My rating:

add to my books

The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle)

by Ursula K. Le Guin

3.94 · rating details · 15,347 ratings · 1,212 reviews

A 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 ...more

Paperback, 304 pages

Published July 1st 2000 by Ace (first published 1969)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Best Science Fiction Books

27th out of 1,970 books — 9,107 voters

Best Utopian and Dystopian Fiction

76th out of 1,147 books — 6,133 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 24,617)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 10, 2007

Liz rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I've become rather bitter with sci-fi over the years, as it used to be my favorite genre. But you can only read so many space operas and pretentious near futures before it gets to you a little.

And then you decide to give an author a go because of some weird research string you were on... and it rekindles your love of why you started reading it in the first place.

LeGuin approaches sci-fi as it should be; a thought experiment. Instead of spending pages upon pages describing th...more

like 43 likes

· see review

Jan 04, 2008

J. rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: in-new-york

This book is a science fiction classic. To fans of feminist and political science fiction, it is more than a classic - it is a touchstone, a founding document, a rallying post.

It follows Genly Ai, an envoy from the Ekumen (a perhaps-utopian union of worlds) to the planet Gethen, where the entire habitable zone of the planet has a climate at the extreme cold end of human tolerance - and where Gethenian natives lack biological sex and gender, but can unpredictably develop either male o...moreThis book is a science fiction classic. To fans of feminist and political science fiction, it is more than a classic - it is a touchstone, a founding document, a rallying post.

It follows Genly Ai, an envoy from the Ekumen (a perhaps-utopian union of worlds) to the planet Gethen, where the entire habitable zone of the planet has a climate at the extreme cold end of human tolerance - and where Gethenian natives lack biological sex and gender, but can unpredictably develop either male or female apparatus when "in kemmer," which is a monthly cyclic state of being ready and driven to mate (yes, there has to be a better way to say this, and Le Guin manages it). Le Guin, as always, writes with specificity, honesty, and care. She devotes equal attention the the effects of both the cold and the odd biology on Gethenian culture, and never shoehorns in an authorial manifesto. Consequently, this book is no sort of call to revolution, despite being one of the first science fiction novels to deal with gender so intelligently and sensitively, not as a "war of the sexes" but as something far more nuanced. It is only feminist in that the emergent examination of the concept of gender is a thorough and intelligent one, and most of those tend to, after analysis, support a feminist viewpoint. Le Guin once said something along the lines of: "I hoped, after I had taken away male and female, that what remained might be, simply, human." Mostly, though, it is an early and exceptionally incisive example of anthropological science fiction which opened the field to further investigations of this sort.

There's a plot in there, too, eventually, and two characters whose relationship is convincingly troubled enough to be involving. The book gets much more compelling, I think, in the second half, as events propel those two characters onward and away from their fellows. In their isolation much of what was hinted at before is laid bare, and I experienced at least one moment of real awe and beauty. Which, you know, goes a long way toward making a book personally relevant, too.(less)

like 19 likes

· see review

Dec 27, 2007

Jerzy rated it

This is definitely not a space opera about rockets and robots; nor, despite some reviews, does it seem very "feminist" to me.

It's just a brilliant novel about people, relationships, and desires, a thought-experiment that leads to lots of insights about deep topics:
The impact of gender differences on human cultures. The ethnographer's role as a student, diplomat, or missionary, and difficulties of being alone in a foreign culture. Hospitality and honesty in harsh clima...more

like 12 likes

· see review

Aug 24, 2010

Kaion rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, lgbt

The Should I Read This Book Quiz: Ursula Le Guin is considered a Very Important science fiction writer for her anthropological chops, and The Left Hand of Darkness her classic in which a lone representative of the Ekumen is sent down to a heretofore un-contacted planet to convince its denizens to join this interplanetary human collective. Genly Ai’s mission is complicated by his inexperience with their society—the most significant difference with his own being that all Gethenians are neither mal...more

like 12 likes

· see review

Dec 31, 2010

Cassy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, award-hugo, fiction-scifi-fantasy-paranormal, physical-own, region-elsewhere

I generally visualize a book as a scale. An old fashioned scale like the one lady justice holds. On left side, you found the academic merits: concept, structure, significance. On the right side is the entertainment value. My goal is to find a well-balance book that keeps me turning the page yet leaves me feeling full and even a little cocky. Sometimes I am in the mood for an unbalanced book. But if the scale is fully tilted to the left (supposedly genius but unreadable or boring) or to the right...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Jan 21, 2011

William Thomas rated it

Try as i might, I just could not become deeply involved in this book. I wanted to enjoy it as I enjoy Leguin's personal philosophy as a feminist and anarchist, but the prose was so dry it just broke on every page without the fluidity of a master storyteller. Severely disappointing. I could not have cared less for any of the characters or for the mythology.

