The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle)

by Ursula K. Le Guin
(1969 | 304 p)

I can't say enough good things about Ursula K. Le Guin's novels. Her Hainish Cycle is a credit to her craft. Not a traditional series, the Hainish Cycle is a collection of novels about various worlds who share an ancient connection to the Hains. Our planet, Terra, is one of many planets that was seeded by the Hains eons ago. The children of Hain have evolved separately on their many different worlds. Each as unique as a snowflake.

The Left Hand of Darkness is the story of the first human emissary on the planet Gethen. He has been sent by the Ekumen, a federation of worlds, to establish relations with the Gethenians and invite them to join the Ekumen. This emissary, Genly Ai, arrives alone. Isolated from all he knows he struggles to learn the rules of a very foreign world, nearly losing it all in the process.

Reading any work by Le Guin is marvelous. She creates new psychologies, new cultural norms, new politics, even new genders. What might, under a less skilled hand, be confusing and disjointed comes together fluidly and convincingly. A must read for fans of speculative fiction.