The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin (1969) – A human ambassador arrives on the most distant planet ever settled by humanity. The people of this world are very different from any other strain of humankind. Both the ambassador and the people of the world called “Winter” will struggle to understand each other.

Have you never had the experience of holding a book in your hands and realizing that you were experiencing a work of genius? It happens only rarely to me. About halfway through “The Left Hand of Darkness” I was struck by that feeling. This is a book I will remember forever.

I knew going in that the book was highly regarded. It won both the Hugo and the Nebula and is generally regarded as one of the greatest SF novels of all time. That kind of reputation makes me wary as a reader. Some works live on reputation for years, while others slowly gather steam despite initial poor reviews. My fear was that it would fall flat for me.

I need not have worried.

LeGuin combines wonderful storytelling skills with a brilliantly conceived alien culture. The people of Winter (Gethen in their language) are human descendants. But a genetic experiment has made them androgynous for three weeks of every month. In that fourth week, they may become either male or female. It is only during that time that they have any interest in sex or can breed. The society created offers deep challenges to Genly Ai, the ambassador, and the reader. All the social expectations and mores that are based in gender are gone. Any individual can be male or female in any given month. Given that social foundation, they find our version of humanity perverse and disturbing.

The book presents all the challenges of creating a connection between two people who are much alike and yet fundamentally different.

Why You Will Like It – A story with engrossing, believable characters, that will challenge your understanding of what it means to be human.

Rating – ***** – Must Read