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marliekeweijs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
avrel's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
3.0
This was a labor to read. While I am glad I read it, I do not recommend reading it. Hearing about the book is so much more interesting than reading the book itself. When I describe the world I think "Wow, I want to read that book!" but unfortunately this the book does not even try to fulfill the promise of the premise.
Le Guin's writing didn't pull me into the culture or the atmosphere like so many reviews said, instead I finally got pulled in around chapter 13 (of 22) by the action. The feminist credit given to this book requires careful examination to find, and if I hadn't had a book club to discuss the book with I would have likely missed.
Le Guin's writing didn't pull me into the culture or the atmosphere like so many reviews said, instead I finally got pulled in around chapter 13 (of 22) by the action. The feminist credit given to this book requires careful examination to find, and if I hadn't had a book club to discuss the book with I would have likely missed.
Spoiler
In addition to all above, the main character/narrator is incompetent at his job and so obtuse it was difficult for me to read about him. I was told he was supposed to represent a misogynistic every-day man, but I just don't prefer to read about them.dyno8426's review against another edition
5.0
According to Ursula K. Le Guin in this book, light is the left hand of darkness - the illumination of knowledge lies at the threshold of the uncertainty of our ignorance. Among the tropes of a hermaphroditic evolved species of mankind, the warring nations on an alien planet, and the mutual distrust which an Earthling envoy's arrival on this hostile planet evokes, lies an inherent symbol of the fear of unknown existing in humanity which the author weaves into an spectacular sci-fi story.
The protagonist of this story is the Earthling envoy, representing a peaceful messenger, inviting a distant planet to join an existing union of all the intelligent species-inhabiting planets across the galaxies. We all are aware of the side-effects of human curiosity which pulp sci-fis and conspiracy theories have long stirred and staled in our minds - the confrontation with an alien species; how beneficial is the fulfilment of such a curiosity going to be for mankind and what expectations of hostility should we be prepared for in case of a competitive conflict/confrontation. Le Guin's imagination wanders into this realm and tries to project this future and its meaning for mankind. The narrative starts off with a tension between the alien hosts and main characters in terms of trusting each other's motives. Apart from their cultural customs and mannerisms which their social DNA contrasts as a disparity from our human sample, there is the ideology of sexuality and the comfort of our shared identity in this respect that the author plays with. The fusion of the usual duality of the sexes in this alien specie makes our protagonist (Genry Ai) always edgy and uneasy to comes to term with. It clearly becomes visible as Genry Ai starts seeing the impacts of their biological differences playing a defining role in shaping their inter-communal identities and thus, differentiates and isolates him as an anomaly.
Augmenting this theme, there is the natural hostility which an alien, a "technologically superior" example from some distant unknown world, which we see being shared by the residents of this planet called Gethen. The suspension of caution and trusting the motives of a person whose life and experiences are totally beyond our comprehension and just manifested in our imagination is challenging, even in theory. Even language and expression plays in creating this chasm between the ideas and perceptions of two sides trying to achieve a collective communion of the known and the unknown. The author plays with this concept through historical encounters of early explorers, mythologies of the native population, and changing narrative between two key players from each side judging each other's motives and actions in this arena of confrontation. While they are trying to understand each other, there is an imminent fear of sacrificing the stability of the domains of knowledge which shelter our ideas and relinquishing control over the familiar territory of our thoughts and imagination.
Finally, there is another factor which reinforces this idea about human understanding - the internal conflict on this planet. Two prominent factions, different in their lifestyles and political ideologies, are themselves under the turbulence of war and violence. Each side is distrustful of the actions of others in trying to take advantage of this impending confederation with an external world and wants to utilise it to overpower the other in this dynamics of change. One side reflects fear and frenzy from this unconventional venture into the future which will change their present; the other shows the reactive defence and desperation to acquire control over this change through their internal conflict resolution means. Wars between nations and banners of geographical separation is another keystone in reflecting the defensiveness which our minds take to protect our group identities when threatened by societies which we consider different than us. To know someone other than us involves surmounting this inertia of prejudice and the realms of our limited knowledge.
We fear what we do not know - the future, the darkness, the inexplicable. The story makes a point of accepting the duality that exists between knowing and not knowing, imparting weight to that popular saying of "the more one knows, the more he/she realises the extent of the unknown". This fundamental aspect of human psychology extends even at the boundary between I and Thou - how a perceivably similar human being or even an alien specie, despite supporting the consciousness with hopeful arguments and practical reasons to trust, abandons a corner of our mind to distrust to guard us against a behaviour harmful to our existence, or even our ideologies. Through the ambivalence of the human sexes in such a possible human specie, we see the underlying differences which our society and our upbringing cultivates in our identity to regard a disparity within our own species as something prominent to define our relationships with each other. And a relationship is essentially a connection between two different domains of knowledge. A hermaphroditic homo sapiens version then is not just exciting as a concept, but a redefinition of how we view the society as not two parts, but an inconceivable union of two separate identities. Despite posing the challenge of this departure from our domains of awareness and understanding, Le Guin dominates the spirit of curiosity in human condition which takes a leap of faith time and again, giving reins to intuition and jumping into the abyss of the unknown, no matter how low the chances, to either come out victorious at the other end, or as an extinguished light in the darkness signalling others where one should not go. I love strongly consistent stories, and I indulge sci-fis. Reading this book was gratifying and so refreshing.