There was, however, a break in the story where a fable/myth is introduced to the reader. This... this was what I wanted. IT ...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Dec 09, 2010

Valerie added it

Most people tend to focus on 'A Question of Sex', and this makes sense, as it's a central chapter in the book, and the questions permeate the entire story.

A second (or other subsequent) reading might focus on other things--the Handdarata 'un-religion', the focus on shifgrethor and not giving or recieving advice, the concept of controlled hysterical strength, the marvelous advice Genly Ai attributes to his teacher ('When action grows unprofitable, gather information. When information...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Jul 13, 2008

Jason Pettus rated it

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

The CCLaP 100: In which I read for the first time a hundred so-called "classics," then write reports on whether or not they deserve the label
Book #18: The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K Le Guin (1969)

The story in a nutshell:
A highly unusual and controv...more

like 21 likes

· see review

Aug 08, 2007

Brent rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who are really into sci-fi

Okay, I admit that on July 16 this book was due back at the library and I returned it thinking I could go back and finish it sometime within the next week but that never happened.

If I ever do pick it up again (which I might do just because I like to finish what I start and not because I really care whether the characters make it across), I'll start with chapter 19: Homecoming. It's not that I didn't like the book or that it's not good, it's just that it wasn't fun for me to read (e...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Sep 01, 2008

Jon rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, fiction, read-in-my-40s, award-winners, hugo-winner, nebula-winner

I believe if I had read this back in the 70s or even early 80s, it probably would have wowed me. But now, in the 21st century, it was an interesting sociological study of androgyny, but gave me a headache towards the end.

Unfortunately, I never really became attached to the characters - Genly Ai, the Envoy from the Ekumen (and a Terran, born on Earth) nor with Estraven.

like 13 likes

· see review

Mar 03, 2010

Tatiana rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of quality sc-fi, people who like to think

Shelves: 2010, sci-fi, favorites, nebula

"The Left Hand of Darkness" turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise for me. I do not read science fiction often and had to abandon my last attempt ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy") for its utter stupidity, but this book was a sci-fi of a completely different sort. It wasn't just another novel about green aliens or space travel, it was an extremely clever and deep exploration of gender.

Genly Ai is an emissary of the Ekumen (a union of human worlds) to planet...more"The Left Hand of Darkness" turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise for me. I do not read science fiction often and had to abandon my last attempt ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy") for its utter stupidity, but this book was a sci-fi of a completely different sort. It wasn't just another novel about green aliens or space travel, it was an extremely clever and deep exploration of gender.

Genly Ai is an emissary of the Ekumen (a union of human worlds) to planet Gethen, or Winter (called so for its extremely cold climate). His mission is to convince inhabitants of the world to join the rest of humanity in exchange of ideas and technology. However Genly is met with some reserve as the decision to join is hindered by alien to him intricacies of Gethenian politics and culture. What makes Gethen so unique and thus so hard for Ai to understand is that it is inhibited by the race of ambisexual (hermaphroditic) beings. All Gethenians have an ability to be both male and female. Most of the time their sexualities lay dormant and awaken only a few days a month during a period called kemmer (mating period). At the time of kemmer each Gethenian can become either male or female. The choice of gender is always incidental. Between the kemmers Gethenians are asexual. This sexual peculiarity makes Gethen quite a subdued race - its inhabitants are not assigned any gender roles, they are not sexually driven or sexually frustrated, they are less violent and ambitious. As the story progresses, Genly learns to understand this strange world a little better and even finds love.

