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The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Why we're reading this: Hugo Award Winner 1970
Nebula Award Winner 1969
#45 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) ht …more
[close] Hugo Award Winner 1970
Nebula Award Winner 1969
#45 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...
#5 on Locus Magazines Best SciFi novels of the 20th century http://www.locusmag.com/2012/AllCentu...

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Jun 06, 2014 Jim rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1audio, 2fiction, 3series, scifi

I've tried to read this several times over the years. While I loved her Earth Sea trilogy, The Lathe of Heaven & several other books including 2 earlier ones in this series, I could never get into this one, so I decided to listen to it. Never loved it, barely got through it, still I gave it 3 stars because it finally gets around to making a decent story. Really it's more of a 2.5 star read, though.

I think this is the correct edition, although I downloaded it from the library, it sounds like it w I've tried to read this several times over the years. While I loved her Earth Sea trilogy, The Lathe of Heaven & several other books including 2 earlier ones in this series, I could never get into this one, so I decided to listen to it. Never loved it, barely got through it, still I gave it 3 stars because it finally gets around to making a decent story. Really it's more of a 2.5 star read, though.

I think this is the correct edition, although I downloaded it from the library, it sounds like it was copied off old tapes. The reader doesn't do much for me. She has a fairly high voice which can be a bit grating & the quality of the recording wanders. It's not horrible, but certainly doesn't add anything to the story.

I most often hear this book held out as one of the cornerstones of SF due to the sexual ambiguity of the civilization, but this point is lost among all the other factors LeGuin has tossed in. Too much is different about their world. It was a let down because of all the talk about how great it is. It's a pretty good SF novel, but more for all the different ideas, not because it made any of them particularly well save for those about true patriotism & love that transcends sex, even species. Both of these have been done well elsewhere in stories I liked reading better.

The whole "humanity seeded by an elder race" bit wasn't handled as well as I would have liked. No other genetic modifications are mentioned for the other 83 worlds & yet she hints that the old race wasn't above it, but not why. That's probably because I'm reading this as a stand alone novel, but it is 4th in a series & it's been decades since I read any of the others. Not sure I ever read the first, but do recall liking the 2d & 3d. Unfortunately, the details are lost to me.

-- Warning, possible spoilers below --

She does mention Winter's folks figured out evolution even though they obviously didn't evolve there. Not sure I buy that one. Given the trouble so many people have with it today, it makes them far too astute, but they also figured out the universe is expanding without much astronomical ability.

The lack of herd animals, birds, or any flying insects is a huge difference. First, this has caused them not to attempt any sort of flight, not even balloons or rockets, which didn't sit all that well given their level of tech, especially when compared to them picking up on evolution. But this lack also makes a huge impact on their civilization since herding is one of the oldest skills that ours was built on. Meat is a far more efficient way to get calories than plants & herding takes far less energy than hunting. It's one of the early reasons tribes raided each other & fought over grazing lands. She doesn't mention this, but it's a good, if subtle, point.

Their population is quite low. Part of this is explained by the harsh conditions of the world, but not fully. Their tech is high in both medicine & mechanics. While people seem to father up to a half dozen kids, they seem to only have one or two of their own, at least from the examples we're given. So this makes sense & helps explain the static nature of their civilization, since it removes population pressure from the reasons to war.

The lack of war & this new tension leading to one doesn't make a great deal of sense to me. They have developed a council-ruled, totalitarian government in one place & a despotic monarchy bordering it. Both are similar to ours, yet they've never had a war developing them? I don't buy it, even though they are fairly well separated by natural obstacles.

The psi powers are interesting, but haven't added anything to the story, IMO. More of a distraction.

The much lauded ansible, at least in this book, is nothing more than a typewriter paired with another through a magical spell of simultaneity. It's reminiscent of Doc Smith's tech mixed with Voodoo. Again, perhaps this is due to where I'm coming into the series & high expectations. Of course, the heater/stove/light was pretty darn magical too, especially given their use of fireplaces. I didn't understand them in the cities at all.

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Apr 18, 2012 Patrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, hard-sci-fi, philosophy

Fantastic little book about the nature of gender, and the differences it might make in a society of androgynous people.

I have to say that the journey the main character goes through, as he comes to grips with how his gender has shaped his identity, and the general loss of that aspect has shook his foundation of how he views himself was one of the best images I've found in science fiction. I much prefer these character driven pieces as opposed to the GIANT SPACESHIP WITH THE-OH CRAP REVERSE POLAR ...more

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