--- product_id: 21464065 title: "The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition" price: "AR$38097" currency: ARS in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/21464065-the-left-hand-of-darkness-50th-anniversary-edition store_origin: AR region: Argentina --- # The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition **Price:** AR$38097 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition - **How much does it cost?** AR$38097 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.ar](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/21464065-the-left-hand-of-darkness-50th-anniversary-edition) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description 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. 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. Review: Fascinating story, groundbreaking work, recommended for anyone - Book Info: Genre: Science Fiction Reading Level: Adult Recommended for: Anyone, especially those interested in gender roles. Please Note: I picked up a used copy of this after reading Nataliya's review on Goodreads. A opinions are my own. Synopsis: Genly Ai is an emissary from the human galaxy to Winter, a lost, stray world. His mission is to bring the planet back into the fold of an evolving galactic civilization, but to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own culture and prejudices and those that he encounters. On a planet where people are of no gender - or both - this is a broad gulf indeed. The inventiveness and delicacy with which Le Guin portrays her alien world are not only unusual and inspiring, they are fundamental to almost all decent science fiction that has been written since. In fact, reading Le Guin again may cause the eye to narrow somewhat disapprovingly at the younger generation: what new ground are they breaking that is not already explored here with greater skill and acumen? It cannot be said, however, that this is a rollicking good story. Le Guin takes a lot of time to explore her characters, the world of her creation, and the philosophical themes that arise. My Thoughts: This book is part of a series by Le Guin called the Hainish Cycle; these books can be read interdependently of one another. In the introduction to this book, the author says, "Science fiction is often described, and even defined, as extrapolative. The science fiction writer is supposed to take a trend or phenomenon of the here-and-now, purify and intensify it for dramatic effect, and extend it into the future... a prediction is made. Method and results much resemble those of a scientist... the outcome seems almost inevitably to be cancer... somewhere between the gradual extinction of human liberty and the total extinction of terrestrial life... Almost anything carried to its logical extreme becomes depressing, if not carcinogenic." Her point is that she is telling a story, not extrapolating into the future - and she tells a story very well. Genly Ai is a fascinating character; he's so incredibly biased, but tries to maintain a presence among the people on Winter without letting them know how he really feels; watching him grow and change through the course of the book was a wonderful experience. On the other hand, I'm also fascinated by the King of Karhide who, upon learning there were thousands of other civilizations out there, instead of considering that his people were the odd ones, rather claims that they were the only normal ones and all those thousands of civilizations were full of aberrations and perverts. It's a fascinating study on how people consider themselves and only themselves to be the norm. I do wish some form of gender-neutral terminology had been created for this book. Having Genly call everyone "he" even if he considers some of them feminine is distracting. However, this is not, I am fairly certain, something that was really even considered when this book was written (1969) and it was probably quite a shocking and groundbreaking idea at the time. "Consider: Anyone can turn his hand to anything... The fact that everyone between seventeen and thirty-five or so is liable to be (as Nim put it) `tied down to childbearing,' implies that no one is quite so thoroughly `tied down' here as women elsewhere are likely to be... burden and privilege are shared out pretty equally, everybody has the same risk to run or choice to make. therefore nobody here is quite so free as a free male anywhere else." A fascinating thought, and one that is dealt with in only an ancillary way throughout the course of the book, as are all other ideas being expressed by this text. Definitely an interesting book, a great story, wonderful world-building. I'm very happy that I was introduced to this book and took the chance to grab a copy when I had a gift certificate. I think this is an important book that should be study in gender-study classes at the university level; I think it is a book most everyone should read and spend some time thinking about. Review: an excellent example of worldbuilding - On Gethen, human envoy Genly Ai has been sent to convince the planet’s leaders to join the Ekumen, a loose confederation of planets who do not rule one another, but who cooperate in matters of interest to all Ekumen members. Barriers to Ai’s success include Gethenian pride, antipathy and discord between that world’s rival nation-states, and Ai’s lack of understanding in a global culture fueled by the ambisexual nature of Gethenians. The only native who believes the Ekumen can save Gethen is Estraven, a native whom Ai regards with suspicion. But when politics casts Estraven in a criminal light, Ai is dragged into a fierce powerplay and finds himself imprisoned, beaten, and left for dead. Only by abandoning his prejudice—and learning to trust the Otherness of his savior—can he survive his ordeal. The Left Hand of Darkness was originally published in 1969 and is the title that established Le Guin as a science fiction writer. It’s incredibly intricate, an excellent example of worldbuilding. Politics and governance are well-represented, if convoluted, which makes it all the more believable. The climate on Gethen is wintry; inhabitants and