Ace Books
The Left Hand of Darkness
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50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION--WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY DAVID MITCHELL AND A NEW AFTERWORD BY CHARLIE JANE ANDERS
Ursula K. Le Guin's groundbreaking work of science fiction--winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants' gender is fluid. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the strange, intriguing culture he encounters...
Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780441478125
EAN:
0441478123
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Pages:
368
Authors:
Ursula K Le Guin
Foreword by:
David Mitchell
Publisher:
Ace Books
Published Date: 1987-15-03
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excellent , most excellent
Great book IF you have the ability to understand the terminology of this planet - by having a handy computer nearby to look up each word. It did get better as I proceeded thru the book, guessing about much of the terminology.
I don't think I can say anything that isn't already said, but for my own notes: I haven't felt this much that I've wished to meet an author before. Le Guin's ideas are so well described and planned, her worlds are so full and rich. I feel this is speculative fiction at its finest. I do have a boat for gender-bending ideas, though.Note: a great review (with minor spoilers) is at the end of the version I read.For teaching purposes: nothing in this book I feel would be particularly upsetting, no sex, though a description of cultural practices given the gender/sexual differences in the "alien" race. Not even any profanity, really. There are themes of patriotism (and perhaps the dangers in it). There is abuse, but of the kind a political prisoner might have.Students should be advanced enough in vocabulary and perhaps even other cultures to find this book worth their time. 11th-12th grade, perhaps an advanced 10th grader. I've known a couple 9th graders who might enjoy it.
What I wouldn’t give for this to be required reading for my AP Lit class senior year of high school. I mostly listened to this on Audible, and I’ll be the first to admit that it was not the right way to read this. This book should be given your full attention, and should probably be annotated, reviewed, and analyzed by chapter in order to get the best from it.That said, Le Guin accomplishes what every science fiction author strives for in their writing; take one or two things that any human can understand, and either take them away or dial them to 1,000. This world of Winter does just that, and poignantly addresses so many relatable issues surrounding gender, identity, and relationships.Not necessarily a fun read, but an important one that will keep me pondering for the foreseeable future. Would recommend to any sci fi fans who want to stretch their analytical muscles a bit more than usual, but not to someone who wants to leisurely enjoy a story.
A magnificent book that adroitly handles extraordinarily difficult issues of human sexuality, an extremely hard glacial environment, and the strange cultural impact of a race of human hermaphrodites.This race of humans have been separated from other human worlds by uncounted years.This is the second time I’ve read it. It has only gotten better with decades.Highly recommended.
