Annals of the Western Shore Series by Ursula K. Le Guin

Scattered among poor, desolate farms, the clans of the Uplands possess gifts. Wondrous gifts: the ability—with a glance, a gesture, a word—to summon animals, bring forth fire, move the land. Fearsome gifts: They can twist a limb, chain a mind, inflict a wasting illness. The Uplanders live in constant fear that one family might unleash its gift against another. Two young people, friends since childhood, decide not to use their gifts... moreScattered among poor, desolate farms, the clans of the Uplands possess gifts. Wondrous gifts: the ability—with a glance, a gesture, a word—to summon animals, bring forth fire, move the land. Fearsome gifts: They can twist a limb, chain a mind, inflict a wasting illness. The Uplanders live in constant fear that one family might unleash its gift against another. Two young people, friends since childhood, decide not to use their gifts. One, a girl, refuses to bring animals to their death in the hunt. The other, a boy, wears a blindfold lest his eyes and his anger kill. In this beautifully crafted story, Ursula K. Le Guin writes of the proud cruelty of power, of how hard it is to grow up, and of how much harder still it is to find, in the world's darkness, gifts of light. less

Ansul was once a peaceful town filled with libraries, schools and temples. But that was long ago, before the Alds came. The Alds believe demons hide in words, and so they ban reading and writing, acts now punishable by death. What few books have survived are hidden in the Waylord's House for safekeeping, in the care of the Waylord, crippled by years of torture, and the daughter of his heart, Memer.And now times are changing... moreAnsul was once a peaceful town filled with libraries, schools and temples. But that was long ago, before the Alds came. The Alds believe demons hide in words, and so they ban reading and writing, acts now punishable by death. What few books have survived are hidden in the Waylord's House for safekeeping, in the care of the Waylord, crippled by years of torture, and the daughter of his heart, Memer.And now times are changing. The Uplands poet Orrec Caspro and his wife Gry have arrived, and in his voice is a clarion call, awakening a conquered people.The second book of the Annals of the Western Shore, Voices is a haunting and gripping coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of violence, intolerance and magic. less

Предпланинието е свят като никой друг. Смятани за магьосници от хората в низините, планинците притежават свръхестествени дарби, които се предават от баща на син и от майка на дъщеря и са жизненоважни за оцеляването на рода. Дарбата на Барреви е да призовават животните, Дръмови владеят дарбата на бавната смърт, а Роддови имат дарбата на ножа. Дарбата на Каспрови е да развалят – да убиват и разрушават. С тази дарба Канок Каспро осигурява мир и спокойствие на поданиците си... moreПредпланинието е свят като никой друг. Смятани за магьосници от хората в низините, планинците притежават свръхестествени дарби, които се предават от баща на син и от майка на дъщеря и са жизненоважни за оцеляването на рода. Дарбата на Барреви е да призовават животните, Дръмови владеят дарбата на бавната смърт, а Роддови имат дарбата на ножа. Дарбата на Каспрови е да развалят – да убиват и разрушават. С тази дарба Канок Каспро осигурява мир и спокойствие на поданиците си. Но минава време, а младият Оррек, единственият наследник на Каспро, не проявява своята дарба. Междувременно владението е изправено пред нова опасност – заплахата иде от техния съсед Огге Дръм, който е отправил алчен поглед към владенията им, към всичко, което притежават.Ще може ли младият Оррек да спре заплахата, или ще остане безполезен за себе си и своето семейство?“Дарби” е великолепно фентъзи, обсъждащо много съвременни теми, най-важната от които е, че за да успееш, трябва първо да повярваш в себе си.“Гласове”Втората книга от “Хроники на Западния бряг”, е завладяваща и напрегната история за съзряването на едно дете във време на насилие, противоборство и вълшебства.В “Землемория” Урсула Ле Гуин създаде нов свят, населен с млади хора, притежаващи магически способности. В “Хроники на Западния бряг” оживяват други герои, не по-малко надарени с невероятни таланти. Разказана изкусно от майсторката на фентъзи жанра, “Хроники на Западния бряг” бележи дългоочакваното завръщане на Ле Гуин. Едно възнаградено очакване! less

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. 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.

After the extraordinary success of the Earthsea novels, Ursula K. Le Guin returned in late career to the young adult fantasy genre with a trilogy of coming-of-age novels set in the far-flung Western Shore. These tales of teenagers struggling to come to terms with their own mysterious and magical gifts showcase the imaginative generosity and abiding human concerns that mark Le Guin’s work, and together they form an elegant anthem to the transformative power of storytelling... moreAfter the extraordinary success of the Earthsea novels, Ursula K. Le Guin returned in late career to the young adult fantasy genre with a trilogy of coming-of-age novels set in the far-flung Western Shore. These tales of teenagers struggling to come to terms with their own mysterious and magical gifts showcase the imaginative generosity and abiding human concerns that mark Le Guin’s work, and together they form an elegant anthem to the transformative power of storytelling. This acclaimed trilogy is gathered here in one volume for the first time, complete with illustrated endpapers featuring newly colorized versions of Le Guin’s own hand-drawn maps of her imagined world.The trilogy opens with Gifts (2004), in which Orrec Caspro and Gry Barre, a boy and girl from neighboring clans in the forbidding Uplands, will receive both their families’ domains and their hereditary “gifts”—for Orrec the ability to maim or kill with a word and gesture, for Gry the power to communicate with animals, luring them to their deaths in the hunt. When they dare to turn their backs on their families’ expectations, the young friends discover their true gifts.The once prosperous city of Ansul, the setting for the second book, Voices (2006), is in the grip of a superstitious, book-burning army from the desert land of Asudar, and seventeen-year-old Memer may hold the key to her people’s fate. Memer lives in the mysterious Oracle House, where a secret room hides the city’s few remaining books. When Orrec Caspro, now a famous poet, and his wife Gry arrive in Ansul, Memer will begin to unlock the revolutionary power within herself.In the Nebula Award–winning Powers (2007), the young slave Gavir can see events before they happen, vivid visions that feel like memories. After a violent tragedy destroys his childlike faith in his masters, Gav sets out on an epic journey to understand who he is, why he has such strange powers, and what freedom means: a journey that brings the trilogy full circle.This deluxe collector’s edition includes Le Guin’s talks and interviews about the novels, a chronology of her life and career, and helpful explanatory notes. less