Reviews

I've wanted to check out Ursula K. Le Guin for a while now, and I heard from many that The Left Hand of Darkness is a good place to start. Well, it apparently wasn't a good place for me because I couldn't even finish the book.

I appreciate that Le Guin was really ahead of her time in the topics she wrote about, and her books are already renowned as science fiction classics. I wanted to love this, but I didn't. The Left Hand of Darkness is just not approachable or accessible in its writing. I read over one-third of this book and I still have no idea what's going on or why I should care. Absolutely nothing here was working for me.

I really hope this book is not indicative of Le Guin's writing style because I already own six other books from her and I genuinely hope I enjoy at least a few of them. I'm most excited to check out the Earthsea Cycle because it's fantasy, which I prefer over science fiction. But I do want to give some of her other science fiction works a try before I decide if she's truly not for me.

I hope if you give this book a read that you'll like it more than I did.

dagsywagsy43's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

Content Warnings

daretodream03's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

cpatten89's review against another edition

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4.0

Wow, this messed me up.

I wasn't sure what to think of this book at first, maybe because it drops you headfirst into the world of Gethen, but I'm glad I stuck it out because this is a beautiful story.

porg's review against another edition

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5.0

Economical, vivid sci-fi. An envoy for an interplanetary alliance goes to the planet of Gethen, alone and unthreatening, to convince them to join the alliance.

The book is really a political story, as the envoy navigates the various powers on the main continent of Gethen each with their own fears or machinations for what he represents. as a political story, it's part fantasy and past Orwellian. Yet in it's short space, it's also many other things: a story about communication across cultures, an allegory on patriotism and it's place when matters transcend borders, a moving story of friendship, a prison break romp, and even an effective wilderness adventure story.

carpline's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.5

carolla's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful medium-paced

4.25

farahezzeldean's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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