Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Left Hand of Darkness

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: George Guidall
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £17.99

Buy Now for £17.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

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
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Complete Earthsea Series & The Left Hand of Darkness cover art
The Found and the Lost cover art
Kingdom of Clockwork cover art
Parable of the Sower cover art
Sailing to Sarantium cover art
The Birthday of the World cover art
Hyperion cover art
Kindred cover art
Hannay: His 5 Adventures cover art
Wanderer cover art
Children of Time cover art
Project Hail Mary cover art
Dune cover art
A Time of Changes cover art
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) cover art
House of Suns cover art

What listeners say about The Left Hand of Darkness

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    317
  • 4 Stars
    181
  • 3 Stars
    82
  • 2 Stars
    28
  • 1 Stars
    14
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    237
  • 4 Stars
    169
  • 3 Stars
    91
  • 2 Stars
    32
  • 1 Stars
    19
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    298
  • 4 Stars
    139
  • 3 Stars
    72
  • 2 Stars
    22
  • 1 Stars
    13

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

My first experience of le Guin’s sci fi works. Loved it and will be reading more

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fantastic introduction to Le Guin

This was my first experience of Ursula Le Guin’s writing and it is hard to put into words what a powerful experience it was.

Some reviewers have disparaged the narrator but I felt his reading was in keeping with the subtle understatement of the novel overall, and therefore enjoyed it very much.

The storyline was almost unbearably, certainly compellingly, intriguing; the world building and imagery, incredibly vivid. The relationship between Ai and Estrevan was almost perfectly portrayed by the author. I particularly enjoyed the way the book deconstructed some of the deep questions of humanity- philosophical, ecological and so on, so insightfully, without ever being anything like moralising.

In a way, I experienced the novel as an intellectual journey as well as en emotional and narrative one. Thought-provoking is too feeble a description. Also, it kept defying my expectations- a rare experience for someone who has read so much.

I will now rush to read/listen to the other books in the Hainish cycle.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant book, Horrifying Narration

Don't waste your money! The narrator slurs his words and CAN'T READ. He will pause at random stops in a sentence and often he mumbles to the point I had to strain to understand what he was saying. I ended up purchasing a physical copy of the book. Audible was also EXTREMELY DISHONEST because when I listened to the sample they picked the one chapter read by a different, way superior voice. I feel robbed of a credit. It made me want to cancel my subscription altogether.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Vintage sci-fi with modern relevance

One of those books that's been on the TBR pile for many years, and I'm glad I got around to it. thought provoking themes of friendship, culture, and gender were dealt with in a sympathetic narrative that made me realise Ursula Le Guin's remarkable talent.
narration might not suit everyone; George Guidall is one of the most prolific audiobook narrators, but it took a while to settle with his voice and, at times, breathless delivery.
that said, I'd definitely recommend for those with a taste for classic sci-fi.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story!

Loved this book. Such a great tempo. Like a laidback Dune - less epic but leaves more to think about.
I liked the narrator too. His voice seems a bit wobbly to start but you tune into it, and then it sounds just right.
Definitely recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Title getting returned

I didn't think it was possible for a narrator to destroy one of my absolute favourite books. George Guidell manages just that.
His narration, with its total lack of rhythm and occasional idiosyncratic pronunciations, makes a mockery of Leguin's elegant use of language.
Better versions exist. Find them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just magnificent scifi!

I adore the vivid imaginings of Ursula Le Guin, and this is just another beautiful example.

The alien-ness and the humanity of the different peoples, the weirdness of the world, the depth of the characters and the weaving plot all blew my mind as I was transported to the world of Winter.

I'm so glad I finally took the time to read it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Awful narrator

I couldn't follow this book at all because I just couldn't tune in to the narrator! I found it so difficult to follow what he was saying I could hardly take the story in. something about his pace, tone, cadence, I don't know, but I began listening again to the same story by a different narrator and it was like hearing it anew! I had missed so much! So I can't carry on with this version unfortunately

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A classic

An excellent and seminal story - one of the greats of SF.

The narration took some getting used to at first - the narrator's voice can be slightly difficult to understand in places, but after the first few chapters I was used to it and no longer found it difficult. He did a good job of converting the emotional tone of some parts - particularly the last section of the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful

I was catching up on this masterpiece that needs no introduction.
Le Guin is an icon of literary SF for good reason.
Meticulous world-building along a deep exploration of gender and sexuality themes told through a riveting, at times heartbreaking, and even brutal story.
Read exceptionally well by George Guidall with all the nuance of emotion and queerness coming to life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!