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A review by kahell
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
5.0
As with all books I consider a "favorite" I find it hard to articulate what exactly I like about The Left Hand of Darkness. It could be I'm just being sentimental because this was the book that started my fascination with Le Guin, my introduction to the idea of extraterrestrial anthropology, or what scifi could be without the lightsabers or phasers that has always alienated me for some reason.
Or it could be the tragic romance in being a space emissary, volunteering to exile yourself from your home planet for a chance to increase interconnectedness among peoples. Quoting Estraven, "If there were such a thing as a good government on earth, it would be a great joy to serve it." I think about that a lot. The idealist in me sees herself doing the same, if she lived in an ideal world. Oh, to serve a cause you whole-heartedly believe in, it's a great feeling actually.
Perhaps it's the theme of experiencing belongingness in exile, finding your people, not in the sense of race or species, but people who can understand you, who you understand, who share your goals, your desires, your thoughts, mindspeech optional.
There's so many other things, but I'll leave this review at that and let the book speak for itself.
Or it could be the tragic romance in being a space emissary, volunteering to exile yourself from your home planet for a chance to increase interconnectedness among peoples. Quoting Estraven, "If there were such a thing as a good government on earth, it would be a great joy to serve it." I think about that a lot. The idealist in me sees herself doing the same, if she lived in an ideal world. Oh, to serve a cause you whole-heartedly believe in, it's a great feeling actually.
Perhaps it's the theme of experiencing belongingness in exile, finding your people, not in the sense of race or species, but people who can understand you, who you understand, who share your goals, your desires, your thoughts, mindspeech optional.
There's so many other things, but I'll leave this review at that and let the book speak for itself.