Reviews

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

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p_t_b's review against another edition

5.0

tempted to assign the rare 4.76 rating except once again for the infinity-th consecutive time the five-star rating thing makes that not an option. Well anyway this book is amazing and rich and creates an entire planet with such a beautiful economy of thought and gesture. My big complaint is not very big and it is merely that the flights of Genly and Estraven are accurately boring in the way that being an actual refugee/fugitive/prisoner probably is. This is the best novel written about the Cold War as far as I concerned even if that was not the intent of the author. Précis: a dude from an enlightened confederacy of planets visits a not backward but slightly plodding planet more concerned with its own international rivalries than the higher good. Also the humanoids who live on this planet, alternately called Winter/Earth, are intersex. The envoy Genly is a cis dude. He tries and fails to parse the cynical politics of the two main nations and ponders at what price his mission may be completed. A slowly unfolding trust between Genly and a single Gethenian is basically the whole of the book. It's not that narrow as a story, although it does have some slightly slow bits. Fully rad smart sci fi for anyone who liked BSG redux before it got stupid or high church ST. Please point me to the other sci fi novels that compare to this in depth and literary poise.

alyssanicolette's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

jsdana's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

thisisacat's review against another edition

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4.0

Narrative:

The first half of this book can feel plodding at times. I have a relatively high tolerance for stories that take their time but it felt like I was getting lost in the world building at the cost of the story. I persevered as I had previously heard that the second half is more focused and improves it's pacing; this is true but it runs out of plot before it's able to reach full speed. Certainly not the most engaging read but the sense of place and atmosphere is truly immersive. 3/5.

Themes:

I think this book has aged somewhat poorly but for all the right reasons. What was once a biting commentary on the societal role of gender has morphed into a gummy retcon of Genly into a strangely conservative protagonist. Should Ursula have foreseen that the assumptions she made about her readers' societal views on sex and gender would come to be seen as backwards and regressive? Maybe, but I have to keep pinching myself that this was written in 1969 and still carries a progressive punch into the 2020's. Does it deserve a pass just because it was written over 50 years ago? Actually, yes; not simply due to it's laurels but as a cross section into how progressive ideas evolve and change over time. I'd wager that not many novels from this year will be able to carry such weighty themes into the 2070's. 5/5.

zfeig's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Still a big fan of the Hannish Cycle. Though I have to ask - does every book need to be set on a planet with different year length, day length, and lunar cycle? If it does totally understand, but do we have to spend a whole chapter describing it and then make the confusing calendar a major plot point? In every book?

Anyhow, confusing calendar aside, this is a great political thriller. The constraint that the Hannish civilization only engages peacefully even if this means their envoys just get killed over and over is a fun little twist.