A review by ash93
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

5.0

Wow. Where to start with this one?

So far, The Dispossessed, to me, reads as the superior novel of the Hainish Cycle; however, The Left Hand of Darkness is more widely accepted as a classic of science fiction. I can absolutely see how it's held in such high esteem. This is such a layered work that addresses a wide variety of themes and character studies. It reads like a fact-based book, and it's executed so flawlessly that I never at any point doubt the existence of the world of Winter, nor its inner workings. Le Guin not only takes the ridiculous and makes it realistic; she also makes it urgent and valuable and revelatory, so that you never doubt its seriousness.

I will furthermore remember the last third of this book probably forever. It was so vivid in my mind and so strange and unsettling. It can't be described or summarized adequately. It's also so much more than it seems, just like everything that Le Guin wrote.

A truly unique contribution to literary science-fiction. I underlined so many passages and spent a majority of this book in awe of the intelligence behind it.