Bibliophiles of Loathing discussion

discuss!

Ok so I didn't get around to this because A) it was posted late (I forgive you and your crummy computer jodez!) and B) I had already read it. It was long ago that I don't remember it super clearly, but recent enough that I didn't feel compelled to read it again. I do hope, however, that group members do read it when they get the chance. I really like Le Guinn's work, it has actual substance.

Left Hand of Darkness comes from her "Hainish Cycle" which is a group of loosely connected books from the same Sci-Fi setting. The books are all individual things but they take place in the same universe at various times. Generally it involves someone from outside the culture coming in and being introduced to new views and so forth.

In this book the interplanetary body sends an Envoy to a cold planet to see if they would like to join them in their sort of Star Treky Federation of planets type thing. The interesting thing about the citizens of this planet is their sexuality. Rather than being one sex or the other, or even classically androgynous or hermaphroditic, they are completely asexual until they are ready for mating. The book explores this unique sexual attribute through the Envoy whose sexuality is as our own. But while this is an interesting part of the plot, much of it is largely political. How does a planet react to intelligent alien life so very different from its own asking them to join an interplanetary alliance?

In my view it was very well written and interesting. Though she writes sci-fi and fantasy primarily, she never gets as long winded as the genres can. She doesn't write big meaty tomes, they are relatively short books that have a lot to say.

I read this, and forgot to post about it.

I liked the book. It barely felt like sci-fi for a vast majority of the novel, as there was really very little technology at all, and the foretelling and mindspeech are kinda fantasy elements.

It kinda reminded me at points of the Hyperion books, as those are similar in feel, all about understanding a foreign entity that, while it shares certain characteristics, is still very alien in culture.

I've been slack and haven't read this yet, but just got a kickstarter email about a project documenting the author (sorry can't link it from my phone) called Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin if any one is interested in checking it out.