The Left Hand of Darkness

By Ursula K. Le Guin

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.

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Published Mar 15, 1987

368 pages

Average rating: 7.02

450 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

johnauie
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)
Sorcha
Very good, not *too* scifiy (if you get my drift). The majority of it is a stranger in a strange land, being treated with fear and distrust, as he travels around a new planet in his role as envoy.
David
8/10 stars
Good book. Not what I particularly enjoy when reading but I understand how this is a classic and explores so many great themes and ideas and being one of the original sci-if books to do so. Did not love the main character but great exploration of the world.
Books-n-more
So far seems needlessly convoluted.
Brian
6/10 stars
Interesting plot and idea, just really hard to follow and understand. Deep ending and worth some introspection