Four Ways to Forgiveness is part of Ursula K. Le Guin‘s Hainish Cycle, and gives us a bit of a backstory on the Hainish themselves, how the Ekumen was founded, and how worlds may come to join the Ekumen. The story is told in four parts, a character apiece. The characters do interact, but they form their own narratives. From the perspective of a slave, a military slave owner, an envoy, and a historian, we gain a perspective on the world of Werel, and the rebellion of the slaves against their owners.
I was very impressed with the discussion of slavery, dependence, culture, misogyny, and revolution from the different perspectives. It’s not easy reading though – Le Guin doesn’t shy away from depicting all the horrible parts of oppression and slavery. Despite that, the stories were touching and hopeful and noticeably written to work well together.
