One of the strangest books I've read this year, but also one of the most curious.

In this book, which is on the border between a novel and an anthology, Ursula K Le Guin transforms airports into the only areas in our world that allow travel to parallel universes. So that if you miss a flight or it is delayed, you can spend those dead hours getting to know other planes. She doesn't explain very well how or why, and perhaps I would have liked to know more about that, but she does perfectly describe all the cultures we will encounter in the different planes. In the form of stories of different people who have traveled to them, Ursula tells us what the topography, people, society, religion, and economy are like.

Don't expect a book with a plot, that's not what you'll find here. Instead, you'll find an overflowing display of the author's imagination, and in each chapter we can see Ursula's world-building ability. And also, of course, each chapter contains a reflection or a critique of our own world, talking about war, colonization, freedom, capitalism...

A hidden gem that I haven't heard much about, but that I recommend if you want to get to know the author better. A curious book that contains more than it seems at first glance.

Ugh.

The whole premise of this book is disappointingly based on a rather simplistic pun. The idea that while waiting for a connecting flight (your PLANE) in airports, people somehow learn the skill of traveling to other PLANES of existence is quite far-fetched. I groaned out loud when this was revealed in the first few pages, and it felt like my patience was wearing thin. I gritted my teeth and tried to push through, but unfortunately, I only managed to make it to page 15.

It really feels as if LeGuin got this work published based solely on her reputation. One would expect more depth and originality from such a renowned author. However, in this case, the concept seems underdeveloped and lacking in substance. It's a real pity, as I had high hopes for this book. But alas, it just didn't live up to my expectations.

Maybe I'll give it another try at some point, but for now, I'm left feeling rather disappointed.

Entretenido y lleno de inventiva, este artículo me ha cautivado. Sin embargo, no he podido evitar pensar en dos aspectos. En primer lugar, en algunos momentos, había demasiado énfasis en la moraleja, lo que hacía que el texto resultara un poco pretencioso. En segundo lugar, me he preguntado si la idea no podría haberse llevado más lejos. ¿Qué pasaría si se exploraran más opciones, se profundizaran más en los conceptos? Tal vez se podría haber dado un giro más interesante a la historia. A pesar de esto, el artículo sigue siendo atractivo y merece la pena leerlo.

Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin is an enchanting book that truly delights.

This anthropological exploration of some of the stranger societies in the multiverse starts by presenting its fundamental premise: Airports are not just gateways to other earthly cities but also to other dimensions. Interplanar travel doesn't necessitate any machine, vehicle, magical incantation, or special knowledge. The astonishingly simple method was devised by Sita Dulip, who discovered it when her flight out of Chicago was repeatedly delayed and finally canceled. Trapped, exhausted, uncomfortable, and bored, she realized that by a mere twist and a slipping bend, easier to do than to describe, she could go anywhere - be anywhere - because she was already between planes.

The remainder of the book is divided into fifteen short stories or rather, ethnographies, about life on different planes. Some are moral allegories, some are social satires, and some depict strange and disconcerting alien philosophies. Although none of the chapters have a significant plot to speak of, they are all captivating vignettes. The formula is essentially: "Let me tell you a few things about the people of _____."

Despite this common approach, the stories are quite diverse in style and theme. Four of the standouts showcase some of the different directions Le Guin takes. "Seasons of the Ansarac" is an ethnographic account of the migratory people of Ansar. On a plane where each season lasts for six of our years, the people spend spring and summer raising children in idyllic northern homesteads before journeying south to the vibrant cities every fall and winter. Le Guin's detailed description of Ansarac folkways is fascinating, but the story takes a darker turn when visitors from another plane (similar to ours) arrive, convince the Ansarac that they are primitive, backward, and hormone-driven, and offer to help them adopt a modern lifestyle.

