Planet of Exile
A 1966 Hainish Cycle novel set on a planet approaching long winter.
Planet of Exile, a 1966 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, belongs to her Hainish Cycle. It originally appeared as an Ace Double, printed in the tête-bêche format alongside Thomas M. Disch’s *Mankind Under the Leash*. The action takes place on Werel, the second planet of the Gamma Draconis system. Werel’s year lasts sixty Earth years, and the planet is now heading into its correspondingly long winter.
The story follows two main groups. The Tevarans, including the elder Wold and his daughter Rolery, are humanoids native to Werel. Jakob Agat is a young man from a dwindling colony of Earth humans stranded on the planet. Each group refuses to consider the other fully human, and interbreeding between them is possible but rare and difficult. Tension and limited contact have long defined their relationship. As winter and the nomadic Gaal tribes threaten both peoples, cooperation becomes necessary for survival. Rolery’s curious visit to the Earth-human colony signals a shift.
Key figures include Alla Pasfal, a frail but sharp elder on the colonists’ Council in Landin. The Gaal are nomadic natives who migrate south for winter and speak a different language from the Tevarans. Jakob Agat, middle-aged and wise, leads the Council; like all colonists, he has bluish-black skin. Rolery, the protagonist, is light-skinned with golden eyes, independent, and unmarried because she was born out of season; Jakob Agat possesses the rare ability of mindspeech. Seiko Esmit, the last of a great family line in Landin, is a delicate, nervous middle-aged woman. Ukwet, one of Wold’s grandsons, ambushes Jakob Agat but dies in a duel with Umaksuman, a spring-born son of Wold who loves battle. Wattock, an Alterran bone-setter, works with Rolery to treat the wounded. Wold, Rolery’s father, is a wise, willful, and misogynistic tribal elder in Tevar.
Native fauna include the hann, sheep-like animals domesticated for food and clothing. Snowghouls are tall, thin, white-furred creatures with long necks, clawed forearms, and sharp teeth; they hunt in deadly packs. Stormbringers are taloned white birds with silver eyes and a wingspan larger than a man; their southward migration heralds winter.
In the Hainish Cycle, all worlds’ peoples descend from ancient Hainish settlements.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Ursula K. Le Guin
- Cover Artist
- Jerome Podwil
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Series
- Hainish Cycle
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Publisher
- Ace Books
- Release Date
- 1966
- Media Type
- Print (hardback & paperback)
- Pages
- 113
- Oclc
- 3224206
- Preceded By
- Rocannon's World (1966)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The novel's main characters belong to two major groups: the Tevarans, indigenous humanoids led by elder Wold and his daughter Rolery, and a dwindling colony of Earth humans led by Jakob Agat. The groups do not accept each other as human, and interbreeding between them is possible but rare and difficult. With the approaching dangers of winter and the nomadic Gaal tribes, the groups must cooperate to survive. Rolery's visit to the Earth colony signals a change in relations.
Reader's Guide
Planet of Exile is significant as an early work in Le Guin's Hainish Cycle, providing backstory to City of Illusions. One science fiction scholar notes that this novel, along with Rocannon's World and City of Illusions, exhibits Le Guin's struggle as an emerging writer to create plausible, memorable locales. The novel introduces elements such as the rare ability of mindspeech in Rolery and the concept of a planet with a 60-year orbital period. It was reissued in 1978 with an introduction by Le Guin and later collected in volumes such as Three Hainish Novels and Worlds of Exile and Illusion. A film adaptation was optioned in 2017 but as of 2024 had not been produced.
Did You Know?
- The novel was first published as an Ace Double using the tête-bêche format, paired with Mankind Under the Leash by Thomas M. Disch.
- The planet Werel has an orbital period of 60 Earth years, leading to a correspondingly long winter.
- The Gaal speak a different language from the Tevarans, not a shared one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Planet of Exile?
It is a 1966 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin that belongs to her Hainish Cycle. The story follows two rival groups of people on Werel as the world slides into a prolonged winter.
Where does Planet of Exile take place?
The action is set on Werel, the second planet of the Gamma Draconis system. A single year there lasts sixty Earth years, and the plot unfolds as that long winter season begins.
Who are the main characters in Planet of Exile?
The narrative centers on the Tevarans, a native humanoid people whose elder Wold and his daughter Rolery play key roles, and on Jakob Agat, a young man from a dwindling colony of Earth-descended settlers. The tension between these two communities drives much of the conflict.
How does Planet of Exile fit into the Hainish Cycle?
It is one of the earlier novels in Le Guin's interconnected Hainish universe, sharing the broader galactic framework of the Hainish Expansion. Its themes of cultural isolation and divergent societies echo throughout the rest of the cycle.
How was Planet of Exile originally published?
It first appeared in 1966 as an Ace Double, printed in tête-bêche (back-to-back) format alongside Thomas M. Disch's Mankind Under the Leash. Readers received both novels in a single paperback binding.
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