Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Harcourt (Orlando, 2007). 1st edition, 1st printing. 512 pages. $17.00.
Description
Young Gav can remember the page of a book after seeing it once, and, inexplicably, he sometimes "remembers" things that are going to happen in the future. As a loyal slave, he must keep these powers secret, but when a terrible tragedy occurs, Gav, blinded by grief, flees the only world he has ever known. And in what becomes a treacherous journey for freedom, Gav's greatest test of all is facing his powers so that he can come to understand himself and finally find a true home. Includes maps.
Media reviews
A Son Of The Rock
Powers is the third in the Annals Of The Western Shore, Le Guin’s latest story cycle for young adults. Gavir is a boy slave in the Household of Arcamand in the city of Etra. He and his sister are Marsh people stolen from their real home when they were very young. Gavir has visions of the future
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(the ability to remember things before they happen) but has to keep this talent secret as the city people don’t like those who have such powers.
Le Guin’s description of the relationships in the Household is masterful. The imbalance between the children of the house proper and the slaves is particularly well done. However there seems to be a default antiquity to the scenario - and pre-echoes of Le Guin’s Lavinia which I read recently but was published after Powers - which is perhaps a little too pat. (This could be a criticism of the Annals as a whole.) The inevitable tragedy occurs as Gav’s sister is killed and, in a daze after the burial, he wanders off and becomes a runaway. The remainder of the book is more or less a travelogue as Gav falls into one person’s orbit or another.
The various authorities (powers) with whom Gav comes in contact and in whom he trusts till he learns not to - The Father of Arcamand; Cuga, the hermit who first takes him in; Barna, leader of the runaway slave enclave Gav joins for a while; the elders of his Marsh people to whom he eventually returns - all have different flaws, faces to them which we can see but Gav doesn’t, till changed circumstances force his hand.
Gavir’s power is on the face of it a clever method of foreshadowing but is ultimately unsatisfying as it lessens tension. As a result, though others most certainly are, Gav himself never seems to be in jeopardy. Also, his ability as a seer is never really a focal point of the story, which does rather diminish the (ahem) power of the book’s title.
Not as convincing, then, as the previous instalments in the Annals Of The Western Shore, Gifts and Voices, but Powers is still a Le Guin and consequently a cut above the average.
Final aside. The book’s cover shows a figure, presumably Gavir, fording a river carrying a girl. When he finally does this in the story the girl is actually disguised as a boy. Show Less
Powers
"Le Guin's storytelling prowess transforms small moments into beautiful poignant events......Fantasy readers seeking an intricate and thoughtful examination of a life that is as much endured as enjoyed will find Gavir to be unforgettable."
http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Index-WesternShore.html
"What a pleasure it is to read a well-crafted story told by a master!... highly recommended."
http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Index-WesternShore.html
"Gifts is an excellent read for teens of all interests. Fans of fantasy will be particularly drawn to it, but the world is grounded enough in earthly reality that it should appeal even to those who usually avoid the fantastical. Thought-provoking and suspenseful, with a dollop of action and
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romance, a novel like this is a gift to its readers." Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member ed.pendragon
'Gifts', 'Voices' and 'Powers', as well as being linked by sharing geography and key characters, are together an exploration of what exactly constitutes magic and magical abilities. 'Gifts' showed two individuals, Orrec and Gry, developing talents that could equally be regarded as non-magical in
And now we come to 'Powers', the third and possibly the last of the Annals of the Western Shore. Here we meet Gavir who has random vivid but obviously accurate remembrances of future events that will happen to him, which naturally trouble him, probably as a result of his genetic make-up. While this is a trigger to much of Gavir's actions and motivation, Le Guin is equally if not more interested in Gavir's complementary talent, the talent of photographic memory which enables him to easily recall what he has read. And it is a talent that contributes in no small measure to the course of Gavir's young life. In a sense, too, this novel is also about the power we humans can wield over others less powerful than ourselves--slaves, women, children, the weak--and the fluid boundaries that come into existence when inequalities of power veer between the benign and the abusive.
