Reviews

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

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outoftheblue14's review

3.0

I was somewhat bored with this book. Also, I didn't know it was the fourth in a series (??).

All right, so it's a group of stand-alone books with the same setting. That makes sense.

ronijya's review

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adventurous reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

debra_reads_'s review

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dark emotional 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

3.75

Dear The Left Hand of Darkness,
I have to say, I don't feel like your story started until 50% of the way into your book. I know you are a classic A sci-fi story, and I did eventually.find myself really pulling for Ai and Estrogen. I enjoyed their journey through the ice fields, and their ability to shed their social expectations to find each other. But I kept losing focus during the first half of your story, and I wanted more from your ending. While you are not a terrible book, I do not know if I will be reading any more Le Guin books.

romato's review against another edition

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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? No

4.0

rh_222006's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful 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? N/A

4.0

mitskacir's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was slow to start - political intrigue is not my jam in almost any story. However, my attention was grabbed early on by the chapters of folk lore. They are unusual, disturbing, and don't always make sense, which instills them with the strong sense that they are from a culture alien to the reader. The second half of the story is what really made me love the book, which dives into the friendship between Genly and Estraven during an epic arctic trek for survival. Overall, I'm not sure how strongly the big themes and deeper meanings resonated with me - I think partly because the central tenant of gender fluidity and sexual homogeneity was a bit pedestrian to me as a reader in 2020, perhaps particularly because male pronouns and personalities were still the default. Themes of duality and wholeness were explored through gender as well as government, folklore, and religion.