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Summary: One of the great classics of social science fiction.
Review: Gender-bending is a frequent ingredient in speculative fiction, and The Left Hand of Darkness is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of this theme. It alters the distinctions between feminine and masculine, of course, but also illuminates all human relationships and interactions. Venus Plus X, by Theodore Sturgeon, deals with the same issues but in a more science-fictional, less lyrical way
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Summary: A "must have" for anyone's SF book collection
Review: The wonder of this story is how well it has remained current, up against the sexual upheavals since its publication. For a story almost as old as I am (and I remember Univacs), it never loses its ability to make one ponder, question and rethink everything related to the roles placed upon us by our gender. More than an exploration of "who's the female this time," this work truly defines the words "speculative fiction" - the words are familiar, the concepts are not - and that is where the fun begins. It's not about heterosexuality vs. homosexuality, but the roles intrinsic to gender and how they shape us as people. It'll make you think twice about buying those blue striped sheets when you find out that baby somebody is expecting is a boy. Or the itchy, frilly dress if it's a girl
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Summary: well developed, billiant,classic, but a little weak in end
Review: i liked the boo
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Summary: One of my favorite novels by one of my favorite authors.
Review: Human encounter with an extremely human like race of aliens, except that they are hermaphroditic
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Summary: Essential For Any SF Bookshelf
Review: Ursula Le Guin has established herself as one of the most beloved genre writers for a reason: She has penned a veritable library of classic SF works considered by many to be among the genre's best. Finding a dud in her catalog is difficult indeed.Of the handful of works hailed as her greatest, "The Left Hand Of Darkness," "The Dispossessed" and the Earthsea books are among the best known and most respected. In "The Left Hand Of Darkness," we follow an envoy from a federation of worlds who has come to a planet steeped in an eternal winter with a task: To bring the planet and its people into the federation. It is a tale of culture clashes, of seeing through the eyes of others, and of adapting to those different than yourself. Most frequently cited as central to the book's theme are the overt gender differences on the planet (all people are of no gender, or both, and reproduce freely among one another). "The Left Hand Of Darkness" has less to do with its alleged subject matter (non-gender sexuality) than is often suggested, though when it does get into the subject, delves into it with grace and subtlety. The reader never feels beaten over the head. Yet the meeting and understanding of cultures has less to do with the sexuality involved than with simply UNDERSTANDING and accepting. While this is considered a genre work, the book has very little in the way of alien technology; do not expect "hard" SF. Yes, it takes place on another planet. Yes, other worlds are mentioned. Yes, most of the characters are essentially "aliens." But the story does not rely on technology. This could have been a story of culture clash set right here on Earth and it would have been just as effective. At its core this is a wonderful story exploring the idea of how people relate to one another on an intimate level. And there's some intriguing political stuff going on behind the scenes, too. LeGuin deserves every bit of praise she gets. A true master and one of the best genre writers of the last 40 years, her works transcend fantasy and science fiction like few others.
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Summary: One of the most extraordinary books every written?
Review: I first read this book over 30 years ago, and 2 worn out copies later, have lost count of the number of times I've re-read it. It is an extraordinary book, which for me, raised a whole number of questions about how our society was formed, how it works and how it fails to work. As a femail scifi reader this was one of the first books I read that called me to question. So many stories were 'hard core', being about technology and the impact it was likely to have. Nothing wrong with that, but this is so much more. For me, one of the key moments in the story is when I realised that Genli was a man. I guess being female, and identifying with the character, it simply hadn't occured to me that he was a him! This made the story spring into relief - an impact that was barely less striking for the second and subsequent readings. It takes a scifi book to tackle a subject of gender impact from such a novel angle, and causes the kinds of questions other more books more obviously about this cannot raise. It cleverly puts the reader into a position of observer of the difficulties of dealing with gender issue that are quite different from those we experience, and thus causes similar questions to be raised about our own gender issues. And contrary to many other critics - I do think it is a good read as well! This is a book that should be on the reading list of every school.
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Summary: A novel I am drawn to over and over again
Review: This is a fantastic piece of science fiction. Ursula LeGuin imagines a whole new future civilization and new cultures that interact in realistic ways. This is the book that first opened my eyes to the deep ways that gender roles and gender relationships shape culture.
This is a must-read for any serious lover of science fiction as well as for any student of anthropology. Truly astounding
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Summary: A great and thoughtful read
Review: Just wonderful, but what else can one expect from Ursula Leguin. Like the best in speculative fiction, she creates a fantasy world, in this place the planet of Winter, and takes you there as if it was real. But more than that, she creates wonderfully believable and likeable characters. A true pro, I heartily recommend this book to spec fiction and literary readers alike.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: This is a very good sci-fi book that explores some anthropology based speculations. Ursula K Le Guin is a top notch sci-fi/fantasy author, and I think that this is an exemplary novel. You should definately pick it up and check it out.
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Summary: Still the best of all topsy-turvy worlds!
Review: It's still the best of its genre! If you love science fiction, if you've read lots and lots since this one, go back and read it again. You won't believe how truly deep it is, even if you always thought it a masterpiece. I say truly deep, because it was written seemingly without effort, produced by a naturally, delightfully creative spirit. The book is never naive, and yet it's twists and turns are empowered always by that kind of wisdom that only children have, those bold insights that turn eveything upside-down, yet somehow make perfect sense!
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