I was extremely impressed by Le Guin's imagination. The world of Gethen was thoroughly detailed and very well realized. Everything about Gethen - the direct effects of Winter's climate and Gethenians' ambisexuality on the social and political order, science, philosophy and even folklore - were developed in the most remarkable way. I was also amazed at how skillfully Le Guin presented romance in the story, because as you can imagine a love story between a man and an ambisexual being (or between two ambisexuals) can go horribly wrong in less talented hands.

My only reservation about the book was the language. It took a few chapters to get used to a huge amount of Gethenian words, names and concepts. At times I had to reread some passages to understand them, because they seemed a little too densely written (my recent obsession with YA literature might be blamed for the softness of my brain too I suppose). But this wasn't so overwhelming as to spoil the reading experience for me.

Highly recommended to those who enjoys quality science fiction.(less)

like 4 likes

· see review

Jun 17, 2008

Rachel rated it

I read this first in high school, and re-read a few days ago. Still, an interesting read. Parts were difficult for me to get into - lots of science fiction terms and words (Gethen), etc.

I checked out the 25th anniversary edition, which had an afterword by Ursula Le Guin. She mentioned that this book was on a list for the top 39 articles of anti-feminism. I can’t understand that at all. She did defend the use of “he” as the pronoun, in 1967, she meant for it (he) to be used for both m...more

like 2 likes

· see review

May 18, 2008

Chris rated it

Shelves: fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness is a first contact story. Genry (or Genly) Ai is an envoy from the Ekumen to the world of Gethen. The Ekumen represent a loose federation of humanity, and seem to act as facilitators of exchange between planets. Gethen is a world populated by humans, with a twist: the people are androgynous except for brief periods when individuals manifest both male and female sexual traits (though not simultaneously). There is no sex or gender on Gethen.

The first part ...moreThe Left Hand of Darkness is a first contact story. Genry (or Genly) Ai is an envoy from the Ekumen to the world of Gethen. The Ekumen represent a loose federation of humanity, and seem to act as facilitators of exchange between planets. Gethen is a world populated by humans, with a twist: the people are androgynous except for brief periods when individuals manifest both male and female sexual traits (though not simultaneously). There is no sex or gender on Gethen.

The first part of the book involves the slow discovery, by the reader and Envoy Ai, of what this means for Gethen society. One of the back-cover blurbs compares the book to The Lord of the Rings, which is accurate in that both Le Guin and Tolkien use allusions to myths and history to establish a sense of place in their respective realms. Apparently there are other Le Guin novels set in this universe that may elaborate on these hints, but a knowledge of them is not necessary. This probably the strongest element of the novel. Le Guin has rendered intricate, believable alien societies that are still recognizable as human.

One tool she uses, however, was a bit startling. Both Ai and Le Guin rely heavily on Freudian anaylsis to explain Gethen. Because the Gethenians, as the analysis goes, are normally not subject to sexual drives, they have nothing to sublimate. As a result, both individuals and society as a whole are more passive than normal bisexual humans. Leaving aside the question of whether this is an accurate reading of Freud (as I recall, for example, sexual desire is usually sublimated because it is the most powerful, but in its absence other drives might take its place), the virutally unquestioned validity of Freud struck me as odd. Perhaps it is an artifact of when the novel was written.

The Gethen's passivity relates to my major criticism of the book, which is that it's all a bit innocent. Like Star Trek's Federation, the Ekumen seem to have evolved out of sin. They're a perfectly anti-imperialist empire without any will to power at all. Their envoy, Genry Ai, is similarly innocent. I found this especially vexing considering the Freudianism described in the previous paragraph, since despite being stranded among androgynous aliens for years, his own desires never seem to give him any trouble. He's not perfect, but his mistakes are all errors rather than moral failings.

The inhabitants of Gethen are less innocent. To avoid giving anything away, I'll just say that they do some pretty awful things to each other and to Ai. But for the most part there is little maliciousness in their actions. Their sins are sins of omission, which fits with their general passivity, but even these faults are highly circumscribed.

