---
product_id: 21464065
title: "The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition"
price: "€ 25.91"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/21464065-the-left-hand-of-darkness-50th-anniversary-edition
store_origin: SK
region: Slovakia
---

# The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition

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- **What is this?** The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition
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## Description

desertcart.com: The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition: 9780441478125: Ursula K. Le Guin: Books

Review: Everything I hoped for and more - ‘I asked if these two psychopaths could not be cured. “Cured?” Goss said. “Would you cure a singer of his voice?”’ (p66) While I always enjoy high quality science fiction, I read this book largely as a matter of cultural literacy. Folks say this is an important, historic work. My experience validates that it is – and that’s an understatement. For some reason, though, I expected that I’d have to fight the book – wrestle with it – to make sense of a tangled, impenetrable, quirky work of art. That was not the case. Le Guin’s calm, penetrating prose, her sharp, understated commentary, and the compelling story made this book a pleasure to read. When it hit the streets in 1969 it was both ahead of its time and sensationally timely. Now, nearly sixty years later, it’s clear this book is also timeless. Of course her treatment of unconventional sexual physiology, together with its social and psychological implications, is arguably this novel’s most famous feature. And yes -- all that is as fascinating and weighty as I knew it would be. But Le Guin casts a much wider net; she left me breathless with the depth and range of her insights on just about every aspect of social norms and what it means to be human. Assuming you have the fiftieth anniversary edition, be sure to read the intro by David (“Cloud Atlas”) Mitchell, and the author’s own opening note. They are both spectacular. Once you’ve read the novel itself, I also suggest that you take the time to read Charlie Jane Anders’ afterward. Together, the three commentaries will contribute substantially toward your understanding and appreciation of this extraordinary novel. If this book moves you, check out Mary Doria Russell’s “The Sparrow”, and its sequel, “Children of God”.
Review: an excellent example of worldbuilding - On Gethen, human envoy Genly Ai has been sent to convince the planet’s leaders to join the Ekumen, a loose confederation of planets who do not rule one another, but who cooperate in matters of interest to all Ekumen members. Barriers to Ai’s success include Gethenian pride, antipathy and discord between that world’s rival nation-states, and Ai’s lack of understanding in a global culture fueled by the ambisexual nature of Gethenians. The only native who believes the Ekumen can save Gethen is Estraven, a native whom Ai regards with suspicion. But when politics casts Estraven in a criminal light, Ai is dragged into a fierce powerplay and finds himself imprisoned, beaten, and left for dead. Only by abandoning his prejudice—and learning to trust the Otherness of his savior—can he survive his ordeal. The Left Hand of Darkness was originally published in 1969 and is the title that established Le Guin as a science fiction writer. It’s incredibly intricate, an excellent example of worldbuilding. Politics and governance are well-represented, if convoluted, which makes it all the more believable. The climate on Gethen is wintry; inhabitants and their lifestyles reflect this in every detail. But what captivated me most was the nature of Gethenian sexuality. On Gethen, gender is irrelevant. Though Ai uses predominantly masculine pronouns throughout the narrative, native humanoids on Gethen are not born male or female. They are neither—until they enter “kemmer,” a regular period of increased hormonal activity in which Gethenians are driven to find a partner who is also in kemmer, for sex and procreation. Hormone levels determine which partner becomes the inseminator and which becomes the recipient. If the recipient becomes pregnant, they remain “female” throughout the gestation period, after which they return to normal. This cycle drives the entire culture, coloring every aspect of Gethenian society. Though this isn’t the only detail to recommend the book, it’s definitely key to the story. At the time it was written, Gethenian sexuality drew a lot of attention among readers and reviewers; but it’s still relevant today. While some have criticized Le Guin for homophobia, and while Le Guin later expressed regret that she’d portrayed Gethenian norms as heterosexual, the fact remains that the story explores the nature of gender in our own society, as well as on Gethen. For my own part, I found the development of friendship and love between characters so widely diverse much more meaningful than when or how or even whether copulation occurred. In any event, The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic in science fiction literature, a multi-layered story that explores not only cultural divides but sociological ones as well as deep, philosophical quandaries, a must-read for all sci-fi fans. Groundbreaking and evocative, I found myself rooting for both Ai and Estraven, and was sorry to turn the last page. Only one of multiple novels set in the Hainish series, LHoD can be read as a standalone tale. One caveat: Le Guin runs heavy on detail and subtlety. It isn’t exactly an easy read. If that bothers you, dear reader, push through. I promise the payoff is worth it.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #4,347 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5 in Science Fiction Short Stories #107 in Classic Literature & Fiction #182 in Epic Fantasy (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 14,326 Reviews |

## Images

![The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71XqE4caMNL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Everything I hoped for and more
*by D***J on September 2, 2025*