While 'Gifts' had a relatively small geographic range (the Uplands of the Western Shore) and 'Voices' was confined to the city of Ansul (in the far south of the Western Shore) 'Powers' has a correspondingly larger canvas, visiting more landscapes (the city state of Etra, wilder forests and marshland, the free city of Mesun) and occupying more pages than its predecessors. This is only fitting for perhaps the most intense of the three volumes in which Le Guin feels free to do what she is exceptionally good at, the visiting of the great issues of love, learning and liberty linked firmly to characters that you care about. Added to her background in poetry and interest in anthroplogy is her own gift, her power of sympathetic storytelling, her distinctive narrative voice that makes her one of the most consummate authors that I can think of.
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our own world, namely storytelling, poetry and empathy with animals. 'Voices' focused on Memer, whose apparent gift of prophecy actually called into doubt that oracles, with their ambiguous messages, could actually foretell the future: were they not just a reflection of human attempts to make sense of gnomic utterances?And now we come to 'Powers', the third and possibly the last of the Annals of the Western Shore. Here we meet Gavir who has random vivid but obviously accurate remembrances of future events that will happen to him, which naturally trouble him, probably as a result of his genetic make-up. While this is a trigger to much of Gavir's actions and motivation, Le Guin is equally if not more interested in Gavir's complementary talent, the talent of photographic memory which enables him to easily recall what he has read. And it is a talent that contributes in no small measure to the course of Gavir's young life. In a sense, too, this novel is also about the power we humans can wield over others less powerful than ourselves--slaves, women, children, the weak--and the fluid boundaries that come into existence when inequalities of power veer between the benign and the abusive.
While 'Gifts' had a relatively small geographic range (the Uplands of the Western Shore) and 'Voices' was confined to the city of Ansul (in the far south of the Western Shore) 'Powers' has a correspondingly larger canvas, visiting more landscapes (the city state of Etra, wilder forests and marshland, the free city of Mesun) and occupying more pages than its predecessors. This is only fitting for perhaps the most intense of the three volumes in which Le Guin feels free to do what she is exceptionally good at, the visiting of the great issues of love, learning and liberty linked firmly to characters that you care about. Added to her background in poetry and interest in anthroplogy is her own gift, her power of sympathetic storytelling, her distinctive narrative voice that makes her one of the most consummate authors that I can think of.
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LibraryThing member msaari
Strong themes in this book include slavery, trust, equality, learning, power - typical Le Guin, I'd say. The story of Gavir, a learned slave who can remember things that haven't happened yet, is a tribute to story-tellers and an interesting point of view to an interesting society.
Annals of the
Annals of the
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Western Shores has been an interesting series, and this third part (after Gifts and Voices) is my favourite of them all. The series is marketed as young adult literature and that's what the first two parts are, but this is less so - any adult should be able to appreciate this (I did enjoy Gifts and Voices as well). Show Less
LibraryThing member lwobbe
Stolen from his home to be a slave, Gavir is being trained to be a teacher, and enjoys the honor of reading even if it is only the old classics. Gavir's sister Sallo is the only one who truly knows him, and his power to see into the future. But what he sees cannot prepare him for the hideous
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reality that awaits. His place of honor will not save him the true fate of slaves; no rights, no respect, no home, no family. When the writing of a "modern" lifts the voice of freedom Gavir is afraid, but clings to that hope through the darkest days. Sallo raped and dead. Escaped slaves building societies no better than slavery. Relatives using him for his power. Until finally the writer of the "modern" book reaches out through words to lead Gavir to his future. Show Less
LibraryThing member cvosshans
Though I didn't personally like it, Powers is a strongly written 500 page epic telling the tale of Gavir, a boy sold into slavery. Unlike most people in his postion, Gavir is content enough with his life until he realizes he has the power to see into the future. This coming of age story is a
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suitable for readers who like fantasy books where the characters further develop through self awareness. This is the third of the Annals of the Western Shore series. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
The third book in the Annals of the Western Shore series, after Gifts and Voices. This one tells the story of a slave boy who, well-treated and educated, grows up content with his lot until tragedy forces him to confront the injustice of his life. It's a good book, much longer and more complex than
It occurs to me, by the way, that "Powers" might have made an equally good title for the series as a whole, as he trilogy really is an extended exploration of various kinds of power, although never a simplistic or didactic one. I do love Le Guin's ability to blend deep themes and plain good storytelling so perfectly.
