Thought-provoking
Ursula K Le Guin may be considered a science fiction writer, but much of her work could be easily classified as political commentary. This is true also of "Four Ways to Forgiveness," a lovely collection of novellas, all centered around two planets within her Hainish universe, one a planet of "owners" and their "assets," the other populated of former slaves who only recently wrested freedom for their planet in a hard-fought war. After liberation, however, the women, the very same ones who instigated the rebellion, must continue to fight for their own place as free people. The themes here are slavery and misogyny, two scourges of society that the western world has ostensibly taken care of. As a woman born after the women's liberation movement, reading these tales inspires an almost vulnerable feeling. Would I have to fortitude to fight for basic rights the way my mother's generation did? This is the kind of thing Le Guin can make her readers ponder. It is a powerful gift, one she does not use lightly.
Readers do not need to be familar with the entire Hainish cycle to get a lot from this book.