The Left Hand of Darkness
50th Anniversary Edition (Ace Science Fiction)
by Ursula K Le Guin
Foreword by David Mitchell
50th anniversary edition—with a new introduction by David Mitchell and a new afterword by Charlie Jane Anders.
Ursula K Le Guin's groundbreaking work of science fiction—winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
From the Amazon book page:
A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants' gender is fluid. 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 strange, intriguing culture 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.
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I read this book the first time many years ago, when I was developing the concept of my Chiasmii people. A Chiasma would be fully male and fully female, but would alter between the two genderphases (San - female, and Pter - male) every three months or so. In the "between times" they would be gender fluid. Pregnancy was avoided by avoiding penetration during the female phase. They were telepathic, and universally blond-haired and blue-eyed.
Unknown to them, they had been created to be "genetic vessels" capable of being impregnated by their own seed, creating a single-parent host. This provided ample room for added DNA, which could turn them into other creatures.
In my current story universe, it's been thousands of years since their creator contacted them, and they have only fleeting memories of myths to remind them.
Reading this book inspired me in so many ways. I highly recommend it.
Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.
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Wow Kayelle, I had no idea – 1971. Wish I had known sooner. Wish our own culture had progressed more towards that goal, though we’re a long way from where we were then :)
There’s a reason it’s remained a classic all these years. Like Dune and Foundation, landmark books that set the tone for generations to come.