The Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula K. Le Guin
All right, I'm being a little slack here, but school is getting kind of crazy for me right now and I haven't had much of a chance to relax, let alone indulge myself in book reviews. I did manage to get through this book before things got really weird, and I'm glad I did. The novel definitely has a lot to offer its readers who are willing to look beyond its sci-fi/fantasy facade and delve deeper into its literary merit. To those who say that science fiction cannot have literary merit, I posit this book, which is sci-fi to the max but is a work of utmost subtlety and deft storytelling.
Though the novel is riddled with confusing moments and references to a foreign world, it usually recovers from its missteps quickly and returns to the point at hand. Occasionally Le Guin will toss in a planet name or two, or an alternate name for a character, and will throw the reader off for a couple of pages. While this is annoying at best, it does not seriously hinder a first-time read of the book and I imagine it would be almost unnoticeable on a second perusal. Le Guin's storytelling chops shine through and these slight distractions can be chalked up to her complete immersion in the fictional world she has created.
And boy, can Ursula K. Le Guin create an alternate world. Gethen is a foreign planet not so foreign from our own, a cold wasteland that nonetheless posseses a considerable human(oid) population. The environment, in fact, almost adds itself to the list of compelling characters in the book, forcing the actual characters to adapt and creating a world where war is simply inconvenient due to the necessity of, well, warmth. When it comes to alternative world creation, there are no immediately visible holes in Le Guin's plan: Gethen is consistent and is close enough to Earth (the novel's Terra) to be relevant to readers. Gethenians may be out in the far-flung reaches of outer space, but they have their border squabbles and competing governmental systems just as we do. This is all to say nothing of the characters, who are compelling and who implore us to reach beyond our limited horizons and see what is really in front of us. Gethenians are born without consistent physical gender, which works fine for them but presents quite the challenge to visiting envoy Genly Ai, who is seen as a pervert for his perpetual paternal inclination. Ignoring my alliterative whimsy, this matter provides an excellent lens through which to view Le Guin's main topic throughout the book.
That is to say, the novel, though entirely enjoyable as a straightforward story, has much to say about the way that humans far and wide tend to view the world in front of their eyes. The novel is a story of projection and the problems that come along with making too many assumptions, both about other people and even about the environments we inhabit. Philosophical notes, such as the parable that illustrates the folly of having the right answer to the wrong question, gain new meaning when viewed through the scope of their implications for the study of projection- we want to experience that which we believe will be useful to us and we want to avoid that which we deem to be difficult or harmful. Le Guin's narrative challenges the reader to rise above these expectations and take a try at looking beyond the surface.
The prose itself flows beautifully and the alternating narrative perspectives only illuminate the story, though occasionally providing an unnecessary little jolt of confusion and disorientation. Le Guin's writing itself is hard to criticize, and aside from aforementioned lapses the novel holds together quite well, offering logical progressions and only relevant information (even the seemingly unrelated stories come to have meaning upon reflection). This is not a novel to be taken lightly, though if it was it would probably provide an enjoyable escapist read. I, however, ask more of my literature and this book delivers on both philosophical and narrative grounds. Any singular aspect of this book makes it worth reading, from its elaborate setting to its interesting premise of a neutrally gendered species (and the attendant implications and its hidden, but vibrant, love story.
Grade: A-
Ursula K. Le Guin
All right, I'm being a little slack here, but school is getting kind of crazy for me right now and I haven't had much of a chance to relax, let alone indulge myself in book reviews. I did manage to get through this book before things got really weird, and I'm glad I did. The novel definitely has a lot to offer its readers who are willing to look beyond its sci-fi/fantasy facade and delve deeper into its literary merit. To those who say that science fiction cannot have literary merit, I posit this book, which is sci-fi to the max but is a work of utmost subtlety and deft storytelling.
Though the novel is riddled with confusing moments and references to a foreign world, it usually recovers from its missteps quickly and returns to the point at hand. Occasionally Le Guin will toss in a planet name or two, or an alternate name for a character, and will throw the reader off for a couple of pages. While this is annoying at best, it does not seriously hinder a first-time read of the book and I imagine it would be almost unnoticeable on a second perusal. Le Guin's storytelling chops shine through and these slight distractions can be chalked up to her complete immersion in the fictional world she has created.
And boy, can Ursula K. Le Guin create an alternate world. Gethen is a foreign planet not so foreign from our own, a cold wasteland that nonetheless posseses a considerable human(oid) population. The environment, in fact, almost adds itself to the list of compelling characters in the book, forcing the actual characters to adapt and creating a world where war is simply inconvenient due to the necessity of, well, warmth. When it comes to alternative world creation, there are no immediately visible holes in Le Guin's plan: Gethen is consistent and is close enough to Earth (the novel's Terra) to be relevant to readers. Gethenians may be out in the far-flung reaches of outer space, but they have their border squabbles and competing governmental systems just as we do. This is all to say nothing of the characters, who are compelling and who implore us to reach beyond our limited horizons and see what is really in front of us. Gethenians are born without consistent physical gender, which works fine for them but presents quite the challenge to visiting envoy Genly Ai, who is seen as a pervert for his perpetual paternal inclination. Ignoring my alliterative whimsy, this matter provides an excellent lens through which to view Le Guin's main topic throughout the book.
That is to say, the novel, though entirely enjoyable as a straightforward story, has much to say about the way that humans far and wide tend to view the world in front of their eyes. The novel is a story of projection and the problems that come along with making too many assumptions, both about other people and even about the environments we inhabit. Philosophical notes, such as the parable that illustrates the folly of having the right answer to the wrong question, gain new meaning when viewed through the scope of their implications for the study of projection- we want to experience that which we believe will be useful to us and we want to avoid that which we deem to be difficult or harmful. Le Guin's narrative challenges the reader to rise above these expectations and take a try at looking beyond the surface.
The prose itself flows beautifully and the alternating narrative perspectives only illuminate the story, though occasionally providing an unnecessary little jolt of confusion and disorientation. Le Guin's writing itself is hard to criticize, and aside from aforementioned lapses the novel holds together quite well, offering logical progressions and only relevant information (even the seemingly unrelated stories come to have meaning upon reflection). This is not a novel to be taken lightly, though if it was it would probably provide an enjoyable escapist read. I, however, ask more of my literature and this book delivers on both philosophical and narrative grounds. Any singular aspect of this book makes it worth reading, from its elaborate setting to its interesting premise of a neutrally gendered species (and the attendant implications and its hidden, but vibrant, love story.
Grade: A-
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