This shouldn't be interpreted to mean I didn't enjoy The Left Hand of Darkness, because I did. It's an enjoyable read, with plenty of stimulating ideas.(less)

like 3 likes

· see review

Jan 06, 2008

Amy rated it

The Left Hand of Darkness is the third Ursula LeGuin book I have read (I read A Wizard of Earthsea a couple years ago) and her style seems to have a decidedly anthropological bent. The Left Hand of Darkness has very little in the way of story. There is enough narrative to hold the book together, but her purpose is not to tell the story. Rather, she uses the 300-odd pages to explore the social ramifications of a unique geology and biology. The geological question is slightly interesting—what woul...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Oct 14, 2010

Kathryn rated it

Shelves: science-fiction, aliens

I can not remember ever rating any of Le Guin's works 5 stars. I consider her to be a great writer and I have immense respect for her books, especially considering the decades when the majority of her work was published. I am happy that I finally read this book. I think that a problem I face with Le Guin's stories is that I can never fully connect with her characters. They are almost too forgeign, too alien, so maybe the problem is a lack of imagination on my part, something that Le Guin is not ...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Apr 14, 2008

Malcolm rated it

I don't think I actually have ever read this, but it's been in my consciousness for years.

I see why people love it now. Excellent story, wonderful richness in prose, in plot, and in setting.

like 2 likes

· see review

Apr 14, 2010

René Beaulieu rated it

Chef-D'Oeuvre, rien de moins, sur la différence, l'identité sexuale, les rapports ethnologie et Science-fiction,le mélange des identités et les choix de qui ont veut etre, confrontation et échange entre sociétés différentes, psychologie fouillée, divinement écrit, beau, apres et magnifiques paysages de neige et glace formidables, constamment en résonance et interaction avec les personnages, qui sont profonds, adultes, sensibles et magnifiquement sentis, réalisés, un livre fondateur de ma propre ...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 28, 2011

Matt rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, favorites

(Cross-posted to my science fiction blog, Android Dreamer)

The Left Hand of Darkness is often called a 'feminist' science-fiction novel, but surprisingly is not the story of an intergalactic butch lesbian who travels the galaxy systematically castrating alien men on each planet she comes across. As a matter of fact, there really aren't any women in The Left Hand of Darkness, and only one man to speak of.

Genly Ai is the envoy for Ekumen, an interplanetary alliance that has ...more(Cross-posted to my science fiction blog, Android Dreamer)

The Left Hand of Darkness is often called a 'feminist' science-fiction novel, but surprisingly is not the story of an intergalactic butch lesbian who travels the galaxy systematically castrating alien men on each planet she comes across. As a matter of fact, there really aren't any women in The Left Hand of Darkness, and only one man to speak of.

Genly Ai is the envoy for Ekumen, an interplanetary alliance that has tasked Ai with trying to bring a planet called Gethen into the Ekumen. Called "Winter" by the humans, Gethen is a cold planet, in the middle of an ice age. Its inhabitants seem perfectly comfortable in temperatures well-below freezing, and the question is rarely of "if" it will snow, but more "how much." This is far from the most notable thing about the people of Gethen, as they are all genderless.

Each twenty-six days, when the cycles of the Gethen people reach the stage of needing to procreate, the people of Gethen choose a gender to fit the situation as needed. It is commonplace for Gethen people to have fathered several children, and given birth to several others. Because of their genderless society, there are no perceptions of gender roles, or of masculinity and femininity.

The Left Hand of Darkness has so much to say in its 300 or so pages, and manages to do all of it very well. There are occasional stretches where it seems like nothing is happening, but luckily, Le Guin's prose is nearly flawless, each section reading like poetry. There may be science fiction writers who come close to her ability as a writer, but I don't think that she has an equal. Le Guin could easily rattle off a few hundred pages with no plot or reason whatsoever, and it would still manage to be readable for the quality of prose alone.

Beyond the basic plot of the storyline, the novel is really about Genly Ai and his learning how to deal with a society without gender roles. Early on in the story, he feels the need to assign a characteristic of masculinity and femininity to every emotion and every person he meets, and it takes one person from Gethen for him to begin to open his mind to another race and another culture.

Being the first Hugo Award winning novel written by a woman, The Left Hand of Darkness is immediately notable. Regardless of Le Guin's gender, it is a fantastic novel and well-worth its high rankings among the great works of science-fiction. It isn't a read full of action and explosions, but showcases the best in science-fiction when it comes to message and being a meaningful work.