‘I asked if these two psychopaths could not be cured. “Cured?” Goss said. “Would you cure a singer of his voice?”’ (p66) While I always enjoy high quality science fiction, I read this book largely as a matter of cultural literacy. Folks say this is an important, historic work. My experience validates that it is – and that’s an understatement. For some reason, though, I expected that I’d have to fight the book – wrestle with it – to make sense of a tangled, impenetrable, quirky work of art. That was not the case. Le Guin’s calm, penetrating prose, her sharp, understated commentary, and the compelling story made this book a pleasure to read. When it hit the streets in 1969 it was both ahead of its time and sensationally timely. Now, nearly sixty years later, it’s clear this book is also timeless. Of course her treatment of unconventional sexual physiology, together with its social and psychological implications, is arguably this novel’s most famous feature. And yes -- all that is as fascinating and weighty as I knew it would be. But Le Guin casts a much wider net; she left me breathless with the depth and range of her insights on just about every aspect of social norms and what it means to be human. Assuming you have the fiftieth anniversary edition, be sure to read the intro by David (“Cloud Atlas”) Mitchell, and the author’s own opening note. They are both spectacular. Once you’ve read the novel itself, I also suggest that you take the time to read Charlie Jane Anders’ afterward. Together, the three commentaries will contribute substantially toward your understanding and appreciation of this extraordinary novel. If this book moves you, check out Mary Doria Russell’s “The Sparrow”, and its sequel, “Children of God”.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ an excellent example of worldbuilding
*by D***D on September 3, 2018*

On Gethen, human envoy Genly Ai has been sent to convince the planet’s leaders to join the Ekumen, a loose confederation of planets who do not rule one another, but who cooperate in matters of interest to all Ekumen members. Barriers to Ai’s success include Gethenian pride, antipathy and discord between that world’s rival nation-states, and Ai’s lack of understanding in a global culture fueled by the ambisexual nature of Gethenians. The only native who believes the Ekumen can save Gethen is Estraven, a native whom Ai regards with suspicion. But when politics casts Estraven in a criminal light, Ai is dragged into a fierce powerplay and finds himself imprisoned, beaten, and left for dead. Only by abandoning his prejudice—and learning to trust the Otherness of his savior—can he survive his ordeal. The Left Hand of Darkness was originally published in 1969 and is the title that established Le Guin as a science fiction writer. It’s incredibly intricate, an excellent example of worldbuilding. Politics and governance are well-represented, if convoluted, which makes it all the more believable. The climate on Gethen is wintry; inhabitants and their lifestyles reflect this in every detail. But what captivated me most was the nature of Gethenian sexuality. On Gethen, gender is irrelevant. Though Ai uses predominantly masculine pronouns throughout the narrative, native humanoids on Gethen are not born male or female. They are neither—until they enter “kemmer,” a regular period of increased hormonal activity in which Gethenians are driven to find a partner who is also in kemmer, for sex and procreation. Hormone levels determine which partner becomes the inseminator and which becomes the recipient. If the recipient becomes pregnant, they remain “female” throughout the gestation period, after which they return to normal. This cycle drives the entire culture, coloring every aspect of Gethenian society. Though this isn’t the only detail to recommend the book, it’s definitely key to the story. At the time it was written, Gethenian sexuality drew a lot of attention among readers and reviewers; but it’s still relevant today. While some have criticized Le Guin for homophobia, and while Le Guin later expressed regret that she’d portrayed Gethenian norms as heterosexual, the fact remains that the story explores the nature of gender in our own society, as well as on Gethen. For my own part, I found the development of friendship and love between characters so widely diverse much more meaningful than when or how or even whether copulation occurred. In any event, The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic in science fiction literature, a multi-layered story that explores not only cultural divides but sociological ones as well as deep, philosophical quandaries, a must-read for all sci-fi fans. Groundbreaking and evocative, I found myself rooting for both Ai and Estraven, and was sorry to turn the last page. Only one of multiple novels set in the Hainish series, LHoD can be read as a standalone tale. One caveat: Le Guin runs heavy on detail and subtlety. It isn’t exactly an easy read. If that bothers you, dear reader, push through. I promise the payoff is worth it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wow What An Amazing Tale!
*by M***R on December 3, 2024*

My introduction to Ursula K. Le Guin was in a college lit class where “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” was on the syllabus. That short story touched me profoundly and I’ve read it many times through the years. Despite that, I’ve never dove further into her œuvre simply because I’m not a sci-fi fan and that was her lane. But I read an article this year that referenced her 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness and it intrigued me, especially the fact that it’s become an “early seminal text” for the LGBT community. So glad I put aside my hesitation for science fiction and read this book. Le Guin’s writing is so incredibly descriptive. She places the reader perfectly on the harsh planet of Gethen where she spins quite the tale. The plot involves Genly Ai, an envoy from a group of other planets who has visited Gethen in hopes of convincing the leaders on that planet to join his federation (The Ekumen). Ai is assisted in his quest by Therem Harth rem ir Estraven (side note, one of the things I dislike about sci-fi is all the crazy names) who is an advisor to King Argaven before a spectacular fall from grace. The reason this book is so revered among the LGBT community is a quirk of the people on Gethen. They are nonbinary most of the time, except for a few days ever month when their sexual organs emerge and they get hot and horny for some action. This is called “kemmering” and the best part is, you never know from one month to the next if you’ll be a male or female in your next kemmer. Indeed when King Argaven gets pregnant it throws the whole idea of sexual identity and gender roles out the window. At the heart of this book is the relationship between Ai and Estraven. It evolves slowly, from mistrust to respect to friendship and even includes a bit of sexual tension when Estraven kemmers while the two of them are in a tent (like the pregnant king, that’s another reminder that we’re not in Kansas anymore). I loved this book. It forced me to reconsider things like patriotism and sexuality and societal norms. But it was also a gripping novel with a sad yet satisfying ending. I may never be a sci-fi fan but I will dig deeper into Le Guin’s works. She’s two for two in my book.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition
- The Dispossessed [50th Anniversary Edition]: A Novel
- The Parable of the Sower (Parable, 1)

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*Product available on Desertcart Slovakia*
*Store origin: SK*
*Last updated: 2026-03-04*