The Left Hand of Darkness in Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library

Nov 11, 2015 hh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sff, 2015

a quietly brilliant novel.

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Sep 14, 2007 Carl rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasysci-fi

Been a while since I read this, but enjoyed it very much. I know a lot of readers who come from more conservative backgrounds are pretty put off by the gender bending biology at the heart of the story, but it's well done and original. I really need to read more of her Hainish novels. I'm not always as blown away by LeGuin's work as I'd like, but I always get something well done and original and I always feel like I can relax because she knows what she is doing. ...more

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Oct 21, 2007 Sarah Sammis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: pc, released, read-in-2005, scifi

I enjoyed Left Hand of Darkness, especially the first two thirds where Le Guin spends her time on the legends, history, culture and biology of the world. Once all these pieces are in place the book peters out with a long chase through the ice and a rather cliched tragic death scene. Were it not the for the last eighty pages, I would have rated this book ten stars.

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Feb 03, 2010 Peter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sciencefiction, favorites

Conceptually this book is five stars. I found the cultural differences because of the lack of a male/female dichotomy so interesting, particularly the lack of "macho-ness" although not competitiveness or passion. The culture of Karhide was especially fascinating and the concept of 'Nusuth' (it doesn't matter) was an almost existential idea, but with a more spiritual almost zen application.

The story was good as well, but did get occasionally bogged down in concepts and forgot about the trajector ...more

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