The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula K. Le Guin · first published 1969
64% recommend29% neutral7% critical
Why HN recommends it
Social science fiction that uses an alien world with no fixed sex to explore gender, society, and politics; technology is just the stage. Suits readers who want ideas woven into character-driven, well-written stories.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
[Comment by Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Guardian's website][1]: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (1969) One of my favorite novels is The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K Le Guin. For more than 40 years I've been recommending this book to people who want to try science fiction for the first time, and it still serves very well for that. One of the things I like about it is how clearly it demonstrates that science fiction can have not only the usual virtues and pleasures of the novel, but also the startling and transformative power of the thought experiment. In this cas
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
Ursula K Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Recommended by 93 · mentioned by 18493 recommend · 184 mention93 recommend · 18493 recommend
2010–2026The Word for World is Forest
Ursula K. Le Guin
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 157 recommend · 15 mention7 recommend · 157 recommend
2008–2026The Dispossessed
Ursula K. Le Guin
Recommended by 58 · mentioned by 8758 recommend · 87 mention58 recommend · 8758 recommend
2008–2026The Lathe of Heaven
Ursula K. Le Guin
Recommended by 27 · mentioned by 3327 recommend · 33 mention27 recommend · 3327 recommend
2018–2026Always Coming Home
Ursula K. Le Guin
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 146 recommend · 14 mention6 recommend · 146 recommend
2008–2026A Wizard of Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin
Recommended by 30 · mentioned by 6030 recommend · 60 mention30 recommend · 6030 recommend
Ishi in Two Worlds
Theodora Kroeber
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 21 recommend · 2 mention1 recommend · 21 recommend
2019–2026Rocannon's World
Ursula K. Le Guin
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 105 recommend · 10 mention5 recommend · 105 recommend
…and, y'know: No. The outrage does seem selective. I mean, one of the seminal classics of science-fiction literature on the subject of gender - and a very popular book among feminist readers - is The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin. And I've never heard anyone complain that she wrote a black protagonist, despite not having black experiences. But on the other hand, The Left Hand of Darkness isn't much about…
on “A new moralism is gripping the literary world” ↗It's interesting seeing how many of my touchstone books turn up in other people's lists. Here are some I didn't see yet: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness. My favorite Le Guin (the Dispossessed is pretty good too). Shockingly original when it was published in 1969; the portrait of the society and culture on Gethen still feels unique. A slow burn at the…
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗I love some of Le Guin's works, although I found that some are much better than others. I would definitely recommend reading The Left Hand Of Darkness, I think it stands out among her best. The follow-up, The Dispossessed, I thought was much weaker and less interesting and in fact I couldn't even finish it, which was odd given how much I loved Darkness.…
on “Hopping Through Time with Ursula K. Le Guin” ↗…anarchists" or some such thing. And it seemed like no better time than at that moment to dip into the Le Guin's work. I decided I'd start reading her scifi novels in near chronological order and began with The Left Hand of Darkness which I found devastatingly good. This is the one mentioned in the interview where Genly Ai the observer is embedded on a planet where the humanoid species are in the main genderless and only become male…
on “Ursula Le Guin Books” ↗Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said) Frederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants) Ursula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness) Iain M. Banks (Culture novels) You will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks
on “What are your favourite sci-fi books?” ↗I still need to read that one. The Left Hand of Darkness has been my favorite so far.
on “Ursula K. Le Guin, “the emissary from Orsinia,” challenges expectations” ↗…haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me. Man's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl. Living Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh. Cosmos - Carl Sagan. The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin. The One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin. Wild Seed - Octavia Butler. The Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗…woven into the fabric of the story itself. This makes the ideas more compelling and keeps the narrative brisk and interesting. On the other hand, Le Guin often spends far too much time world building. The Left Hand of Darkness is one of my favorite books, but the first half of the book plods on rather painfully. The second half feels like a reward for slogging through the first half. Not sure if you've read The Dispossessed…
"But the highest praise I can give The Left Hand of Darkness is that Le Guin captures the texture of life. This book is full of little moments, bits of sensation and emotion, that show what it feels like to be alive, day after day." Well put; this was one of the…
on “‘The Left Hand of Darkness' at Fifty” ↗Agree with both, but in the case of Le Guin I clearly prefer the Hainish Cycle, with classics as The Left Hand of Darkness, The Disposesed or The Word for World is Forest
on “Gene Wolfe Turned Science Fiction into High Art (2019)” ↗I guess such recent works as Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness and J. G. Ballard's The Drowned World, among others. Who knew that sci-fi could be something else than alien invasions and scantily clad women in pulp covers?
on “Liu Cixin's “The Three-Body Problem” Is Published in the US” ↗…been surpassed many times in his chosen style, I don't think anyone has surpassed Le Guin in her style. Not that I am aware of anyone even having tried, really. Just grab one of Le Guin's books (The Left Hand of Darkness is the most famous) and see if you like her style. I think it's still unique.
on “Ursula K. Le Guin, “the emissary from Orsinia,” challenges expectations” ↗If you're into social issues, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with social and political philosophy in a package that feels somewhat non-fiction-y. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic fantasy. Margaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot…
on “Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction” ↗- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin - Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - The Tao Te Ching - The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing) - The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System…
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗The left hand of darkness, by Ursula Le Guin. I found it by working my way through the list of joint nebula and hugo award winners (which is a really fun project, because all of them are amazing books). It is my favorite sci-fi…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