User:Vanamonde93/sandbox/Powers (novel)

Powers (2007) is the third book in the trilogy Annals of the Western Shore, sometimes called Chronicles of the Western Shore, a young adult series by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is preceded in the series by  Voices. Powers won the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Novel.

Setting


Powers is the third volume of Annals of the Western Shore, following Gifts (2004) and Voices (2006). Gifts told the story of Gry and Orrec, who grew up in Uplands in the far north of the fictional world depicted in the series, while Voices is set in the city of Ansul, in the southern region of the same world. The civilization of this world was settled by people from across a desert to the east of the regions depicted in the series. It consists of a number of city states, as well as some nomads on the borders of the desert. Powers begins in the city of Etra, whose political structure is similar to that of the Roman Republic. The wealthy families keep slaves, of whom the protagonist, Gavir, is one. Slaves are not allowed to keep their children, and slaves thus are considered not to have ancestors.

Plot
Gavir is a slave who develops a gift for precognition. He is trained to serve as a teacher for a noble family in the city of Etra; but personal tragedy drives him into the life of a hunted wanderer. He endures adventures, challenges, and suffering. Eventually he escapes to a new and happy life.