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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Interesting premise, the story was ok. I’m actually much more interested in the history of mankind mentioned. It would appear man spread throughout the galaxy, then lost their ability to do so and became isolated (also loosing most if not all of their technology) only for thousands of years later to reestablish contact.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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:
No
The concept of the story is unique, the writing style is intricate and weaving, and the characters are unique.
I quite enjoyed the people of Winter and the questions and dialogue it brings about. The game between the characters is wild and intense. This is a lovely story to read.
I quite enjoyed the people of Winter and the questions and dialogue it brings about. The game between the characters is wild and intense. This is a lovely story to read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
Maybe it’s because I listened to the audio instead of reading the words or maybe it’s because I couldn’t get into the world very quickly, but I thought this book was fine, not great. I do like the idea of the world and the ambassador and the clash of the ideas of sexuality and parenting and patriotism, and as always the writing is lovely, I just…didn’t really enjoy it.
Just as frustrating as it was rewarding, The Left Hand of Darkness will be a book I recommend with caveats. Read it in utter silence, free of distractions. Read it in late winter, so as to better sympathize and lend atmosphere. Allow yourself generous amounts of time to reread, both for appreciation and for clarity. Only read if you are prepared to feel as alien to a text as the text’s protagonist.
Perhaps I’ll leave that last one out until the person to whom I recommend this gorgeous, heavy novel has finished it.
My frustration comes from the ponderous chapters dedicated to the journey across the ice, salvaged by the goddess Le Guin’s poetic descriptions, and seemingly real-time plotting.
Perhaps I’ll leave that last one out until the person to whom I recommend this gorgeous, heavy novel has finished it.
My frustration comes from the ponderous chapters dedicated to the journey across the ice, salvaged by the goddess Le Guin’s poetic descriptions, and seemingly real-time plotting.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An incredibly pleasant read.
LeGuin drops you cold (literally) into this tonally vibrant and rich world of Gethen; an ice planet that is one of many earths housing human-like beings that originate from a seed planet referred to as Hain (of the Hainish cycle). We follow the journey of an envoy, Genly Ai, of the coalition of planets, or the Ekumen, to this cold world, watching his attempts to bring the populace of the planet into the intergalactic fold.
The people’s of Gethen, or the Gethenians, are unique from the rest of mankind in a profound way - they are ambisexual. Once a month, they undergo a sexual metamorphosis of a sort referred to as kemmer, in which they develop sexual organs/secondary sexual characteristics and feel sexual attraction. There is no forcing between man or woman, and no preference either. Only for this brief period of heat do they experience this binary.
Ultimately they are a population without gender, free from the biological binary that encodes a strict duality to our own society. On Gethen, there is no conquered and conquerer. There is no rape and raped. There is no war. Without the supposed binary we are born with, the people of Gethen are unshackled by the choking restraints of a dualistic approach to society. There is an equitability, a peace to Gethen.
Genly does not believe so at first. He, like the reader initially will be, is seemingly incapable of rationalizing this world without metaphorical borders. Of course, there are real borders on Gethen, those being the lands of Karhide and Oregoryn, both of which Genly must visit in order to procure an agreement into the Ekumen, but I found the political drama secondary to the story of Estraven and Genly.
I was not fully aware of Estraven’s importance in the beginning of the novel. (I use “he” here only to match what LeGuin uses) He seemingly lies in the background for a good half of the book, obviously a pivotal character in the goings-on in the situation of Genly, but only at the point when he makes it clear to the reader that he is more aware than both we and Genly of the political tension present in both nations does it become clear that he has a larger part to play than initially thought.
Their relationship is masterful. It’s a beautiful companionship that acts as a shining beacon throughout the last half of the book, which may among be some of my favorite passages of literature; their journey across the cold, uncaring ice is intensely warm in feel. It’s intimate, and serves as a great exploration of communion between culture. Genly and Estraven come to view each other as lovers, of the unconsummated sort (which is for the better, I believe), and the way LeGuin writes their relationship is beautiful. The moment Genly sees Estraven for who they truly are, as someone both male and female, and as someone who truly cares for them, the novel is able to make its statement.
