By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
Aug. 8, 2021
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1969 novel, is the type of science-fiction tale that I used to hate. It’s entirely set on one planet. There are no real aliens. No technology more exotic than a snow-crawler makes an appearance. There’s no fighting. Nothing really happens.
Eighteen-year-old me would probably have thrown the text aside in disgust after a few hours of reading, if I even made it that far.
I have, fortunately, matured just a tad since then. I wouldn’t call this my favorite science-fiction novel, not by a long shot, but I did find it to make for an interesting reading experience.
The Left Hand of Darkness is about psychology, both individual and collective. It begins during a parade on the first day of the year 1 — the residents of the planet Gethen, I ought to note, use an insane calendar in which every current year is the year 1. This particular parade occurs roughly 24 hours before an emissary named Genly Ai is scheduled to meet the ruler of Karhide, a nation of Gethen.
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