Ursula k. Le Guin's beautifully realised space epic of two young friends finding their lives steer a new, and unexpected course As the spaceship Discovery makes its slow way towards its destination - New Earth - Hsing and Luis come of age together. Born in the middle of this multigenerational journey, they have never known life beyond the ship and never expect to. But just as their lives seem to be unfolding as decreed, a revelation about Discovery 's true course throws everything they know into question. BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days.