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Gifts, but while it is sometimes rather moving and occasionally suspenseful, I didn't find it quite as compelling as Voices.It occurs to me, by the way, that "Powers" might have made an equally good title for the series as a whole, as he trilogy really is an extended exploration of various kinds of power, although never a simplistic or didactic one. I do love Le Guin's ability to blend deep themes and plain good storytelling so perfectly.
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LibraryThing member satyridae
The third book in The Annals of the Western Shore is amazingly good. Le Guin is on top of her game, exploring slavery and its reverberations. It's excellent in every way. And it includes this transcendent piece, which caused me to catch my breath and blink away tears:
"To look back on that summer
ETA: 1/29/08- Listened to the audio, and stand by the five star review. This is a phenomenal book.
"To look back on that summer
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and the summers after it is like looking across the sea to an island, remote and golden over the water, hardly believing that one lived there once. Yet it's still here within me, sweet and intense: the smell of dry hay, the endless shrill chant of crickets on the hills, the taste of a ripe, sun-warmed, stolen apricot, the weight of a rough stone in my hands, the track of a falling star through the great summer constellations." ETA: 1/29/08- Listened to the audio, and stand by the five star review. This is a phenomenal book.
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LibraryThing member jarvenpa
And now I want to read the others in this apparent trilogy, which escaped my attention when they first came out. This has some of the more poignant themes that Le Guin tends to deal with; journeys and coming of age and finding one's true place. The end of the book was far more to my liking than the
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first, though I can't defend that. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarybrandy
Annals of the Western Shores--whether it's a now-complete trilogy or the beginning of a longer series--covers weighty issues in each volume, but never becomes preachy or message-driven. The focus of Gifts was primarily on the morality of ones' talents and how they should be used; Voices set up the
I'm finding I like this series more and more, the further we get from Orrec and Gry. LeGuin's talents lie in world-building over character development--I never come away from one of her books feeling that I've gotten to know the protagonist so much as used him as a vehicle to understand the world he lives in. Powers is no exception, but for the first time in this series, I've finally come to understand, to fall into, the world setting LeGuin has created. I don't know if this is because the other two were just too brief (this volume clocks in at 500 pages; 150 more than Voices and 200 more than Gifts) and she needed more space to play, or if there's something about this particular region that appealed to me more.
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religious elements of the world. Now, in Powers, we're visiting a third geographic region of the Western Shores and exploring themes of identity, compassion, and what it means to go home.I'm finding I like this series more and more, the further we get from Orrec and Gry. LeGuin's talents lie in world-building over character development--I never come away from one of her books feeling that I've gotten to know the protagonist so much as used him as a vehicle to understand the world he lives in. Powers is no exception, but for the first time in this series, I've finally come to understand, to fall into, the world setting LeGuin has created. I don't know if this is because the other two were just too brief (this volume clocks in at 500 pages; 150 more than Voices and 200 more than Gifts) and she needed more space to play, or if there's something about this particular region that appealed to me more.
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LibraryThing member MeditationesMartini
This is a pretty straight-ahead Ursula Le Guin fantasy Bildungsroman in a relatively generic picturesque medieval setting, about emancipating yourself from slavery and learning how to cope with freedom, understanding yourself and your capabilities, and finding a place you belong. It's a lot more
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literal than the Jungian indulgences of Earthsea, a YA novel with lots of good old common sense to say, overtly, to you and me at any age where we're still trying to live authentically, make it all make sense, and/or soothe our heart. Show Less
LibraryThing member clifforddham
A book for young readers. Prizewinner.
LibraryThing member AJBraithwaite
One of those books I didn't want to come to the end of. Absorbing characters and a detailed, interesting world. I loved the exploration of freedom and slavery in this one.
LibraryThing member dendrea
best of the series.