their lifestyles reflect this in every detail. But what captivated me most was the nature of Gethenian sexuality. On Gethen, gender is irrelevant. Though Ai uses predominantly masculine pronouns throughout the narrative, native humanoids on Gethen are not born male or female. They are neither—until they enter “kemmer,” a regular period of increased hormonal activity in which Gethenians are driven to find a partner who is also in kemmer, for sex and procreation. Hormone levels determine which partner becomes the inseminator and which becomes the recipient. If the recipient becomes pregnant, they remain “female” throughout the gestation period, after which they return to normal. This cycle drives the entire culture, coloring every aspect of Gethenian society. Though this isn’t the only detail to recommend the book, it’s definitely key to the story. At the time it was written, Gethenian sexuality drew a lot of attention among readers and reviewers; but it’s still relevant today. While some have criticized Le Guin for homophobia, and while Le Guin later expressed regret that she’d portrayed Gethenian norms as heterosexual, the fact remains that the story explores the nature of gender in our own society, as well as on Gethen. For my own part, I found the development of friendship and love between characters so widely diverse much more meaningful than when or how or even whether copulation occurred. In any event, The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic in science fiction literature, a multi-layered story that explores not only cultural divides but sociological ones as well as deep, philosophical quandaries, a must-read for all sci-fi fans. Groundbreaking and evocative, I found myself rooting for both Ai and Estraven, and was sorry to turn the last page. Only one of multiple novels set in the Hainish series, LHoD can be read as a standalone tale. One caveat: Le Guin runs heavy on detail and subtlety. It isn’t exactly an easy read. If that bothers you, dear reader, push through. I promise the payoff is worth it. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #65,793 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #24 in Alien Invasion Science Fiction #37 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books) #67 in Science Fiction Short Stories | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 15,158 Reviews | ## Images ![The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71XqE4caMNL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fascinating story, groundbreaking work, recommended for anyone *by K***A on November 4, 2012* Book Info: Genre: Science Fiction Reading Level: Adult Recommended for: Anyone, especially those interested in gender roles. Please Note: I picked up a used copy of this after reading Nataliya's review on Goodreads. A opinions are my own. Synopsis: Genly Ai is an emissary from the human galaxy to Winter, a lost, stray world. His mission is to bring the planet back into the fold of an evolving galactic civilization, but to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own culture and prejudices and those that he encounters. On a planet where people are of no gender - or both - this is a broad gulf indeed. The inventiveness and delicacy with which Le Guin portrays her alien world are not only unusual and inspiring, they are fundamental to almost all decent science fiction that has been written since. In fact, reading Le Guin again may cause the eye to narrow somewhat disapprovingly at the younger generation: what new ground are they breaking that is not already explored here with greater skill and acumen? It cannot be said, however, that this is a rollicking good story. Le Guin takes a lot of time to explore her characters, the world of her creation, and the philosophical themes that arise. My Thoughts: This book is part of a series by Le Guin called the Hainish Cycle; these books can be read interdependently of one another. In the introduction to this book, the author says, "Science fiction is often described, and even defined, as extrapolative. The science fiction writer is supposed to take a trend or phenomenon of the here-and-now, purify and intensify it for dramatic effect, and extend it into the future... a prediction is made. Method and results much resemble those of a scientist... the outcome seems almost inevitably to be cancer... somewhere between the gradual extinction of human liberty and the total extinction of terrestrial life... Almost anything carried to its logical extreme becomes depressing, if not carcinogenic." Her point is that she is telling a story, not extrapolating into the future - and she tells a story very well. Genly Ai is a fascinating character; he's so incredibly biased, but tries to maintain a presence among the people on Winter without letting them know how he really feels; watching him grow and change through the course of the book was a wonderful experience. On the other hand, I'm also fascinated by the King of Karhide who, upon learning there were thousands of other civilizations out there, instead of considering that his people were the odd ones, rather claims that they were the only normal ones and all those thousands of civilizations were full of aberrations and perverts. It's a fascinating study on how people consider themselves and only themselves to be the norm. I do wish some form of gender-neutral terminology had been created for this book. Having Genly call everyone "he" even if he considers some of them feminine is distracting. However, this is not, I am fairly certain, something that was really even considered when this book was written (1969) and it was probably quite a shocking and groundbreaking idea at the time. "Consider: Anyone can turn his hand to anything... The fact that everyone between seventeen and thirty-five or so is liable to be (as Nim put it) `tied down to childbearing,' implies that no one is quite so thoroughly `tied down' here as women elsewhere are likely to be... burden and privilege are shared out pretty equally, everybody has the same risk to run or choice to make. therefore nobody here is quite so free as a free male anywhere else." A fascinating thought, and one that is dealt with in only an ancillary way throughout the course of the book, as are all other ideas being expressed by this text. Definitely an interesting book, a great story, wonderful world-building. I'm very happy that I was introduced to this book and took the chance to grab a copy when I had a gift certificate. I think this is an important book that should be study in gender-study classes at the university level; I think it is a book most everyone should read and spend some time thinking about. