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by Ursula K. Le Guin
A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary's mission to Winter, an unknown alien world whose inhabitants can choose—and 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. Exploring questions of psychology, society, and human emotion in an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of science fiction.
"Serious science fiction and fantasy readers cannot resist the classics... . That's what makes the Penguin Galaxy series so appealing... . Each of the novels here has earned their place in the halls of literary history... . Their small form factor and minimalist covers call out to readers and make them fun to read all over again." —Kirkus Reviews
"A jewel of a story." —Frank Herbert, author of Dune
This information about The Left Hand of Darkness was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) was the first author to win both the Hugo and Nebula awards twice. She was the bestselling author of the Earthsea Cycle and the Hainish Cycle, which includes The Left Hand of Darkness.
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Two ambitious writers in 1960s LA face betrayal when one writes a novel based on the other's life.
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