Changing Planes

A fascinating journey into other realms by the Hugo and Nebula-award winning author of The Left Hand of Darkness. Sita Dulip has missed her flight out of Chicago. But instead of listening to garbled announcements in the airport, Sita finds a method of bypassing the crowds at the desks—a way to skip a nasty lunch, whimpering children, punitive parents, and the blue plastic chairs bolted to the floor: She changes planes—but not the planes one imagines. Switching planes of existence allows Sita to visit societies not found on Earth. As her "method" spreads, the narrator of this unique excursion and her acquaintances encounter a variety of cultures—one where whole towns exist solely for holiday shopping; another where personalities are ruled by rage; and yet another where genetic experiments produce less than desirable results. In this collection of related short stories, visionary author Ursula K. Le Guin takes readers on an eye-opening tour, one that reveals universal truths—not only about society at large, but about ourselves as well. Winner of the PEN/Malamud Award for Short Story and a New York Times notable book.

© 2026 Phoenix Books, Inc. (Audiobook): 9781614678434

Release date

Audiobook: October 20, 2026