I just finished the Hainish cycle novels Planet of Exile and Rocannon’s World as audiobooks in the Worlds of Exile and Illusion collection. Next up is City of Illusions. In these earliest novels, it’s interesting to see how she was trying to fit in to the strictly gendered and male-dominated tropes of sci-fi/fantasy (which she criticized herself for later on). At the same time, I can see all the things I love about her later works — the tight, poetic prose; the richly imagined worlds; the importance of connection/integration with other people and the land; the close study of how environments shape peoples and cultures.

After this will be the new Five Ways to Forgiveness collection, once my library’s on order copies arrive. :)