Rating: 
Summary: Lowers the temperature but raises the game
Review: Whoever called this book "tedious and dull" (see below) not only has an apparent fondness for tautology, but simply has no taste! The atmosphere in this book is compelling - I felt the cold of Gethen so much, I shivered several times. The politics is intriguing and the characters very believable. I lent it to my girlfriend, who doesn't usually read science fiction, and she loved it as much as I did. Now I'm off for some hot beer by the fire...
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Summary: another great one from a great woman
Review: LeGuin is obviously delving into anthropoligical territory in this book, creating a facinating society of people.
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Summary: Ursula LeGuin is not really a sci-fi writer!
Review: If you pick up a LeGuin book expecting weird aliens and space battles, you'll be disappointed. She doesn't write sci-fi, what she does is to say to herself, "what if the world was THIS way?" and then explore that idea. Since her novels don't fit in any other genre, people put them in the sci-fi or fantasy slot. But that misses the point."The Left Hand of Darkness" is LeGuin saying "what if people were hermaphrodites? What would be the same and what would be different about society?" (Just as "The Disposessed" is her saying "What if people had no concept of ownership?") LeGuin also has a fascination with Arctic and Antarctic exploration, so she makes her world a cold one and has her protagonists escape death by sledding for months across glaciers. This is definitely not a book for people who want to be entertained without having to think, or people who have no interest in the dynamics of human interaction. I have read everything she has written, but this one remains my favorite. LeGuin is one of the best writers in America. There is never a point in any of her books where you say "wait a minute, why did he do that?" Her characters are always fully brought to life and consistent. Her use of descriptive language borders on poetry. I saw and felt everything the characters experienced, and it made me think about my own assumptions about being male or being female.
Rating: 
Summary: A thought provoking novel that questions our humanism
Review: I read this book for an advanced Comp. course at school, and had plenty of material for the required paper. Le Guin raises questions of the sub-concious values human society bases on gender. This novel allows us to imagine how a society would function without gender roles.
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious and Dull
Review: I am a big science fiction fan, but I am forced to review Left Hand of Darkness in a negative light. I just can't see why this book received the great reviews it did; it was such a bore. I expected the 2 Gethen factions to go to war, at least that would have made this novel interesting. I like action in my science fiction; this book was worse than 2061 in terms of action and pace. The most annoying aspect about this novel was the tedious trek by the 2 protagonists to Karhide. That journey used at least 1/3 of the novel space! I thought I was getting my incisors ripped out when I was reading it. The only group of people I would recogmend this book to would be anthropologists due to the cultural emphasis Le Guin puts on the Gethenians.
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Summary: Incredibly detailed society in another galaxy! Great book!
Review: Even if science fiction is not your cup of tea, Left Hand of Darkness is an amazing work! As a human travels to another part of the galaxy on an ambassador mission, he encounters an androgenous society. Description and detail are so fantastic one is transcended to this other world. The novel depicts the relationship between the human being and his very foreign comrad who learn to overlook all differences forming a heart touching bond. This is a fantastic read!
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Summary: I've never been more impressed by a book.
Review: Picture LeGuin, a woman, writing in the character of a male human, trying to explain to an alien androgynous person what women are like! Yet, LeGuin portrays male characters as well or better than George Eliot is reputed to have done (in Middlemarch, for example). From the story's Creation myth to its tragic ending, I am still held breathless by the depth of LeGuin's characterization and the scope of her vision. For my money, she doesn't put out enough material.
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Summary: The best SF book I've read in ages
Review: I first read it back in high school, and I really didn't appreciate it then... I read it again recently and I was amazed at how socially relevant it is today, even though it was written over 25 years ago. Ursula Le Guin is an amazing author.
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Summary: Characters that become your friends and enemies.
Review: As Leguin wrote that Genly Ai, the protagonist, sat down at her desk, so too will he sit next to you as you read The Left Hand of Darkness. Ai and his companion become so real as they embark on a torturous journey to free themselves and their souls against all odds. A first-rate political and sociological drama that makes the reader ponder their existence on this world by submerging them in life on another. A must read for the journeying soul.
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Summary: Beautiful and inspiring!
Review: This is probably the most beautiful book I ever read. We talked about this in a university class, but I've read more by LeGuin since then. Her unique viewpoints (report/myths/diary entries) add to a well thought-up and convincing story about life, friendship, society and sexuality. Don't expect gun-totin' space battles though, this book is not at all about that. It's about humanity, not about technology.
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