LibraryThing member Griffin22
This final book in the ‘trilogy’ of related stories (previous characters only enter briefly) is similar in melancholy frustrated tone to the others. I didn’t find any of them an easy read due to the pervading sadness and relatively slow action. Gavir is a well-treated house slave who
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doesn’t question his life until terrible events send him wandering and looking for purpose. He has an untrained power to glimpse visions of the future, but I don’t feel like this impacts the story much at all - it would be the same novel if there was no magic in the world. Running through all books are themes of the importance of stories and the written word, the power that people have over each other, and ties to family and place. Show Less
LibraryThing member james.d.gifford
I read this with the audiobook, and the performance is very good. I’d recommend the entire series in this format (NB: it’s a different performer for each book). Other reviews have said this is the best book of the series/trilogy, and I’d agree with that. Each book has its own complex ethical
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and social question, but this one was the most striking for me. In a Roman-seeming slave holding society, the protagonist grows up as a captured slave, and there’s a tension running through the book over whether he’ll become a part of a slave rebellion or take some other path. In part, for YA readers, this is raising questions for American history through a more distant setting, but as Le Guin does, she also depicts the misogyny and authoritarianism of the potential rebel leader. This grabs after themes across her oeuvre, such as the role of the university in the ending of the book, the importance of the literary word to the individual’s search for freedom, and the relationship between a spiritual practice and political action. Le Guin never gives an easy answer, and while the YA nature of this book and the series means that some of the resolutions avoid the kind of distress that appears in her other works, they’re also not easy. Here, the young man eventually finds his place in the world (this happens in the previous two books as well), but we don’t have any equally easy resolution to the problem of slavery in the society nor how revolutionary change might usher in new conflicts. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarymeanslove
I think I would read this a different way the second time. I trusted the narrator so much that I made many discoveries with him, even about the treatment of women and slaves. If I had read more critically, I would have been able to see the flaws in his views. As it was, there were only a couple of
Of the trilogy, this book had the most dramatic tension, especially towards the end. That served to make the end even more satisfying, but I think it would be stressful to read again.
I'm fascinated by women authors who include physical violence and war as central themes. When I was younger, I read a lot of Tamora Pierce (and am rereading it now). I understand that when civilization as we know it is gone, physical strength is the most important kind of strength, and I do cheer with Alanna and Kel when they completely massacre the enemy. But I feel weird about it, just as I felt weird about the appearance of war in all three of these books.
Along with war come the concepts of cruelty and evil. Our narrator limited our understanding of Hoby and Torm through his youth and his particular perspective, but Hoby never made sense to me. Torm sounded like he was mentally ill, but Hoby just sounded sadistic. I don't know if that was simply how Gav saw him or if that's how he really was, but LeGuin is a smart writer, and I'm sure she intended to make us question Gav's narration.
As with all LeGuin's books, the writing was superb.
SPOILER:
I'm still really concerned about Melle's sister. I know it's unrealistic that they would rescue her, but in my mind, that's what they do as soon as Gavir is made a citizen.
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times that something that seemed fine to him seemed off to me - the general idea of slavery, and the women in the runaway camp. I think that's a positive reflection on this book, though, because a central theme was trust and who to trust and what criteria to use for trusting someone. As with LeGuin's Lavinia, which fixated on the concept of piety, no clear answers are given. She just raises a lot of questions, and she does so in an authentic way through the story of single individual's coming of age.Of the trilogy, this book had the most dramatic tension, especially towards the end. That served to make the end even more satisfying, but I think it would be stressful to read again.
I'm fascinated by women authors who include physical violence and war as central themes. When I was younger, I read a lot of Tamora Pierce (and am rereading it now). I understand that when civilization as we know it is gone, physical strength is the most important kind of strength, and I do cheer with Alanna and Kel when they completely massacre the enemy. But I feel weird about it, just as I felt weird about the appearance of war in all three of these books.
Along with war come the concepts of cruelty and evil. Our narrator limited our understanding of Hoby and Torm through his youth and his particular perspective, but Hoby never made sense to me. Torm sounded like he was mentally ill, but Hoby just sounded sadistic. I don't know if that was simply how Gav saw him or if that's how he really was, but LeGuin is a smart writer, and I'm sure she intended to make us question Gav's narration.
As with all LeGuin's books, the writing was superb.
SPOILER:
I'm still really concerned about Melle's sister. I know it's unrealistic that they would rescue her, but in my mind, that's what they do as soon as Gavir is made a citizen.
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Subjects
Awards
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 2008)
Locus Award (Finalist — Young Adult Novel — 2008)
Endeavour Award (Finalist — 2008)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007
Physical description
512 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
9780152057701