My initial reaction to The Left Hand of Darkness was that it was quite good, but it is only later that I realized that it is actually amazing. Generally, I can read a great book and in a few weeks time it is gone from my mind. I still remember other books, but none have really stuck with me quite like this. It has been about a year since I finished it and wrote the majority of this review, but I still find myself thinking about this book at least once or twice a week. If someone were to ask me to read a single science fiction novel that encapsulated everything that is good and wonderful about sci-fi, I would give The Left Hand of Darkness serious consideration.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 17, 2009

Khaya rated it

Recommends it for: sci-fi fans who are way, way, smarter than I am

Recommended to Khaya by: Dena Udren

Shelves: scifi-fantasy-magicrealism, classics, situation-not-a-story, maybe-it-s-me

"Lord help me, I'm just not that bright." (Homer Simpson)

Lots of people have raved about this book, including my friend Dena who read it for a class she took in Science Fiction at U of M. Although I'm not usually a sci-fi fan, I figured I'd try it, especially since she was offering to lend it to me and a free English book is not something you turn down easily in Israel.

I tried. Really, I did. I gave it way, way more than the usual 50 pages I force myself to...more

like 6 likes

· see review

Aug 07, 2009

Harmonybites rated it

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: science-fiction, ultimate-reading-list, favorites, fiction, novels

This story involves the planet of Winter, whose inhabitants have no fixed gender. The story is told party through a report by Genly Ai, a human envoy sent to try to convince the planet to join an interstellar federation. He's our eye into one of the most fascinating and unique of alien worlds--an unreliable narrator for much of the book, who makes all the (wrong) assumptions we might. We also get diary entries by a native of the land, Estraven. Interspersed between those narratives are myths and...more

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 22, 2010

Emily O rated it

Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: science-fiction, women-authors, paperbackswap, award-winners

This book is utterly incredible. I love Le Guin's writing style. I swear she could write about paint drying and I would read it. Luckily that didn't happen in this book. The story is set on the planet of Winter, where the inhabitants are mostly asexual, except during certain times of the month when they can take on sexual characteristics of either males or females. This means that there isn't a concept of gender on Winter, which makes it a very interesting place for Ai Genry, a human ambassador ...moreThis book is utterly incredible. I love Le Guin's writing style. I swear she could write about paint drying and I would read it. Luckily that didn't happen in this book. The story is set on the planet of Winter, where the inhabitants are mostly asexual, except during certain times of the month when they can take on sexual characteristics of either males or females. This means that there isn't a concept of gender on Winter, which makes it a very interesting place for Ai Genry, a human ambassador from a sort of interplanetary United Nations, who is trying to convince Winter to join the league. Lots of exciting things happen to him as he learns about the cultures, peoples, politics, and weather of the planet.

The thing I love best about this book is Le Guin's world-building ability. She is a master of building a perfect new world, complete with thousands of years of culture and tradition and political parties, without having to go into almost any kind of explanation that would slow the plot. I'm not really sure how she does it, but she somehow gives you the information you need without ever stopping to explain or give much back story. And you know that she has every little detail thought up in her mind, even though you never learn them. She's like Faulkner with Yoknapatawpha county. It's incredible. Because of that, her descriptions are wonderful. To hear her describe the deadly beauty of Winter, a snow covered planet in the midst of an ice-age, is one of the supreme joys of this book, and I'm not even a person who likes much description in a book. Something about her writing style makes what could be a very dense and boring book completely enjoyable and easy to read, while still maintaining its artistic and emotional impact. And that emotional impact is very strong. The ending of the book moved me very strongly in a way that not many books have.
After reading this book I fully intend on reading the rest of her books set in this universe, known as The Hainish Cycle.

Read more of my reviews at readinwhilefemale.blogspot.com (less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Jan 16, 2009

James rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, science-fiction, nebula-award

This is in large part a novel about a friendship -- one that crosses the barriers of race and stars. It tells the story of an envoy, Genly Ai, who in the process of observing the people of the planet Winter ("Gethen" in the language of its own people) is is drawn into a relationship with this strange world and some of the people in that world. Winter is, as its name indicates, a planet that is always cold, and its citizens are neither female nor male: they have gender identities and ...more

like 1 like

· see review

Mar 17, 2008

Peter rated it

Recommended to Peter by: Prof. Sinowitz

'The Left Hand of Darkness' is an insightful commentary on the impact of gender on the human condition.

