The Left Hand of Darkness

• This book is quite astonishing. Hannah Gadsby has made me reluctant to say "ahead of its time" but if any book is ahead of its time then this one is. It's a fascinating read, complete with rich world-building, detailed descriptions of the Gethenian customs, an exploration of an ambisexual society, and an examination of how political and cultural norms can force a wedge between societies.

• The chapters recounting the two protagonists crossing the glacier would alone be enough to describe this novel as a masterpiece.

• The first third of the book certainly has some slower passages, but I thoroughly enjoyed Genly Ai and Estraven's journey across the continent. It is deeply emotional (at least it touched me deeply) and Winter's culture is incredible. The treatment of gender identity is also fascinating, especially for a novel written in the 1960s. I confess I felt a bit lost among so many names, terms, and geographies, but that's more on me than the book.

• Le Guin's literature reveals alternative ways of understanding our own world and our social and personal relationships, which is precisely why it is so valuable. 'The Left Hand of Darkness' (1969) is not only a science fiction classic; it can inspire anyone who doesn't typically read sci-fi or assumes it is all spaceships, time travel, and aliens. The book encompasses far more and was completely ahead of its time.

• Stylistically, this book is a marvel. The narration doesn't attempt to describe everything in granular detail, but it does linger over everything it considers important. And dealing with a semi-unknown planet, that is a great deal. Le Guin's prose is measured and grounded; her words carry weight, with hardly a superfluous syllable. Of course, this makes 'The Left Hand of Darkness' a slower read than what we are used to today.

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