"Great Joy" satirizes the American fixation with meaningless holiday kitsch,描绘了一个私人拥有的飞机，其中一个岛屿总是圣诞节，一个是7月4日，一个是新年前夜等等。这个飞机的甜腻糖果涂层覆盖着一个可怕的奴隶制和剥削制度 - 不过热爱圣诞节的中西部表妹苏莉和她的同伴们对此并不太在意。“我一想到圣诞岛就进入了状态！哦，那真是一个快乐的地方！”

"Wake Island" is a cautionary dystopia about science gone wrong. Based on the theory that sleep is a vestigial trait that prevents most humans from accessing their latent genius, a group of scientists genetically engineer babies who don't need sleep. This is essentially the same premise as Nancy Kress's Beggars in Spain, but Le Guin's aftermath is far more disturbing.

"The Island of the Immortals" is in many ways a horror story, disguised as classic science fiction. It reminds me a great deal of the better works of H.G. Wells, where a lone traveler encounters a society he initially can't understand - and then later wishes he never tried. In this story, the narrator has heard of an island on the Yendian plane populated by immortals. Curious to learn the secret of their longevity, she visits - only to find the locals quiet, aloof, and oddly somber. There are immortals among them, yes, but they are not what the narrator expects. This is the story that has remained most vividly in my mind since I first read this book almost a decade ago. It is, in my opinion, one of Le Guin's most powerful and thought-provoking pieces.

Ursula K. Le Guin passed away last month; I reread this book in part as a memorial (and in part because I just love it so much). Given her recent passing, this excerpt in particular struck me: "When I was twelve or thirteen, I used to plan what I'd wish for if they gave me three wishes. I thought I'd wish, 'I wish that having lived well to the age of eighty-five and having written some very good books, I may die quietly, knowing that all the people I love are happy and in good health.'" She was 88 when she died, and she wrote a great number of incredible books. I hope that the rest of her wish came true as well.

This was such an interesting little book!

I picked this one up after seeing it on a list of recommendations for stories that utilize the horror potential of liminal spaces. However, while I don't really think this book does that, nor was it at all what I was expecting when I started reading, I don't regret reading it.

I'm usually drawn to character-driven stories and put off by anything that requires a ton of world building. But this book is entirely world building, and yet it's GOOD! It's whimsical and dreamy and, quite frankly, just plain WEIRD. I loved how Le Guin managed to raise so many poignant questions and issues that exist within the context of our own lives, without being overly forceful and taking you out of the story.

It's a world where it's Christmas/Valentine's Day/the 4th of July every day, or where a scientific experiment got out of hand and ended up with a small population of people who never sleep and live in a constant dream state, or where some people grow wings but choose to never fly. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for GOOD examples of world building, or people who hate airports.

I absolutely adored this book!

All of Le Guin's remarkable genius is concentrated within these 16 concise yet profound glimpses of alternate societies and alien anthropologies.

The worlds she has imagined are incredibly vivid and alive. They are filled with a sense of humor that catches you off guard, strange elements that pique your curiosity, poignant moments that tug at your heartstrings, and provocative ideas that make you think deeply.

This book is a must-read for anyone who has relished Le Guin's more famous works. It is truly brilliant.

Each story within this collection offers a unique perspective on different aspects of life, society, and the human condition.

Le Guin's ability to create such diverse and engaging worlds with just a few words is truly astonishing.

Whether you are a long-time fan of her work or new to her writing, this book is sure to captivate and inspire you.

It is a testament to her incredible talent as a writer and her boundless imagination.

I scanned the text, rather than read it carefully, because the beginning didn't seem very promising.

The rest of it was mildly interesting, but it wasn't as engaging as her earlier works.

Also, I realize that the essay related to genetic engineering is only fiction. However, I found it to be simply silly science fiction that appears to come from an uninformed perspective on the subject.

It presents a rather alarmist view of the topic, which might mislead readers who are not well-versed in the field of genetic engineering.

Perhaps the author could have done more research or presented a more balanced and informed perspective to make the essay more thought-provoking and engaging.

Overall, while the text had some interesting elements, it fell short of my expectations compared to the author's previous works.

