The Wind's Twelve Quarters - Reprise

There are some really thought-provoking stories in Ursula Le Guin's collection of short stories, The Wind's Twelve Quarters. I particularly liked 'April in Paris', which involves using a magic spell to bring four people together, two from the past and one from the future of the character to whom we're first introduced. The four of them discover they have something in common and it is this characteristic which allows the spell to bring them together.

Also interesting, and intriguing, is 'Nine Lives' about a man who is one of ten clones of a scientist. They are sent far out into space to work on Libra, but there is an earthquake and 9 of the 10 clones are killed. The one remaining clone has to learn to live without his "siblings" with the two men whom he and the clones were sent to assist.

'Things' is something of an apocolypse story - and also about hope and daring to dream... 'Darkness Box' and 'Winter's King' were puzzling, and the latter quite confusing as it features Kings who are female.

Finally, the two stories set in Earthsea, 'The Word of Unbinding' is about doing one's duty whatever the consequences, and 'The Rule of Names' shows that appearances can be *very* deceiving !

I shall have to add this book to my wishlist, along with Le Guin's Changing Planes which I read earlier in the year.

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A bit of fun for Harry Potter fans: see who your HP alter ego is with this quiz - unsurprisingly, I'm 85% like Hermione (and I'm 80% like Dumbledore and 75% like Harry Potter - which I like !) Is anyone willing to confess to being most like Voldemort ?!