In a refreshing twist, this book doesn't have a political goal. It is a journey through the eyes of a human emissary sent to contact an alien species. The setting is the far off future, in a populated alien world perpetually covered in ice. The most remarkable aspect of the alien species is that, for the majority of their lives, each member of the society is genderless. Aside f...more

like 1 like

· see review

Mar 06, 2008

Steve rated it

Recommends it for: people who like to think

Shelves: fiction

This is one of my all-time favorite books. It combines a thought experiment -- what if humans weren't always gendered, and how would that change us? -- and a rollicking good story.

The gist of the background is that at some point in the past, humanity was seeded throughout the galaxy by an ancient race, and it was not until "recently" that the worlds of Man have come together again -- and we are still finding lost brothers and sisters in the void. One of these worlds is Get...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 16, 2009

Jeff rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: science fiction fans

Shelves: science-fiction, top-shelf

This is a subtly great book. I can't put my finger on what i like so much about it, but i think it's akin to what i usually say about great science fiction: It's about what it means To Be human. A quote that i underlined while reading: "On Winter...{one} is respected and judged only as a human being. It is an appalling experience."

And LeGuin is brave enough to bite off more than anyone else ever attempted to chew. Countless authors have attempted to create a believable main...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Sep 20, 2007

Anne rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: science fiction fans, feminists, philosophers

Shelves: fiction, sff

This book, first published in 1969, is a groundbreaking work of social science fiction. Genly Ai, an interstellar diplomat and representative of the Ekumen, comes to the world of Gethen, where the people have been genetically modified into androgynes. They only differentiate into male and female during the monthly cycle of "kemmer", which allows them to engage in sexual intercourse and reproduce. But the differentiation is random: a Gethenian may be female during one cycle and male ...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 07, 2007

Allison rated it

Shelves: sci-fi_fantasy

The premise is that an off-planet representative comes to the planet of Gethen (aka Winter) to see if they will join an interplanetary trading network.

But the real attraction of this books is that the Gethen residents are all neither male or female; it is only when they enter a period of kemmer (kinda like menstruation, I guess), that they will undergo physical changes of either male or female type in order to be sexually attracted to other Gethenians and/or procreate. The off-pla...more

like 1 like

· see review

Dec 20, 2010

Marlo rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

This was the first Le Guin book I read, and I had my doubts for the first few chapters, but as the main character embarks on his journey it picks up and after that, I couldn't put it down. The exploration of gender and climate in relation to culture is completely fascinating. A classic of progressive science fiction.

.........

I read it for the second time in December 2010, savoring the book a lot more, and it's just as excellent, having read much more of her work this time aro...more

like 1 like

· see review

Nov 28, 2008

Mary rated it

Shelves: fiction, women-s-studies

I wish I'd read the Goodreads description before I picked this up. All I knew going into it was that it was a 1970s sci fi feminist classic about aliens with the capacity to switch between male and female. Sounds totally cool.

It's a hard book to get into, though. It's slow, you don't know what the made-up words mean (unit of measurement or distinguished title? also, no glossary), and what the hell is going on with this parade? I don't read a ton of fiction, and I never tackle ...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Sep 10, 2007

Susan rated it

Shelves: sciencefiction

I've finally read a science fiction novel! This is an intriguing story that needs a good bit of digestion and, perhaps, re-reading before I can write an intelligible review.

What I can say right now is that I'm overwhelmed by Ursula LeGuin's immense talent. She created a world that is simultaneously familiar and alien, one that is believable despite its unimaginable distance from Earth.

It's a story that will stay with me for a long time. And to think that I just hap...more

like 1 like

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 820 821 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Alternative W...: Left Hand of Darkness	94	27	Nov 17, 2011 11:24pm
Nerd Book Club: Left Hand of Darkness / Tron-a-thon	2	5	Sep 24, 2011 08:52pm

combine
Other Editions (59)

More editions...

