Back in July, the shortlist for the inaugural Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for fiction was announced. It's an annual prize given to writers whose work embody what Le Guin was all about (realists of a larger reality, writers imagining real hope and alternative ways of being), with some very respectable writers as this year's judges, people whom I know deeply care about Le Guin's work and themes.

The list is an interesting combination of books. Truthfully, they are exactly the kind of books I would associate with Le Guin. Some of them are quite well known (How High We Go in the Dark, Elder Race), a few have also been nominated for other (genre) awards (The Past is Red, Elder Race, A Snake Falls to Earth, The Employees), others were completely new to me (Appleseed, Summer in the City of Roses, After the Dragons). It makes for a diverse and worthy list.

I had already read two of the nominated books and endeavored to read all of them before the winner was announced. With some 3 hours to go at the time of me writing this, I ended up succeeding in my goal and decided to do a quick ranking with tiny reviews:

**9. Olga Ravn – The Employees (**★★)

Perhaps the most acclaimed book of the bunch; this translated novella was also shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize for fiction. It's described as a "workplace novel of the 22nd century", foregoing a clear narrative for poetic vignettes in the way of witness statements on something resembling a generation ship.

It's a cool idea, but too vague for my taste. The author never seems to want to commit to any of the themes that are hinted at throughout the novel and on the back (the back text being more intriguing for me than the actual book...), with a novelette-length work both feeling like a novel-length slog and a bloated short story. The prose is simple and reads more like free verse poetry at times, with some remarkably interesting sentences, but half-baked ideas and a complete lack of any direction makes for an unsatisfying read.

I found it hard to find a connection with Le Guin, besides it being sci-fi and vaguely poetic. A disappointing read.

**8. How High We Go in the Dark – Sequoia Nagamatsu (**★★★)

A decently interesting work-- though it never allowed me to immerse myself, I was intrigued by some of the images it conjectured. Lackluster prose and concepts were a detriment to this novel that seemed to be try to be both a high-concept yet character-focused work. In the end, it never really works (the merit of Cloud Atlas and To Paradise is that they are absolute tomes, which gives you more freedom to properly develop your story with nested narratives like these) because the stories and characters aren't given enough room to breathe. Feels more like a fix-up novel. Still, it's definitely ambitious and has some very memorable moments. Certainly deserving of being shortlisted. (note: this is one of the two books I had read prior to the shortlist being announced)

**7. Summer in the City of Roses – Michelle Ruiz Keil (**★★★)

A fun YA fairytale-inspired story that gets weirder as it goes on. I particularly liked the themes of found family, (body) positivity, a great take on a non-binary character (I only noticed about halfway through when it became very obvious in the story, because pronouns were never used for the character) as well as some good neurodiversity.

It's a fairly nuanced work, even if it feels like the characters aren't ever in any real danger and the plot always felt a little bit contrived and lost me near the end. Definitely reads like the type of quirky teen read I probably would've adored in high school, but now it mostly left me wanting *more.*

Reminded me of Le Guin's "Very Far from Anywhere Else". More magical realist than really fantasy.

**6. Appleseed – Matt Bell (**★★★)

A supreme disappointment at first, but it won me over by the end. Appleseed is an overwritten mess of a book, examining our dying world from the perspective of some who witnessed the seeds of its death, its imminent demise, and those who came after. It's certainly an ambitious book, and by the time I was about 2/3rds through the book I was actually starting to appreciate what it was trying to do. It does get there, in the end-- but I felt as though it could have easily been half as long, and twice as well-written. Characters are mouthpieces for ideas, themes are overdone to the point they feel forced.

If this is Le Guin-esque, it's more THE WORD FOR WORLD IS FOREST than anything else; an unsubtle work that never hits its stride. The themes are there—this is cli-fi like Le Guin could have written it, but she would have it done it very differently—more condensed, more subtle, better characters, more streamlined ideas, beautiful prose… in the end, it's a fun read, but that's about it.

5. A Snake Falls to Earth – Darcie Little Badger (★★★)

My main problem with Darcie Little Badger books is that they are on the young end of young adult (nearly middle grade), and I generally prefer non-YA reads- but that's personal taste.. This is a more satisfying read than Elatsoe, however. It juggles some interesting themes with more complex worldbuilding and some big Le Guin vibes in terms of overall tone. Despite the many tensions, it's a very calm and sweet story with some folkloric elements. Oral storytelling, animal extinction, some slight Octavia Butler vibes (for some reason I can't really explain) makes for an excellent middle grade book. Months after reading it, I still find myself thinking about some of its characters.

4. The Past is Red – Catherynne M. Valente (★★★★)

A melancholic expression of post-apocalyptic nostalgia. What happens when you are born on a big garbage patch in the sea, knowing only your current way of life? What happens when you discover the past? Many will long for the past, get stuck in it, try to trod backwards down a path of which the beginning has long fallen into earth. Others will try to move forward in some way, adapting to the current world, accepting how things are. This is one of the many themes of this novella.

It's a very honest yet fun perspective on life on a post-climate-apocalypse Earth. Very environmentalist and certainly deserving of the Le Guin nomination.

3. After the Dragons – Cynthia Zhang (★★★★)

I *adored* this slice-of-life story of queer romance in a climate-disaster-stricken world. This is the exact type of story I was hoping this award would highlight. After the Dragons is a quiet story focused on humans- two gay students and their troubled relationships. The characters feel very real, often frustratingly so. In the background is a beautifully constructed and fascinating world based on modern-day Beijing, where dragons are small pet-like creatures which were perhaps once seen as gods, but now all-too familiar victims of capitalism, just like our pets are today.

It's an interesting way of telling climate fiction. The climate stuff is never at the forefront, yet it's always palpable and feels like an intrinsic part of the story. Definitely check this out if you're a fan of low-stakes fiction. Melancholic yet kind- heartily recommend.

2. The House of Rust – Khadija Abdalla Bajaber (★★★★)

A magnificent read, blending mythopoeic fiction with a sort of young adult coming of age story. I found it hard to immerse myself in the story because I was often distracted by its gorgeous imagery and prose. The book creates a vivid image of its characters (the headstrong Aisha is a feminist hero Le Guin would be proud of) without compromising their realistic story arcs. This book is a LOT. I think I will have to re-read it to understand it better.

It almost felt like an African Patricia McKillip, with hints of The Tombs of Atuan, which is just about the highest praise I can give a book. Read this if you want something different.

1. Elder Race – Adrian Tchaikovsky (★★★★★)

I've been raving about Elder Race ever since it came out, and it's a very sensible pick for this award. Tchaikovsky has released a few novellas before which felt very Hainish in tone, with his The Expert System's Brother feeling like a fresh take on Planet of Exile. But with Elder Race he tells a wholly original tale of anthropological wonder, with themes of colonists of old coming into contact with the "natives". Planet of Exile, Hard to be a God, and fairytale vibes.

This novella embodies much of Le Guin's work and would be my pick to win the award. I'm also happy to have a book on the shortlist that doesn't have climate/ecology as its central focus—while certainly a recurring theme in Le Guin's works, it felt like many of the shortlisted books focused on this, while there are plenty of other subjects one may associate with Le Guin's vision.

Conclusion

In short, the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize shortlist contains some excellent reads and shines a spotlight on some lesser-known works that really do embody what Le Guin was all about. In a genre already saturated with a myriad of awards, the Le Guin prize actually feels like it offers something new. I will be eager to find out what the next years' shortlists will contain.