The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition
50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION—WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY DAVID MITCHELL AND A NEW AFTERWORD BY CHARLIE JANE ANDERS
Ursula K. Le Guin’s groundbreaking work of science fiction—winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants’ gender is fluid. 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 strange, intriguing culture 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.
Ursula K. Le Guin’s groundbreaking work of science fiction—winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants’ gender is fluid. 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 strange, intriguing culture 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.
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Community Reviews
Sadly, our bookkeeping records for 2002 aren't as complete as we'd like, but we know we read this book during that time. (also, probably wasn't the 50th anniversary edition)
This book wasn’t easy to read. But it wasn’t exactly hard either. There are political layers I only half grasped, myths woven between chapters, endless snow, and a narrator who is constantly misunderstanding the world around him.
And yet.
At its heart, this is a novel about two people trying to reach each other across a massive barrier of culture, expectation, and gender. And when they finally do, it’s beautiful. Watching Genly and Estraven slowly, stubbornly learn to truly see one another felt unexpectedly intimate , and that’s the part I loved most.
I was confused. I was patient. I admired it more than I adored it.
But that quiet, fragile thread of trust in the middle of all that cold? That stayed with me.
I’m glad I read it.
The story moves slowly. I enjoy the exploration of the non-gendered Gethenians' society. For me, the best part of the book is the description of the glacier crossing when Genly and Estraven really begin to understand each other.
A must-read for any sci-fi fan - my ultimate favorite of the genre. An introspective piece about what creates gender norms in society, the markers, and how it affects behavior. Fascinating!
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