The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Hello, Stranger.

Let's talk about Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness.

The Short of It

Plot: A single Envoy is sent to bring the lost colony planet of Winter, where everyone is ambisexual, into the interplanetary federation. 

Page Count: 304

Award: 1970 Hugo and 1969 Nebula

Worth a read: Yes.
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Pass* *This is way above my pay grade 
Technobabble: Minimal
Review: Not every moment of this book is exciting or engaging; obstacles just happen from time to time. However, world building is superb, well considered, and deftly written - remarkable. Character interaction is believable and very human.

The Medium of It

Spoiler Free!

The first time I read this it was assigned reading in high school, and I hated every second of it. I feared having the same response now, to add to the pitchfork- and torch-wielding mob that appeared when I said that I didn't like Stranger in a Strange Land.

Fortunately, Internet Justice need not slaughter my animals nor sew my fields with salt. I dig it.

This is the the fourth book in a shared universe - the Hainish Cycle - of which I have not read the first three. They are, however, not necessary - Le Guin explains in an FAQ on her website that:

The thing is, they aren’t a cycle or a saga. They do not form a coherent history.

Having looked a bit more into this, each one adds something to the broader universe - though there are discontinuities and inconsistencies - but in general planets are only explored once. All that said, this book can be read on its own.

At some point long before any of these books, human colonies were established on a multitude of planets. Some were standard human stock, others experimental. Winter (or Gethen, as its natives call it) was an experiment - everyone on the planet is ambisexual. For a few days each month they can take on a sex, depending on partner and environment. This is the basis of everything in this book; how does human society differ without a fixed concept of sex or associated ideas of gender? 

It is worth noting that Le Guin refers to everyone on Gethen as "he" - the masculine pronoun comes up 1105 times in this book, "she" shows up 10 times. This is the asterisk on the Bechdel Test - I'm calling it a pass as there are plenty of meaningful interactions between non-male characters, even if they are not female either.

Genly Ai, the protagonist, is our stand-in. He's a man from one of the other human worlds, one with more typical sex and gender structures. Through him we are able to pose our questions and voice our misgivings; is this natural? How do people interact? What do you mean, he has three children, one of which he gave birth to? This is an excellent choice, as we view this world through the eyes of someone to whom it is equally foreign. And as his understanding grows, ours does as well. Consequently, Genly cannot be a particularly deep character; he can't have too much going on or it would be uncomfortable to stand in his shoes. Other characters (the main other character, really) are far more interesting and multifaceted. 

The plot is the weakest part of this book. It exists to showcase the world, which is does well enough. It does drag a bit, and many parts go on well past the point that the idea conveyed has come across. A number of challenges come up, difficulties, problems, and so on, many of which feel contrived. It gets a bit frustrating at times.

Overall, absolutely worth a read. It's pretty quick and Winter is a fascinating place to explore.

If you're interested in buying this book, consider using the link below! I'll get a few cents to help survive Winter, at no additional cost to you!

'Tis I, the link!

The Long of It

Spoilers Ahead!

Almost all narratives follow a recognizable structure: exposition, rising action, a climax, and then falling action and resolution/denouement. Because so much of the plot is here for the sake of exposition, the whole structure goes out the window. Action does not rise in any appreciable way which also means there is no real climax. One could make arguments for two points as climax: a) the glacier trek or b) meeting once more with the king and the ship landing. The first is at best a tepid climax, as it is a plateau, and one of drudgery. The second is also not depicted as a climax - it just happens. That's it. Conflict resolved.

If there was any question of how world is prioritized over plot it is resolved by the bizarre choice to put in "The Gethenian Calendar and Clock" as a final segment on this book. Le Guin was able to fit some of this in - the idea that each year is Year One, among other things - but could not figure out how to fit in every detail. I am not opposed to appendixes, but this timekeeping addendum does nothing for the book and does not change our view of world or events; all vital information was already included in the actual story.

There are some odd slices of world construction that did not seem to add much: Genly's mind speech and the Gethenian foretelling are both there, but do not really play a role. Perhaps it is also that so many other facets of this society are examined in depth, and these get a relatively shallow treatment.

Genly's feelings of alienation upon seeing other non-ambisexual humans are excellent - there's confusion and loss without it being overdone. Smoothly executed. Perspective switches are also well executed and smoothly integrated into the story.

If you encounter one of the newer version of this book, Le Guin's introduction is excellent as well.

At the end of the day, this book is a masterpiece of world building and thought experiments, but only a decent novel. Worth a read and a deep think, as well as some discussion.

That's what I've got for you for now, Stranger.

And don't forget to read a book!