‘A rich and complex story of friendship and love’ GUARDIAN
‘Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new’
Two people, until recently strangers, find themselves on a long, tortuous and dangerous journey across the ice. One is an outcast, forced to leave his beloved homeland; the other is fleeing from a different kind of persecution. What they have in common is curiosity, about others and themselves, and an almost unshakeable belief that the world can be a better place.
As they journey for over 800 miles, across the harshest, most inhospitable landscape, they discover the true meaning of friendship, and of love.
Readers love The Left Hand of Darkness:
‘This book overwhelmed me with how good it was, and how different it ended up from what I expected . . . a deep story of humanity, love, betrayal, alienation, and acceptance‘ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘The world is so rich in detail that it becomes an adventure to explore it, and the nuanced character dynamics keep the pages turning . . . a fabulous exploration of fluid gender and sexuality‘ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘This novel is just the right balance of nuance, world-building and philosophical musings that culminate into a staggeringly empathetic work . . . a great work of feminism‘ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘A masterful and visionary story, one of the most beautiful SF novels I have read’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘A landmark in the field of science fiction literature . . . This is a story about loneliness and need for closeness as well’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘Ursula K. Le Guin asks, what if gender were not fixed, but serially changeable? . . . The Left Hand of Darkness is a book about journeys, both literal and metaphorical. It is that rare and precious thing: an original and mind-opening book‘ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Reviews
A rich and complex story of friendship and love
Le Guin's novel imagines how bridges can be built, chasms crossed. By the end, the book has changed us. Thus, the author not only demonstrates how to build worlds. She shows why we build worlds in the first place.
No single story did more to upend the genre's conventions
Genre cannot contain Ursula Le Guin: she is a genre in herself
Ursula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart
One of the most extraordinary examples of soft-core sf . . . reflects the author's formidable background in anthropology as well as her overriding ethical and artistic concerns
A jewel of a story
One of the best science fiction novels ever written
The exquisite prose . . . sings with every step. It is one thing to write a good story, or a great story. It is a whole other accomplishment, for an author of fiction, to write a true story
As profuse and original in invention as The Lord of the Rings
Ursula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart