“Light is the left hand of darkness and darkness the right hand of light. Two are one, life and death, lying together like lovers in Kemmer, like hands joined together, like the end and the way”

This short, beautiful poem encompasses the very essence of one of the best works of science fiction literature of all time and the book chosen to open our series of joint winners of the HUGO and NEBULA… Ursula Le Guin’s The left Hand of Darkness.

Despite the critical success of genre pioneers like Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, prior to the 1950’s, cheap serial pulp publications were the main outlet where science fiction could be showcased, developed, and read.

The simple language that was used, the low cost of each issue, and the action packed, stereotypical plots commonly portrayed helped Sci Fi spread among audiences and become a part of popular culture.

In 1926, failed inventor Hugo Gernsback, founded Amazing Stories, the first magazine ever to be devoted solely to science fiction. Respected, iconic authors like Isaac Asimov, Roger Zelazny, and Ursula Le Guin were first published there. In homage to the contribution of Gernback to the development of the genre, the World Science Fiction Society named their awards after him. The annual HUGO awards are given in many categories to the best works of the genre and are regarded as one of the most prestigious accolades an author can aspire to. The Hugo Award nominees and winners are chosen by the attending fans and members of the annual World Science Fiction Convention. It is the recognition of the audiences to the creators.

The Nebula awards are the other half of Science Fiction glory. Created in 1966, they are organized by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The Nebula are given annually to the best works of the genre by the professionals in the industry.

Earning these two awards in the same year is the equivalent of winning all four grand slams in Tennis or taking away the Cannes Film Fest and The Oscars. Going home with both a Hugo and a Nebula is a feat very few have achieved, a feat Ursula Le Guin did. TWICE.

“…The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.”

Ursula Le Guin is one of the authors that has given a high pedigree to Science Fiction. She took the genre away from laser guns and rocket ships and brought it closer to deep themes and thoroughly developed characters. Her works are so well written and intelligent, it made the main public understand that Science Fiction was not just light fun targeted at children. Ursula Le Guin gave the genre the status of high literature.

The Left Hand of Darkness won both the HUGO and the Nebula in 1970 and is the second book of Le Guin’s Hainish series. The story is set in the fictional Hainish Universe where there are the Ekumen, a confederation of planets whose purpose is an exchange of technology and culture for the common well being of the Universe.

Genli Ai is an envoy for the Ekumen who is sent to the planet Winter (Gethen), a vast, white wasteland in perpetual ice age. In Winter, conditions are harsh and extreme with unbearable low temperatures. Gethenians (natives of planet Winter) are stoic, gelid in nature, and neither female or male. They only have sexual urgency once a month when they enter an intricate biological state called Kemmer, analogous to what we know of a mammal being “in season”. But believe me, this is far more freaky.

Le Guin devises a society that under such conditions is one devoid of wars. (Which doesn’t mean they don’t have weapons or use violence) Gethenian confrontations are rather held verbally. Each conversation is a battlefield with a strict code of dignity and pride called shifgrethor.

Genly Ai is having a hard time with the cold, the androgyny, and understanding the subtle rules of shifgrethor. The story goes on as an anthropological adventure following his quest to convince Gethen to adhere to the Ekumen.

After waiting a long time for an audience with the king, he is neglected and goes on to be hunted on the suspicion of treason. Turned overnight into a fugitive in this alien land and much fearing for his life, his only option is to trust the mission and his very survival to prime minister Estraven, precisely the high ranked official he doubts the most.

“…It’s found on Earth, and on Hain-Davenant, and on Chiffewar. It is yin and yang. Light is the left hand of darkness … how did it go? Light, dark. Fear, courage. Cold, warmth. Female, male. It is yourself, Therem. Both and one. A shadow on snow.”

The book is told from multiple perspectives. We see what’s happening through the eyes of Genly Ai, Prime Minister Estraven, and even from the point of view of prior Ekumen researchers. Ursula Le Guin manages to build a highly plausible world, with a distinct language, folk tales, and most notably religion. Le Guin uses the philosophical concept of DAO (or the Way) as the template for Gethen’s belief system in such an innovative and clever way, we perceive it is a fresh concept from an alien world.

It’s difficult to find many examples of worlds built with such epic proportions and rich nuances. Maybe Tolkien’s well known Lord of the Rings is the first to come to mind. But yet, Le Guin’s Universe is one of much more complex undertones. The motivations of each character and even of each country (yes, she even depicts different countries in planet Winter) are ambiguous and shadowy and keeps the reader guessing throughout the whole novel. After you finish the first chapter you won’t have a single clue of where this is going to.

There are so many themes exposed here, you could easily need a whole course to understand the vast world of The Left Hand of Darkness. The confrontation between Determinism and free will is notable, blurring the line between how much of us is crafted by our external conditions and how much is the direct consequence of our free will. Ursula Le Guin even raises the question of whether there is such a thing as pure free will.

In Left Hand of Darkness you will find the most unexpected, bizarre, and yet moving love story you can ever find, a serene, emotional finale that will leave your brain working for decades, and a beautiful reflection of what it is to be Human.

Extremely recommended to newbie readers and bookworms of all tastes. Whether you are looking for adventure, for a grand scale epic, or an intimate tale, this will not disappoint.