The Left Hand of Darkness

By: Ursula K. Le Guin

Narrated by: George Guidall

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can change their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters. Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

©1969 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)2016 Recorded Books

Interesting tale bogged down by pacing issues

The tale is mostly from the point of view of the local hermaphrodite in a primative hermaphrodite civilization and a mind reading emissary from an advanced civilization.
The politics and reaction is interesting, but as with Tolkien tales it is slowed by long journies through desolate terrains and slow reveals and the interaction of the fellowship.
Sadly the stakes are not high enough to keep one interested to see what goes on, nor are there Saruman like sub-villain and in fact the amtagonist is a pitiful demented sovreign with serious trust issues (the hermaphrodite antagonist starts as his right hand and ends up an enemy of the state).
The only twist comes near the end and is easily predictable due to there not eing any other paths for the tale to move forward without it collapsing on itself (hence it was the author's equivalent of being painted into a corner).
Regardless...
The tale seemed too visionary for its time and a leap for Sci-Fi novel writing.
I never the less can not recommend it with so many great alternatives out there (all of which were writen in the same decade and subsequent decades).
It perhaps will be of iterest to genre aficionados but no one rlse.

Old Science Fiction Still Hits the Spot

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but with some consideration of the friend's maturity level. This deals with some pretty mature themes.

What other book might you compare The Left Hand of Darkness to and why?

The Mote in God's Eye comes to mind. Both books deal with problems caused by alternate sexuality roles and behaviors in alien cultures. I would say that I enjoyed The Mote in God's Eye much more than The Left Hand of Darkness because it had a lot more sci-fi action. The Left Hand of Darkness plods along quite slowly.

Which character – as performed by George Guidall – was your favorite?

That would be hard to say!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What if you had a world where men and women were truly equal in every way?

Any additional comments?

It was difficult to tell when the narrator changed characters. His voice was exactly the same for all characters, or almost so. That caused me to lose the train of thought a few times.

An... odd book

Though one may disagree with the author Ursula K Le Guin, one cannot help but listen because she is not only articulate, but also clever. A talented author can make even those who’ve they avidly disagree with fans due to their talent. Though the pacing is a little off at times, and some of the side characters stiff, it remains an engaging and entertaining read with interesting concepts.

Everything sci-fi should be!

A wonderful story. I listened to several passages over and over again, just to let the words wash over me. Le Guin's history with anthropology is wonderfully evident.

Even more wonderful than I remembered

I first read this book a couple of decades ago, and I could remember loving it, but I didn't actually remember much about the story itself. honestly, I wasn't sure it would live up to the high praise of my younger self. but to my surprise and delight, it's even better than I imagined. subtle, complex, rich with ideas and captivating in its storytelling. an absolute must read.