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| Plot Summary of City of Illusions |
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"The time and place are Earth, roughly a millennium in the future. The planet is sparsely populated by various humanoid groups, perhaps even separate and alien species, and North America has returned largely to the wild. A full-grown man emerges from the forest with no memory or life skills and must be trained from scratch by the primitive clan that discovers him and names him Falk. He realizes he must travel west to the great city of Es Toch to learn his identity and past. Es Toch is inhabited by the Shing, either a regulator or conqueror race -- it is not clear which -- that supposedly maintains peace on the planet. Much of this 1967 novel is occupied by the trek across wilderness, and it only picks up speed and tension when Falk reaches Es Toch and begins to divine the actual situation, and whether he is willing to give up his newly-developed mind and identity for an older one. The story is a stand-alone that is loosely connected to LeGuin's earlier novels; references are made to events in _Planet of Exile_."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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"Have you ever known you were different from the people you were around? Grew up with? You know that you are different, special in a way but you don't understand where you came from and why. This is the basic theme for the book; searching to find who you are and your origins.
The book is set in what seems to be the future USA, using in reference names like "The Sierras" and "The Enclave of Kansas". The main character is a young man named Falk, found afraid and uncivilized by a group of people on the Eastern coast. He is much different than anyone around him, for he has yellow, cat-like eyes, bringing the conclusion that he's not from Earth.
Falk, knowing this also, sets out on a journey, west across the country to a city called Es Toch, unfortunately named "The City of Liars", to find who he is.
Along the way he is introduced to new people, cutltures, technology, and enviroments, each bringing him a new view and one step closer to Es Toch. The journey is a perilous one and one to read about! Enjoy!
Aubrey Lee ;-)
"
Aubrey Lee, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of City of Illusions |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 45%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 25%
Tone of book
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Inner Struggle
Yes
Plotlet:
- search for identity/new understanding
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture
Yes
Culture clash-
- feelings as an alien growing up among humans
- one human from different culture of other humans
Intense exploration of society's culture?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
- Male Alien
Profession/status:
- unemployed
- explorer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an entire race
Profession/status:
- mastermind
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- mind reading
- can read emotions
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Terrain
- Mountains
- Forests
Earth setting:
- distant future
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- some scientific explanation
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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