The protagonist of this story is the Earthling envoy, representing a peaceful messenger, inviting a distant planet to join an existing union of all the intelligent species-inhabiting planets across the galaxies. We all are aware of the side-effects of human curiosity which pulp sci-fis and conspiracy theories have long stirred and staled in our minds - the confrontation with an alien species; how beneficial is the fulfilment of such a curiosity going to be for mankind and what expectations of hostility should we be prepared for in case of a competitive conflict/confrontation. Le Guin's imagination wanders into this realm and tries to project this future and its meaning for mankind. The narrative starts off with a tension between the alien hosts and main characters in terms of trusting each other's motives. Apart from their cultural customs and mannerisms which their social DNA contrasts as a disparity from our human sample, there is the ideology of sexuality and the comfort of our shared identity in this respect that the author plays with. The fusion of the usual duality of the sexes in this alien specie makes our protagonist (Genry Ai) always edgy and uneasy to comes to term with. It clearly becomes visible as Genry Ai starts seeing the impacts of their biological differences playing a defining role in shaping their inter-communal identities and thus, differentiates and isolates him as an anomaly.
Augmenting this theme, there is the natural hostility which an alien, a "technologically superior" example from some distant unknown world, which we see being shared by the residents of this planet called Gethen. The suspension of caution and trusting the motives of a person whose life and experiences are totally beyond our comprehension and just manifested in our imagination is challenging, even in theory. Even language and expression plays in creating this chasm between the ideas and perceptions of two sides trying to achieve a collective communion of the known and the unknown. The author plays with this concept through historical encounters of early explorers, mythologies of the native population, and changing narrative between two key players from each side judging each other's motives and actions in this arena of confrontation. While they are trying to understand each other, there is an imminent fear of sacrificing the stability of the domains of knowledge which shelter our ideas and relinquishing control over the familiar territory of our thoughts and imagination.
Finally, there is another factor which reinforces this idea about human understanding - the internal conflict on this planet. Two prominent factions, different in their lifestyles and political ideologies, are themselves under the turbulence of war and violence. Each side is distrustful of the actions of others in trying to take advantage of this impending confederation with an external world and wants to utilise it to overpower the other in this dynamics of change. One side reflects fear and frenzy from this unconventional venture into the future which will change their present; the other shows the reactive defence and desperation to acquire control over this change through their internal conflict resolution means. Wars between nations and banners of geographical separation is another keystone in reflecting the defensiveness which our minds take to protect our group identities when threatened by societies which we consider different than us. To know someone other than us involves surmounting this inertia of prejudice and the realms of our limited knowledge.
We fear what we do not know - the future, the darkness, the inexplicable. The story makes a point of accepting the duality that exists between knowing and not knowing, imparting weight to that popular saying of "the more one knows, the more he/she realises the extent of the unknown". This fundamental aspect of human psychology extends even at the boundary between I and Thou - how a perceivably similar human being or even an alien specie, despite supporting the consciousness with hopeful arguments and practical reasons to trust, abandons a corner of our mind to distrust to guard us against a behaviour harmful to our existence, or even our ideologies. Through the ambivalence of the human sexes in such a possible human specie, we see the underlying differences which our society and our upbringing cultivates in our identity to regard a disparity within our own species as something prominent to define our relationships with each other. And a relationship is essentially a connection between two different domains of knowledge. A hermaphroditic homo sapiens version then is not just exciting as a concept, but a redefinition of how we view the society as not two parts, but an inconceivable union of two separate identities. Despite posing the challenge of this departure from our domains of awareness and understanding, Le Guin dominates the spirit of curiosity in human condition which takes a leap of faith time and again, giving reins to intuition and jumping into the abyss of the unknown, no matter how low the chances, to either come out victorious at the other end, or as an extinguished light in the darkness signalling others where one should not go. I love strongly consistent stories, and I indulge sci-fis. Reading this book was gratifying and so refreshing.
saspell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thomasdj's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Slavery
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Incest, and Suicide attempt
wright_rendon_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
plankpot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
vahine's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
“Para os karhideanos, segundo nossos padrões, o crime de Judas não está na sua traição a Cristo, mas naquele gesto que, selando o desespero, nega a chance de perdão, mudança, vida - seu suicídio.”