What struck me most in the interim pages of the book was how philosophical it was. There is something distinctly Hegelian about the whole work - it’s a work of contrasting binaries; dark/light, male/female, sun/shadow. Only in the sublimation of both into a greater concept can something truly amazing be realized. Only with shadow can the lit way forward be seen, as Genly and Estraven realize themselves. And only with the unity of male and female can this specific peace be brought forward. Rereading this sometime with a hyper focus on these juxtapositions I hope will be even more illuminating.
But outside of this, the prose was often incredibly weighted with philosophy. All of the myths (Estraven the Traitor, etc) were profound and lovely to read, and one of my absolute favorite moments in the novel is Genly’s experience with the Handarrta people. Faxe, a Weaver of the Fastness, talks to Genly about the meaning of life and uncertainty; my favorite passage is the one in which he tells Genly that nothing is certain beyond our deaths themselves, and everything in between is magnificently unknown. The concept of ignorance is not only okay to the Handarrta, but preferred and welcomed, and I believe that a philosophy akin to this one is something I would love to explore further. It’s a beautiful idea to embrace the unknowing.
As many others say, the forwards are absolutely necessary. Especially LeGuin’s own forward - she clearly outlines her intentions in writing the story of Gethen; it is a thought experiment. A question - what, at its core, is humanity? What is gender to the story of mankind? Who are we free of these labels and presuppositions? And something outside of gender; what does connection look like between disparate people? The story of Estraven and Genly is a manifestation of the struggle between the reader and the premise; all the while the book is simply waiting for us to see it for who it is, to see it as Genly comes to see Estraven.
Honorable mentions in terms of my enjoyment; the prison sequence with Genly is absolutely incredible. The prose is jarring and heart wrenching and vivid in its imagery and one of the stand out parts of a stand out book. The characterization of the nations is incredible and shows that a world without war is not one without conflict. And finally, the last few pages are beautiful and show a man grown to become one with a culture vastly different than his own, and said culture grown willing to embrace the world beyond their own. I also must say that it is incredibly hard for me to understand each character as both and neither male and female. I’m not much helped by the use of “he” as the gender neutral term, but still, it was telling of my own default that I continued to place each character in a masculine mold/role throughout my reading. On a reread I hope to grow closer to LeGuin’s understanding of these characters.
Much more I could say, as I always say. I feel like I did a poor job of properly articulating what I came away from this book with, but that, I imagine, is partly the point. It’s not one I feel as though I can suck dry on a single read. Worth revisiting and absolutely worth enjoying whenever you get the chance.
LeGuin drops you cold (literally) into this tonally vibrant and rich world of Gethen; an ice planet that is one of many earths housing human-like beings that originate from a seed planet referred to as Hain (of the Hainish cycle). We follow the journey of an envoy, Genly Ai, of the coalition of planets, or the Ekumen, to this cold world, watching his attempts to bring the populace of the planet into the intergalactic fold.
The people’s of Gethen, or the Gethenians, are unique from the rest of mankind in a profound way - they are ambisexual. Once a month, they undergo a sexual metamorphosis of a sort referred to as kemmer, in which they develop sexual organs/secondary sexual characteristics and feel sexual attraction. There is no forcing between man or woman, and no preference either. Only for this brief period of heat do they experience this binary.
Ultimately they are a population without gender, free from the biological binary that encodes a strict duality to our own society. On Gethen, there is no conquered and conquerer. There is no rape and raped. There is no war. Without the supposed binary we are born with, the people of Gethen are unshackled by the choking restraints of a dualistic approach to society. There is an equitability, a peace to Gethen.
Genly does not believe so at first. He, like the reader initially will be, is seemingly incapable of rationalizing this world without metaphorical borders. Of course, there are real borders on Gethen, those being the lands of Karhide and Oregoryn, both of which Genly must visit in order to procure an agreement into the Ekumen, but I found the political drama secondary to the story of Estraven and Genly.
