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sadetanssija's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Confinement
loki's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The way this book explores gender means so much to me. While I knew the premise of the book, I didn't expect it to be quite as revolutionary as it is, especially given when it was written. The two perspectives of Gently Ai and Estraven work beautifully to illustrate both the strangeness of the androgyny of the inhabitants of Gethen, and the strangeness of our own gender norms. The dual perspective allows us to see how each system of gender is working, and how crucial those systems are in understanding each other. It is painful to watch the two main characters so deeply misunderstand each other to begin with, and then to find mutual understanding as the story goes on. I was surprised that the book managed to convince me not to hate Gently Ai, as I did after just the first chapter. In a wider context, this is the first of Le Guin's books that I have read so far that so beautifully marries social commentary and an incredible story.
As a final note that i will not specify as a positive or a negative, this is essentially omegaverse before omegaverse even existed.
As a final note that i will not specify as a positive or a negative, this is essentially omegaverse before omegaverse even existed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Colonisation, and Grief
frogsreadfantasy's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was pretty bored for the former half, the latter was more engaging. I had trouble connecting with the main characters, so all of the interactions started to feel very wooden. For how much praise this book gets for exploring gender/sex before it was a mainstream political conversation, it has very little influence on the events of the story. I wish there was less politicking and more of the gender discussion. The most interesting parts were when Estraven and Ai encountered conflict over their cultural differences. I just felt like there was a lot of untapped potential.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation and Incest
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