Book Review: The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
Christmas approaches and with it, the annual rituals of books and films. Some people swear by A Christmas Carol. I find Dickens to be almost forensically written and morally complex at the same time. If you want something apposite for long, cosy nights and crackling firesides, the above could be it.
Set in in a distant future, Genly Ai is an investigator for The Ekumen; a galactic empire based not on force, might and conquest, but "curiosity, adventure, delight." He has come to Gethen, a planet in a permanent state of Winter, to convince them to join The Ekumen. Ai's friendship with King Argaven's advisor Estreven makes him a pawn in a political game.
That's the basic narrative of the novel, but it doesn't really reveal it's style, which alternates between the analytics of Ai's field reports, Gethenian fables and sacred texts; plus, the actual friendship between Ai and Estreven. Which, it is suggested has the potential to be much more.
I'd also draw attention to worldbuilding, which for me is as much a capital crime for writers as info dumping. The fine details of life on Gethen come conversationally. So, we learn Gethenian's become the opposite gender (called Kemmer) for a few days each month. This biological fact has shaped every part of their society as much as climate. The cold means that Gethenians eat constantly, strangers are both welcomed and given shelter and buildings have two sets of doors to allow for snowdrifts.
In that sense, it comes from that late 1960's era of science fiction. But it's easier to read and more graceful than something like Dune. I'd probably class that as something like Catch 22 or Ulysses: a K2 or a King Lear of a book; where everyone makes an attempt but few succeed.
But it's perfect for Christmas, as it shows one human life as dependent on another. The title comes from a religious ceremony called a foretelling that Ai attends. The celebrants of which worship a female messiah called Meshe, who died over two Millenia ago.
Ai is seen by some as a sexual deviant for his permanent gender status. He's also seen as a curiosity on a planet with no birds or insects, so the concept of flight doesn't exist. Space is referred to as The Void, where the souls of sinners go.
Estreven's name might mean traitor on Gethen, but he is Ai's saviour in a greater cause. Ai is a young man who has given his life towards it. He's actually over one hundred years old, having travelled from Earth at near light speed in suspended animation. His crewmates will awake in a few years' time as a security measure, but he is literally alone in an alien land.
Le Guin is seen by many as an icon of fantasy and science fiction; but I think that isn't enough praise. I'd also mark her personally in the same league as Bulgakov or Spark. I've read one book by each and I am terrified to read another, lest it isn't as good.
However, now we are near the equinox and we're all out of Whamaggedon, why not join me in my ritual? You'll learn that "a single voice, speaking truth is a more powerful force than fleets and armies, given time." See also "Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made like bread, remade all the time, made new."