If you find yourself uncomfortably waiting in an airport, there's an option to change planes - and by that, the narrator means traveling to a parallel dimension.

This is essentially an excuse to depict all kinds of alien societies. Some of them are very similar to ours, while others are extremely different.

It requires a great deal of confidence to write a book like this, lacking a traditional plot and practically no distinct characters. However, Le Guin never stumbles. She simply writes blithely chapter after chapter, with every page being unapologetically imaginative.

I thought the societies were rather cool. I'm not overly interested in world building for its own sake, so this book didn't capture a huge amount of my attention. I didn't really care for the illustrations either; they made me feel a bit self-conscious about reading the book in public.

Overall, while the concept was interesting, the book didn't fully engage me due to its lack of a strong narrative and my personal preferences regarding world building and illustrations.

This is a remarkable short story collection. The unified theme running through it is centered around the idea that airports are typically dreadful places.

When one is extremely exhausted, bored, and filled with the unappetizing airport food, and if they know the right method, they can actually depart from this plane of existence and visit thousands of other planes as a tourist.

They can spend weeks traveling to different planes while only minutes pass by in the airport. Each chapter delves into a distinct world with a unique civilization inhabited by humans, humanoids, and/or various creatures.

The stories explore key historical or social aspects of that culture which also mirror Earth's culture. In this sense, it functions as a satirical travelogue of cultures that have shared dreams, or never communicate, or engage in extreme genetic engineering, or for whom anger is the default emotion, and so on.

There is also a common thread of how challenging it is for travelers to understand cultures that are foreign to their own and the misunderstandings that can arise. If one can wrap their head around the basic concept of plane travel (which does demand some suspension of disbelief), it is an enjoyable and thought-provoking collection of stories.

It is rich in variety and told with Le Guin's characteristic storytelling panache, seasoned with more dry humor than one has encountered in her other works thus far.

The imagination of Mrs. Le Guin is always prodigious.

At least when it comes to the creation of new worlds. However, in this collection of stories, one might have expected a bit more substance, more content (or more interest, after all). In quite a few cases, it borders on mere anthropological description of an imaginary culture without a developed narrative argument to accompany it.

Not to mention that towards the end, those descriptions start to repeat a bit or wallow in certain clichés.

In summary, it doesn't seem to be precisely the best of the many and generally magnificent books by this great author.

Her talent is undeniable, but this particular work perhaps falls a bit short of the high standards she has set for herself.

Nevertheless, it still offers some interesting glimpses into her creative mind and the unique worlds she can envision.

Perhaps with a bit more refinement and a stronger narrative backbone, these stories could have reached even greater heights.

I don't pen down many reviews, but this one truly exceeded my expectations.

I embarked on this reading journey anticipating a typical narrative set in a distant realm, posing thought-provoking questions just like most of Ursula Le Guin's works. However, what I discovered was a remarkable compilation of diverse scenarios.

Admittedly, it might not appeal to everyone. As it reads more like a collection of captivating prompts, some readers might be yearning for a more unified and cohesive story. Nevertheless, I adored it.

In the realm of fantasy and science fiction, world building is my absolute favorite aspect, and this book delivered precisely that.

All in all, it's a great book if you have a penchant for exploring fascinating new worlds filled with profound questions and allegories.

A series of vignettes are presented, all founded on the premise established in the first chapter. That premise being that inter-planar travel becomes possible when one is trapped in the liminal time and space of waiting in the airport for a connecting flight.

Each subsequent chapter then unfolds as either a story set within one of the planes or a kind of ethnography of the people or species who inhabit there.

This work does what science fiction often does: it utilizes distant times and places to subtly disguise a close inspection of our own culture and era. It's a clever concept that is cleverly executed. However, the cleverness is somewhat lost on me as I can never seem to enjoy short story collections, which is precisely how this reads.

So, take my rating with a large grain of salt - you may very well relish it a great deal more than I did.