Rating: 
Summary: More than a sci-fi classic
Review: This is a splendid novel that transcends the sci-fi genre. Le Guin takes you into a different world -- in which, among other others things, sexual identity is far from stable -- and almost imperceptibly has you thinking about gender differences and the role of sex (and the "Other") in our lives and culture. At the same time, the story and characters are fully involving, with the book's themes enriching rather than dulling the reader's experience. The book well deserves the acclaim it has received.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant novel
Review: Anybody who gave this book less than five stars should be ashamed to show his face in public. With its beautifully controlled prose, irresistible narrative, complex and believable characters, and extraordinarily ambitious themes, "The Left Hand of Darkness" is by a large margin the best book ever to win either the Hugo or the Nebula, much less both. It's more than just a great science fiction novel, it's one of the finest novels of the twentieth century.
Rating:
Summary: Science Fiction at its Absoulte Best
Review: Never mind this novel's copywrite date... although science has advance since the writing of this novel, the art of science fiction has not. Le Guin is the undeniable master, and this is the only science fiction novel I can honestly say I've reccomended to everyone I know. This is was literature should be - about people, regardless of race or planetary orientation.Definitely one of the best novels I have ever read, in any genre.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: A voracious reader of s&sf, particularly enjoying fun and extremely well-written, stories with reference to mythology, wonderful female characters, and alternative social structures, this book is the book I will always refer to as the SF classic. I just re-read it, and wanted to make sure that I'm ALWAYS notified of anything remotely similar in print - so here is my review. I realize that the most interesting thing about this book, when I read it first back in the 70's, was that it was the first real discussion of gender roles. I'm amused to read some of the reviews of this book - I think that perhaps some younger readers my not understand how pivotal was Left Hand of Darkness. Virtually a banned book for years in my midwestern hometown, it was a simple first and second word on gender, sexuality, and difference. Elegantly simple. The haunting tone of the book survived its plot, in my mind, and though on re-reading it, it does not have the contextual detail I enjoy in the wealth of the post-1990 "genre" (is this still a genre?), I still find it haunting. The anatomy of a relationship, the uneven odd emotions provoked by difference in biology and culture including mild paranoia, the realistic political confusion, the tragedy - this is a complex novel, and ranks as literature. Nothing is oversimplified. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: A LESSON OF GEOGRAPHY
Review: Well, after having read here the reviews written about Ursula Le Guin's 1969 THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS, I was a little puzzled. " Hate it " or " Worship it " were the only alternatives ! I must confess that this book didn't create in me such passionate feelings. This novel, in my opinion, is an above average science-fiction book but doesn't deserve so much praise nor so much hate. Descriptions of the arctic deserts of Gethen and of the different cities of the planet are well written and made me believe in this strange world. If one excepts the special sexual status of its inhabitants and its urban architecture, Gethen is not so strange for the common Earthly reader. That is the reason why we care a lot about the love-friendship story of the two main characters which is the principal plot of the novel. But THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS is way too short in pages and in analysis to be considered as a masterpiece. A book to read. Once.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth reading over and over
Review: This is one of those rare novels that I read over again every few years - and always find some new and interesting aspect overlooked before. Like any truly good SF story, is not an exercise in conjectures about man's future but rather a metaphor for mankind's present, a point she makes with much more skill and clarity in her own introduction to this book. Thus the novel's planet Gethen, with an incredibly cold, inclement climate and inhabited by people who are hermaphroditic, is nothing more than a metaphorical situation that prompts readers to think about human life on our own planet. Indeed, one of Le Guin's sharpest criticisms of our own society can be found in the musings of a non-Gethenian on the nature of interpersonal relations among the people she enconters on this rather bizarre planet: "One is respected and judged only as a human being. It is an appalling experience..." Through the voices of her characters, Le Guin makes many similarly thought-provoking points about aspects of human societies - she highlights the more disturbing or contradictory aspects of, among other things, religion, sexual relations, governmental structures and political philosophies. For the latter point, her observations on patriotism (that oft-used euphemism for nationalism) are extremely pertinent: it is succinctly and quite correctly described as fear of the other rather than love of one's country (its irrational nature is best summed up in the question asked by one character: "What is love of one's country; is it hate of one's uncountry?"). "Left Hand" is, of course, a novel, not a socio-political treatise, so all of these rather weighty topics are well-integrated into a very engrossing and beautifully written story.
Rating:
Summary: An enduring classic you can read again and again
Review: Le Guin is a master of writing; her chosen genre is science fiction, but more with the focus of exploring man's relationship to each other than to explore future possibilities. Nevertheless, Le Guin can create new worlds and new cultures that are unsurpassed by any other science fiction author. The Left Hand of Darkness is set on Gethen, or Winter, a planet that has arctic conditions most of the year. An envoy, Ai, from the Ekumen of Worlds is sent to explore whether Gethen would join the Ekumen and engage in intellectual exchange of ideas and technology. Gethen is also unique in that the people are unisexual, changing to female or male form on a monthly cycle called kemmer. How Le Guin handles a unisex race is one of the amazing parts of the book. Ai sets out to live on Gethen, first in the country of Karhide. He attempts to convince the (somewhat mad) king of the value of joining the Ekumen, helped by a counselor of the King, Estraven. But Estraven is undermined by another court counselor and is banished, and Ai is in terrible danger and doesn't realize it. As Ai explores the rest of Gethen and its varied societies, he is helped again and again by Estraven, whom he at first mistrusts. Their heroic trek across the Ice of Gethen reads like the best arctic explorers adventure from Earth. This is an exciting book, though the beginning is slow, as Ai begins to understand the strange society of Karhide and Gethen. As the adventure unfolds, you will not be able to put the book down. This is a classic that should be read by anyone who loves science fiction, and is a book that can be re-read many times with great enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: A great book.
Review: This is one of the first books I have ever enjoyed that had a culture which is effected by the fact that the people change gender, making for some interesting characters and character interaction. Add a very harsh planet and a first contact with another race(us)and you have a great book. Not an action book, but a thinker's book.
Rating:
Summary: I want to go there!
Review: I have read hundreds of science fiction books, but out of all of them there are only three fictional planets described in such delicious detail that I find myself wanting to go there. One is Dune, a second is Majipoor, and the third is Winter. Winter is a strange place-- the natives are genderless most of the time. Now and then each one becomes either male or female for a while, then reverts to neuter. A 'normal' human, male or female *all* the time, is both obscene and fascinating. I don't think it's giving away too much to say that the primary plot line revolves around this question: What happens if you fall in love with your enemy? That's a vast oversimplification, but it captures the mystery. The emotions are subtle but raw. The detail is breathtaking. The ending is heartbreaking. The underlying philosophy, as always with LeGuin, is the heart of the story. It's an unforgettable book, and one of my 'top six science fiction works of all time' picks.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic journey
Review: Ursula Le Guin's classic novel exploring the boundaries of gender centers on an Earthling visiting as an ambassador a planet where the inhabits are genderless, except for once a month during 'kemmering' where each individual becomes either female or male, without her/his own choice. In league with Marge Piercy's "Woman on the Edge of Time", Monique Wittig's "Les Guerilleres", and Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale", Le Guin's book cloaks an intelligent analysis of gender and sexual roles in a beguiling story set on another world, which is reminiscent of aspects of our own. Not only is the book captivating, but it's highly thought-provoking, which can't always be said for much science fiction.
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