The left hand of darkness

256 pages

English language

Published July 3, 1992 by Orbit.

ISBN:
978-1-85723-074-1
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (7 reviews)

[Comment by Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Guardian's website][1]: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (1969)

One of my favorite novels is The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K Le Guin. For more than 40 years I've been recommending this book to people who want to try science fiction for the first time, and it still serves very well for that. One of the things I like about it is how clearly it demonstrates that science fiction can have not only the usual virtues and pleasures of the novel, but also the startling and transformative power of the thought experiment.

In this case, the thought experiment is quickly revealed: "The king was pregnant," the book tells us early on, and after that we learn more and more about this planet named Winter, stuck in an ice age, where the humans are most of the time …

25 editions

Sòlida ciència ficció que no deixa fred (badumtss)

No rating

El títol és una conya perquè la novel·la transcorre en el planeta Hivern, que té temperatures significativament més baixes que les de la Terra.

I Le Guin posa força llenya a l'estufa (prometo parar!): no només hi ha la construcció de com seria la vida en un món així de fred amb una biosfera particular, i on la humanitat va arribar fa milers d'anys des de l'espai en condicions gens clares. El nivell tecnològic seria com és ara l’actual, adaptat al planeta.

Un altre gran tema és que lis habitants d’aquest planeta passen la major part del temps en un estat andrògin, des del que poden manifestar qualsevol dels dos sexes biològics quan entren en zel. Al principi em preocupava trobar-me amb essencialismes de gènere, però en tot cas són el punt de vista incomplert d’un dels protagonistes, que anirà canviant. I com afecta la particularitat biològica de la població …

reviewed The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle)

Not Sure About this One

4 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think it was the best of the three Hainish novels I've read so far, and I can appreciate the fact that the theme of a gender-changing alien race was somewhat revolutionary at the time.

However, I have to admit that I had to push through this book. I've read another review that likened it to homework, and that sums it up quite well for me, too. Maybe my expectations were too high and I have read it at the wrong point in time, just like in school when you have to read something that you cannot appreciate at the moment, but strikes you as profound at a different time.

So yeah, this novel leaves me a bit stumped about what to say. I liked it well enough to not stop reading, but have to admit that it could have been half as …

avatar for cincodenada

rated it

4 stars
avatar for PAgent

rated it

3 stars
avatar for mouse@bookwyrm.social

rated it

5 stars