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ an excellent example of worldbuilding *by D***D on September 3, 2018* On Gethen, human envoy Genly Ai has been sent to convince the planet’s leaders to join the Ekumen, a loose confederation of planets who do not rule one another, but who cooperate in matters of interest to all Ekumen members. Barriers to Ai’s success include Gethenian pride, antipathy and discord between that world’s rival nation-states, and Ai’s lack of understanding in a global culture fueled by the ambisexual nature of Gethenians. The only native who believes the Ekumen can save Gethen is Estraven, a native whom Ai regards with suspicion. But when politics casts Estraven in a criminal light, Ai is dragged into a fierce powerplay and finds himself imprisoned, beaten, and left for dead. Only by abandoning his prejudice—and learning to trust the Otherness of his savior—can he survive his ordeal. The Left Hand of Darkness was originally published in 1969 and is the title that established Le Guin as a science fiction writer. It’s incredibly intricate, an excellent example of worldbuilding. Politics and governance are well-represented, if convoluted, which makes it all the more believable. The climate on Gethen is wintry; inhabitants and their lifestyles reflect this in every detail. But what captivated me most was the nature of Gethenian sexuality. On Gethen, gender is irrelevant. Though Ai uses predominantly masculine pronouns throughout the narrative, native humanoids on Gethen are not born male or female. They are neither—until they enter “kemmer,” a regular period of increased hormonal activity in which Gethenians are driven to find a partner who is also in kemmer, for sex and procreation. Hormone levels determine which partner becomes the inseminator and which becomes the recipient. If the recipient becomes pregnant, they remain “female” throughout the gestation period, after which they return to normal. This cycle drives the entire culture, coloring every aspect of Gethenian society. Though this isn’t the only detail to recommend the book, it’s definitely key to the story. At the time it was written, Gethenian sexuality drew a lot of attention among readers and reviewers; but it’s still relevant today. While some have criticized Le Guin for homophobia, and while Le Guin later expressed regret that she’d portrayed Gethenian norms as heterosexual, the fact remains that the story explores the nature of gender in our own society, as well as on Gethen. For my own part, I found the development of friendship and love between characters so widely diverse much more meaningful than when or how or even whether copulation occurred. In any event, The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic in science fiction literature, a multi-layered story that explores not only cultural divides but sociological ones as well as deep, philosophical quandaries, a must-read for all sci-fi fans. Groundbreaking and evocative, I found myself rooting for both Ai and Estraven, and was sorry to turn the last page. Only one of multiple novels set in the Hainish series, LHoD can be read as a standalone tale. One caveat: Le Guin runs heavy on detail and subtlety. It isn’t exactly an easy read. If that bothers you, dear reader, push through. I promise the payoff is worth it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Everything I hoped for and more *by D***J on September 2, 2025* ‘I asked if these two psychopaths could not be cured. “Cured?” Goss said. “Would you cure a singer of his voice?”’ (p66) While I always enjoy high quality science fiction, I read this book largely as a matter of cultural literacy. Folks say this is an important, historic work. My experience validates that it is – and that’s an understatement. For some reason, though, I expected that I’d have to fight the book – wrestle with it – to make sense of a tangled, impenetrable, quirky work of art. That was not the case. Le Guin’s calm, penetrating prose, her sharp, understated commentary, and the compelling story made this book a pleasure to read. When it hit the streets in 1969 it was both ahead of its time and sensationally timely. Now, nearly sixty years later, it’s clear this book is also timeless. Of course her treatment of unconventional sexual physiology, together with its social and psychological implications, is arguably this novel’s most famous feature. And yes -- all that is as fascinating and weighty as I knew it would be. But Le Guin casts a much wider net; she left me breathless with the depth and range of her insights on just about every aspect of social norms and what it means to be human. Assuming you have the fiftieth anniversary edition, be sure to read the intro by David (“Cloud Atlas”) Mitchell, and the author’s own opening note. They are both spectacular. Once you’ve read the novel itself, I also suggest that you take the time to read Charlie Jane Anders’ afterward. Together, the three commentaries will contribute substantially toward your understanding and appreciation of this extraordinary novel. If this book moves you, check out Mary Doria Russell’s “The Sparrow”, and its sequel, “Children of God”. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition - The Dispossessed [50th Anniversary Edition]: A Novel - The Parable of the Sower (Parable, 1) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/21464065-the-left-hand-of-darkness-50th-anniversary-edition](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/21464065-the-left-hand-of-darkness-50th-anniversary-edition) --- *Product available on Desertcart Argentina* *Store origin: AR* *Last updated: 2026-09-13*