Genres

Science Fiction

812 users

Fantasy

236 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

98 users

Classics

77 users

Gender

64 users

Speculative Fiction

53 users

Novels

36 users

Literature

28 users

Book Club

27 users

Feminism

24 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

Dreamsnake
by Vonda N. McIntyre
Gateway
by Frederik Pohl
The Female Man
by Joanna Russ
China Mountain Zhang
by Maureen F. McHugh
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
by James Tiptree Jr.

About Ursula K. Le Guin

As of 2011, Ursula K. Le Guin has published twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. Forthcoming ...moreAs of 2011, Ursula K. Le Guin has published twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. Forthcoming in 2012, Finding My Elegy, New and Selected Poems. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ούρσουλα Λε Γκεν (Ursula Kroeber Le Guin, Berkeley California, 21 Οκτωβρίου 1929 - ) Πολυγραφότατη, πολυδιάστατη και πολυβραβευμένη Αμερικανίδα ποιήτρια και συγγραφέας του χώρου της «Επιστημονικής Φαντασίας» αλλά και των παιδικών διηγημάτων.

ΠΡΩΤΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ
Γεννήθηκε στο Μπέρκλεϋ της Καλιφόρνιας από τον ανθρωπολόγο Άλφρεντ Κρέμπερ (Alfred L. Kroeber) και την συγγραφέα Θεοδώρα Κρέμπερ (Theodora Covel BrownKracaw Kroeber), σπούδασε στο «Radcliffe College» και εν συνεχεία Φιλολογία (γαλλική και ιταλική αναγεννησιακή λογοτεχνία) στο «Πανεπιστήμιο Columbia». Το 1953 παντρεύτηκε στην Γαλλία τον ιστορικό Σαρλ Λε Γκεν (Charles A. Le Guin), που έγινε καθηγητής Γαλλικής Ιστορίας στο «Portland State College» του Όρεγκον και απέκτησε μαζί του 3 παιδιά.

«ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΙΚΗ» ΚΑΙ «ΜΕΣΑΙΩΝΙΚΗ» ΦΑΝΤΑΣΙΑ
Από τα μέσα της δεκαετίας του 1960 συνέγραψε περισσότερα από 100 διηγήματα (που εκδόθηκαν σε 8 τόμους), 3 συλλογές δοκιμίων, 5 ποιητικές συλλογές, 19 νουβέλες και 13 παιδικά βιβλία, αλλά είναι περισσότερο αναγνωρισμένη για τα έργα της στον τομέα της «Επιστημονικής» και «Μεσαιωνικής» Φαντασίας, όπου συγκαταλέγεται ανάμεσα στους σημαντικότερους σύγχρονους δημιουργούς (πιο γνωστά στην Ελλάδα είναι τα βιβλία της «Ο Αναρχικός των Δύο Κόσμων», Αθήνα, 1992 και «Το Αριστερό Χέρι του Σκοταδιού», Αθήνα, 1990, 1994). Το 1990 αιφνιδίασε το αναγνωστικό κοινό της όταν πρόσθεσε δίχως προειδοποίηση στην έως τότε τριλογία του «μαγικού» «κύκλου της Γαιοθάλασσας» («A Wizard of Earthsea», «The Tombs of Atuan» και «The FarthestShore», 1968 - 1972) το σκληρό «Τεχανού», για το οποίο έλαβε το Βραβείο Nebula.(less)

More about Ursula K. Le Guin...

Books by Ursula K. Le Guin

A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About The Left Hand of ...

10 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Left Hand of Darkness

“Light is the left hand of darkness
and darkness the right hand of light.
Two are one, life and death, lying
together like lovers in kemmer,
like hands joined together,
like the end and the way.” — 52 people liked it

“Truth is a matter of the imagination.” — 49 people liked it

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved The Left Hand of ...

Paranormal Romance & Urba...

11064 members

last activity 29 minutes ago

shelf: read

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club

6064 members

last activity 3 minutes ago

shelf: read

Building a SciFi/Fantasy ...

2362 members

last activity 12 hours, 36 min ago

shelf: read

title link	preview: The Left Hand of Darkness
avg rating	preview: The Left Hand of Darkness Goodreads rating: 3.94 (15347 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18423.The_Left_Hand_of_Darkness?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309282484m/18423.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18423.The_Left_Hand_of_Darkness?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin[/url]

The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website