From the Bookshelf of The Sword and Laser…

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Start date: July 1, 2017

Finish date: July 31, 2017

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Aug 30, 2015 Silvana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z-sl-laser-challenge-2019, stand-alones, reading-with-friends, z-sff-2019-reading-challenge, space-the-final-frontier, sci-fi, female-nonbinary-authors, kindle-google, mine-mine-mine, z-sff-2019-female-challenge

In her introduction to this book, Ursula Le Guin said science fiction is a thought-experiment. It is descriptive, not predictive. It's supposed to be peculiar, devious, it is basically an elaborately circumstantial lies.

I guess I enjoy being lied to :) It takes four years for me to appreciate this novel, at last. Now I believe it is not just character growth is an important factor for me to enjoy a book, but also my own growth as a reader. Four years ago, I was too impatient and/or even ignorant ...more

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Jul 29, 2017 Jen rated it did not like it

Ok. So not a bad book. It is 1 star in that I did not enjoy it. I was not interested in the characters or the world or the politics. Almost nothing happened for the entire first half, so, to me, it was boring.

This doesn't mean it's not a good book or deserving of the awards it has won. It just wasn't for me. ...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Sara rated it it was amazing

There are many things to love about this book, but what to me is most incredible is the depth at which Le Guin has integrated shifted gender into the social and emotional reality of the world and its inhabitants. The Handdarata in particular are fascinating; the inclusion of religion and mythology both in the narrative arc and as amendments to it (almost a poetic device) brings a resonance to the story that I anticipate will grow on rereading.

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Sep 18, 2022 Becky rated it liked it

I was not expecting this book to shift genre so much. At times a story of political machinations, at others mysticism with a patch of bleak oppression and a long stretch of man versus the elements adventure, the book was interesting and well-written throughout, though not super compelling to me or personally resonant.

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