Gifts -- Annals of the Western Shore (Book Review 3 out of 5)

Category:	Books
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author:	Ursula K. Le Guin

This is the second Ursula Le Guin novel I read. The first one was "Wizard of Earthsea" back in college. The main thing that motivated me to read "Gifts" was the idea of people inheriting powers from their family, and the responsibility that comes with that power. It might sound like a slogan for a superhero story, but Le Guin successfully presented the story in a fantasy setting.

Readers are introduced to the Uplands, a realm divided and ruled by powerful families who possessed various mystical powers. Each family carries a Gift, a power that is passed on from parent to child. Some families have the Gift to set things aflame or to cause insanity, while other families have the power to summon things or to heal.

Life is difficult in the Uplands, the people have to rely on those with Gifts for protection and aid. Some of the Gifted families scheme to take over their neighbor's dominions, while others struggle to survive and pass on their Gift to the next generation.

Like Earthsea, Gifts is a coming of age story. The main character, Orrec, is the only son of Brantor Canoc. Orrec's father possesses the Gift of Unmaking -- to unmake anything or anyone he looked at. But when Orrec could not master the Gift, his father decided to blindfold him (for everyone's sake).

Most of the story deals with Orrec dealing with his blindness and his frustration about not being able to control his Gift. We are also introduced to Gry, Orrec's childhood friend, who possesses the gift to communicate and summon animals. Like Orrec, Gry was a disappointment to her family -- she refuses to summon animals for the hunters to kill. Both of them were treated as outcasts for their temperaments and attitudes towards using their Gifts.

As the story continues, Le Guin reveals the growing conflict between father and son, as well as the ongoing threat of Brantor Drum encroaching on their land. Orrec grows from a child to a young man, learning the harsh realities about his father and his responsibility to the people living in their land.

In the end, Orrec learns the truth about his Gift and about his father. His realization helps him face his father and decide on how he'd choose his destiny. He realized that he does possesses the Gift, but not the kind his father was expecting.

I loved the way Le Guin built the narrative, building the tension between Orrec and his father, Brantor Drum and Orrec, as well as Orrec's internal conflict. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the way Le Guin resolved the ending by speeding up the resolution at the end. Everything happened so fast and so quick that I had to reread the last few pages to figure out what happened.

The ending could have been more dramatic and more powerful, if Le Guin took the time to narrate things -- explain what had happened more clearly. I'm sure the impact would have been more powerful and the revelation more meaningful.

I would have given the book a five star rating, but with the rush ending, I'd rate it at three stars.