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Voices (Le Guin novel)

Voices AuthorUrsula K. Le GuinLanguageEnglishSeriesAnnals of the Western ShoreGenreFantasyPublisherHarcourtSeptember 1, 2006ISBN978-0-15-205678-0Preceded byGifts Followed byPowers
Voices (2006) is the second book in the trilogy Annals of the Western Shore, a young adult fantasy series by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is preceded in the series by Gifts (2004) and followed by Powers (2007). The story is set in the fictional city of Ansul, once famed as a center of learning, but invaded and subjugated by the Alds, a desert people who believe the written word to be evil. The protagonist, Memer Galva, is the child of a woman raped by an Ald soldier. She lives in the house of the Waylord Sulter Galva, who teaches her to read after finding she can enter the house's hidden library. When Memer is seventeen the city is visited by Gry and Orrec, the protagonists of Gifts; Orrec is now a famous poet, invited to perform by the Alds. Their arrival catalyzes an uprising against the Alds, while Memer tries to come to terms with her ability to interpret the Oracle that resides in her house.

Voices examines the cultural and religious strife between the monotheistic beliefs of the Alds and the polytheistic practices of the citizens of Ansul. Described as a "plea for cultural relativity", the novel also juxtaposes violent and non-violent means of ending a conflict. As with the other stories of Annals of the Western Shore, Voices examines enslavement and the treatment of women, and the theme of justice. The story traces Memer's coming of age, and the power of words, stories, and writing is a recurring theme. The book received acclaim from critics, who praised its nuanced portrayal of religion and cultural conflict, the characterization of Memer, and Le Guin's writing and detailed world building. Multiple reviewers compared it to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, also prominently featuring the destruction of books. Voices was a finalist for a Locus Award in 2007. Scholar Elizabeth Anderson wrote that the book " young adult readers to imaginatively approach their own encounters with religious difference."

Plot
The story begins with Memer narrating her earliest memory: of entering a secret room filled with books, to which the door may only be opened by making shapes on the wall. Memer believes she is the only who knows how to get in, until she finds the Waylord there when she is nine years old. He offers to teach her to read, after swearing her to secrecy. Memer proves to be a quick learner. Four days after her seventeenth birthday, Memer makes the acquaintance of Orrec and Gry, the protagonists of Gifts. Orrec, famous as a poet and storyteller, has been invited to Ansul to perform: Memer invites him and Gry to stay at Galvamand. They tell the Waylord that though the Alds invited them to Ansul, they came to find Galvamand, for the ancient library rumored to have once existed there. Orrec questions Memer about the history of the city: she tells him that Galvamand used to be known as the Oracle house, and realizes she does not know why.

Dressed as a male groom, Memer attends one of Orrec's performance for the Gand, the leader of the Alds. Orrec, holding no belief in the Ald god, is not allowed within the Gand's residence, but performs before an open pavilion. The relationship between the Gand Iorath and his son Iddor is seen to be tense: Iddor believes Orrec's poetry to be blasphemy. Some of Ansul's citizens, led by Sulter's friend Desac, hope to rouse the city against the Alds, taking advantage of the struggle between the Gand and his son. Desac asks Orrec to act as an instigator for a rebellion. When Orrec hesitates, the Waylord offers to consult the Oracle, revealed to still be in the house, about a rebellion. He tells Memer that their family has the responsibility of "reading" the Oracle, which provides answers in the pages of certain books in the secret room. He asks the Oracle about the rebellion: Memer sees the phrase "Broken mend broken" in a book in response.

The Waylord tells Orrec that he hopes to persuade the Alds to leave peacefully. Orrec offers to help him negotiate with the Gand. After another of Orrec's performances, Desac and his rebels set the Gand's tent on fire, sparking sporadic fighting across the city through the following night. A number of the conspirators, including Desac, are killed in the fire. Sulter learns that the Gand is not dead, but held prisoner by Iddor. A number of fugitives run to Galvamand, followed by Ald soldiers and Iddor, who claims to be the Gand. The Waylord announces that Iorath is still alive, and the Oracle speaks through Memer, crying "Let them set free". The soldiers abandon Iddor and return to the palace, where they release Iorath. Iorath orders his soldiers to stand down and allows the citizens inside their palace. Iddor is seized and imprisoned.

The Alds retreat to the barracks, and the citizens make plans for governing Ansul. During these debates Ald soldiers are seen approaching the city. Memer disguises herself as a boy and goes to meet Iorath, where she learns that the troop is not an army, but only carries a message. She returns to Galvamand with an offer from them to make Ansul a protectorate, rather than a colony. Memer gifts Orrec one of the books from the secret room, and she and Sulter decide to make a library with the books there. After a conversation with Gry, Memer decides to travel with her and Orrec for a while.

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