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The Left Hand of Darkness

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The Left Hand of Darkness

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: George Guidall
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About this listen

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 Classics Epic Fantasy Fiction First Contact Science Fiction Epic Fantasy Winter

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

Wonderful

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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.

A fantastic introduction to Le Guin

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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.

Brilliant book, Horrifying Narration

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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.

Vintage sci-fi with modern relevance

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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!

Great story!

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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.

Title getting returned

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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.

Just magnificent scifi!

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Re-reading this book after a gap of many years confirmed to me that it's the finest work of science fiction that I've ever read. But it's far more than that. In truth, the 'science' aspect is rather minor.

Yes, it's the 4th book in Le Guin's 'Hainish Cycle' but there is absolutely no need to read any of the other books in the cycle before this one. All the books in the cycle stand on their own merits.

The Left Hand of Darkness postulates a world peopled by androgynous natives whose biological sex is determined once a month when, for a brief period, they become sexually active. They acquire a gender and become, temporarily, either male or female but there is no prior way of knowing which it will be.

It's the way Le Guin explores the ramifications of this unique biology on culture and interpersonal relations that elevates the book beyond the boundaries of mere genre. It is, quite simply, a great work of fiction.

Quite simply a great work of fiction.

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I absolutely need more time, re-reading, reading responses and interpretations, and discussing it before I properly have a real handle on this for a review, but I loved it, found it very difficult, challenging, and that it kept me at arms length for a lot of it...while also being completely invited in, buying in so hard to the personal and emotional dynamic, which shattered me into crying and properly sobbing more than once.

Le Guin is the ultimate. As a Genderqueer trans femme I'm not sure how I feel about all of the everything, but I think it's from a thoughtful place and I really need to chew on it all for a bit.

Something that has finally clicked for me is that my autism and other neurodivergences really make it hard to unpick the POV character's philosophy and thoughts, those of the author, and what is actually being put forward, discussed, and/ or refuted (or not). I very much recognise this a me problem.

Never have I felt so intellectually inferior and confused in a book that I actually loved and genuinely resonated with. This is a whole lotta book!

One of the Best

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I have a hard time judging the quality of the story due to the frustration over the narration. Narrator is monotonous, and somehow manages to speak incredible slow without articulating any words.

I might revisit this book, reading it rather than listening. The premise of a stranger in a strange world allow for exploring our own, and the themes of gender and sexuality poses some interesting questions.

Ruined by the narration

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