.

In einem kleinen Pariser Atelier erwischt Antoine seine Malerfreundin Caroline bei einem Techtelmechtel mit einem männlichen Aktmodell und beobachtet heimlich, wie sie sich gegenseitig verwöhnen. Als er auffliegt, ist Antoine überrascht, dass Caroline zugibt, seine Blicke auf ihrem Körper zu genießen. Er vertraut ihr eine Fantasie an, die er für ein anderes Modell hegt: die verführerische Eva mit ihren wohlgeformten Brüsten und ihrer samtenen Haut.