I was not fully aware of Estraven’s importance in the beginning of the novel. (I use “he” here only to match what LeGuin uses) He seemingly lies in the background for a good half of the book, obviously a pivotal character in the goings-on in the situation of Genly, but only at the point when he makes it clear to the reader that he is more aware than both we and Genly of the political tension present in both nations does it become clear that he has a larger part to play than initially thought.
Their relationship is masterful. It’s a beautiful companionship that acts as a shining beacon throughout the last half of the book, which may among be some of my favorite passages of literature; their journey across the cold, uncaring ice is intensely warm in feel. It’s intimate, and serves as a great exploration of communion between culture. Genly and Estraven come to view each other as lovers, of the unconsummated sort (which is for the better, I believe), and the way LeGuin writes their relationship is beautiful. The moment Genly sees Estraven for who they truly are, as someone both male and female, and as someone who truly cares for them, the novel is able to make its statement.
What struck me most in the interim pages of the book was how philosophical it was. There is something distinctly Hegelian about the whole work - it’s a work of contrasting binaries; dark/light, male/female, sun/shadow. Only in the sublimation of both into a greater concept can something truly amazing be realized. Only with shadow can the lit way forward be seen, as Genly and Estraven realize themselves. And only with the unity of male and female can this specific peace be brought forward. Rereading this sometime with a hyper focus on these juxtapositions I hope will be even more illuminating.
But outside of this, the prose was often incredibly weighted with philosophy. All of the myths (Estraven the Traitor, etc) were profound and lovely to read, and one of my absolute favorite moments in the novel is Genly’s experience with the Handarrta people. Faxe, a Weaver of the Fastness, talks to Genly about the meaning of life and uncertainty; my favorite passage is the one in which he tells Genly that nothing is certain beyond our deaths themselves, and everything in between is magnificently unknown. The concept of ignorance is not only okay to the Handarrta, but preferred and welcomed, and I believe that a philosophy akin to this one is something I would love to explore further. It’s a beautiful idea to embrace the unknowing.
As many others say, the forwards are absolutely necessary. Especially LeGuin’s own forward - she clearly outlines her intentions in writing the story of Gethen; it is a thought experiment. A question - what, at its core, is humanity? What is gender to the story of mankind? Who are we free of these labels and presuppositions? And something outside of gender; what does connection look like between disparate people? The story of Estraven and Genly is a manifestation of the struggle between the reader and the premise; all the while the book is simply waiting for us to see it for who it is, to see it as Genly comes to see Estraven.
Honorable mentions in terms of my enjoyment; the prison sequence with Genly is absolutely incredible. The prose is jarring and heart wrenching and vivid in its imagery and one of the stand out parts of a stand out book. The characterization of the nations is incredible and shows that a world without war is not one without conflict. And finally, the last few pages are beautiful and show a man grown to become one with a culture vastly different than his own, and said culture grown willing to embrace the world beyond their own. I also must say that it is incredibly hard for me to understand each character as both and neither male and female. I’m not much helped by the use of “he” as the gender neutral term, but still, it was telling of my own default that I continued to place each character in a masculine mold/role throughout my reading. On a reread I hope to grow closer to LeGuin’s understanding of these characters.
Much more I could say, as I always say. I feel like I did a poor job of properly articulating what I came away from this book with, but that, I imagine, is partly the point. It’s not one I feel as though I can suck dry on a single read. Worth revisiting and absolutely worth enjoying whenever you get the chance.
Ursula K Le Guin by god you’ve done it again I am once more knocked flat on my ass by your incredible storytelling
Gripping, thought-provoking, passionate and evocative.
Does just about everything that must be done ‘right’ for great science-fiction, and is, in that sentiment, a great novel.
Does just about everything that must be done ‘right’ for great science-fiction, and is, in that sentiment, a great novel.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I listened to this as an audiobook. I feel like because of that, I can’t review it properly. I struggled to follow the story in audio form. This is in no way a fault of the book, this is a personal challenge. Listening to the book did make me think that I could enjoy the book way more in written form. I am determined to come back to this book again. The book seemed to pose some very interesting ideas and scenarios that I don’t think you can fully appreciate in audio form. At least if you’re like me and English isn’t your first language.