The Left Hand of Darkness
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Science Fiction Novel of the YearA groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can change their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters. Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.
"As profuse and original in invention as The Lord of the Rings." --Michael Moorcock
"What got to me was the quality of the storytelling. She's taken the mythology, psychology--the entire creative surround--and woven it into a jewel of a story." --Frank Herbert
"Evocative." --The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
"An instant classic." --Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"[A] science fiction masterpiece." --Newsweek
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Genly Ai is an emissary from the human galaxy to Winter, a lost, stray world. His mission is to bring the planet back into the fold of an evolving galactic civilization, but to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own culture and prejudices and those that he encounters. On a planet where people are of no gender--or both--this is a broad gulf indeed. The inventiveness and delicacy with which Le Guin portrays her alien world are not only unusual and inspiring, they are fundamental to almost all decent science fiction that has been written since. In fact, reading Le Guin again may cause the eye to narrow somewhat disapprovingly at the younger generation: what new ground are they breaking that is not already explored here with greater skill and acumen? It cannot be said, however, that this is a rollicking good story. Le Guin takes a lot of time to explore her characters, the world of her creation, and the philosophical themes that arise.
If there were a canon of classic science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness would be included without debate. Certainly, no science fiction bookshelf may be said to be complete without it. But the real question: is it fun to read? It is science fiction of an earlier time, a time that has not worn particularly well in the genre. The Left Hand of Darkness was a groundbreaking book in 1969, a time when, like the rest of the arts, science fiction was awakening to new dimensions in both society and literature. But the first excursions out of the pulp tradition are sometimes difficult to reread with much enjoyment. Rereading The Left Hand of Darkness, decades after its publication, one feels that those who chose it for the Hugo and Nebula awards were right to do so, for it truly does stand out as one of the great books of that era. It is immensely rich in timeless wisdom and insight.
The Left Hand of Darkness is science fiction for the thinking reader, and should be read attentively in order to properly savor the depth of insight and the subtleties of plot and character. It is one of those pleasures that requires a little investment at the beginning, but pays back tenfold with the joy of raw imagination that resonates through the subsequent 30 years of science fiction storytelling. Not only is the bookshelf incomplete without owning it, so is the reader without having read it. --L. Blunt Jackson
Review
A jewel of a story. -- Frank Herbert
An instant classic. -- Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Review
A jewel of a story. (Frank Herbert) An instant classic. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Customer Reviews
Outstanding Science Fiction
I recently decided to upgrade my reading selections by focusing on more widely acclaimed classics and award winning literature. Through this effort, I identified Ursula Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness". I was surprised to see that it was a Hugo and Nebula Award winner, as I was not familiar with it.
I am an avid science fiction fan and am familiar with Le Guin. As a young reader of LotR, I opted against reading Le Guin's Earthsea novels, thinking them to be among the cheap ripoffs of Tolkien. I was unaware that she had written science fiction, and award winning science fiction at that.
This is a very good novel, though as some have pointed out, not heavily into the science aspect of "science fiction". It is, however, very well written from the standpoint of the interpersonal relationships contained therein. The story revolves around a loose trade confederation of worlds called the Ekumen. An emissary from the Ekumen is sent to a planet for the purpose of recruiting the inhabitants into the confederation. The world consists of two primary nation-states, locked in a battle for supremacy. The interplay between the Ekumenical emissary and representatives from the two nation states are the underpinnings of the work.
The World created by Le Guin is fascinating and believable. The personal and political conflicts are believable and complex. There are many intricacies contained in the book that add greatly to its enjoyment. I've seen it labeled "political science fiction" and the tag fits nicely.
There is depth and philosophy to be considered, though not to the extent you might find in some of the works of Frank Herbert or Philip Dick. It was very worthwhile read and one that gave me a new appreciation for Le Guin.
A pleasant read
I enjoyed the book and thought it ended better than it began. I would put this somewhere down the middle of Science Fiction/Fantasy. If you prefer science fiction books where to plot moves quickly, you might be disappointed. For me this book didn't have the pull in plot to keep pulling me back. But it is still something I would recommend reading. It has some interesting concepts and I think the constructed world in the book is one I will remember for a long time.
Revisit this Sci-Fi classic if you haven't read it since college
The intriguing notion that our gender dictates not only our personal life, but the society we create and our political systems was quite a radical thought for me in the 1970s when I first read this book in college. I was immersed in an on-going sexual revolution and a feminist awakening. Ursula Le Guin's groundbreaking science fiction novel about a planet of individuals who are both ambi-sexual and asexual was a revelation for me.
Re-reading the novel thirty years later just underscores what a classic this work is, and how great literature can inspire different thoughts and reactions all through one's life.
When I read the book at twenty, I was not a mother, nor a wife, nor even very politically astute. I identified almost entirely with the narrator of the novel, Genly Ai, who is a heterosexual and a young, unmarried man. The political situations in the book seemed very clear-cut to me -- one country was like the Evil Soviet Union, one was like a Brothers Grimm fairy tale kingdom. The people of Winter were gender neuters except for the few times a year they entered the "kemmer" state, when they became either male or female and felt an overwhelming need to procreate. The line "The mother of several children could be the father of several others," stuck with me.
Now I am the mother of three teenager daughters, the wife of a politician and a professional in my own right. I still find Le Guin's icy world of Winter fascinating, but for very different reasons. For one thing, I find myself identifying not so much with the narrator of the story, but with the character of Lord Estraven. Estraven is dealing with a political situation which is delicate and complex, much like his/her sexual being. The novel is no longer so clear-cut for me, but is a far richer reading experience because of the life experiences I have now undergone.
I highly recommend re-reading this classic for yourself.
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