The Compass Rose

I wasn't sure whether to give this four or five stars, since like most collections of short stories it's a bit uneven. But the good stories are just wonderful. My favorites are the two hilarious feminist ones, one of which isn't science fiction at all. That would be Sur, in which it is revealed that the South Pole was actually first reached by an all-women's expedition from South America. I don't remember the title of the other story, since I just refer to it as the one with the Insane Second Mate, but it is completely absurd and completely enjoyable. "I told you poor Tom was a-cold. Now poor Tom's a-flipped." I love how all the female characters can't stop telling each other how great they are at their jobs - for a woman. Also the recurring joke about how our language is being destroyed - oops, I mean destructed. The Pathways of Desire and The Eye Altering are both lovely, although the second one gave me a faint suspicion that I was being emotionally manipulated. Still, the manipulation was very skillful - I didn't notice it until my second or third reading. Then there are a bunch of dystopias - some are good, some are fairly incomprehensible. The rest I've forgotten, or blotted out from my memory because they disturbed me. This sounds like a lukewarm review, but like I said, they're short stories. And my rule for short stories is that if you love at least three of the stories in a book - and I do in this case - then you pretty much love the book. I'm giving this four stars, but if I could I'd give it four and a half.

A good mix of 20 Ursula K. Le Guin short stories, composed of some great sci-fi, good modern fiction, humor, and quite a few UKL-style sureals (Buffalo Gals-style). The stories are all reprints from magazines and anthologies. Some of the best are "Two Delays on the Northern Line" and "Malheur County", two haunting timeless pieces that talk of life and loneliness. "The Eye Altering" and "The Pathways of Desire" are excellent sci-fi shorts that question the nature of reality and perception. This compilation includes no stories from the Ekumen Cycle.Although primarily a sci-fi reader, I believe that UKL's fiction including the shorts in The Compass Rose are some of the best pieces of contemporary fiction I know. The sci-fi in this book is a bit limited, but still excellent. All in all, a great way to get introduced to UKL's mainstream fiction, and satisfy your craving for quality sci-fi.

This is my favorite book. The stories are surprising and very enjoyable. Fresh thoughts accompany interesting stories.