This is an amazing book. Literate, incisive, filled with a lyrical poetic prose which is deeply moving. As always, Le Guin strikes at the heart of identity and what it means to be human under the guise of fantasy/science fiction. An amazing author, a remarkable book. Don’t miss it.

Read her. Read everything by her. But this is her best known work.

A book that greets you warmly through the door, walks alongside you, and then whispers goodbye when it is time to join society once more.

A slow storyline. Painfully so. Yes, it’s cold. Yes, the inhabitants of this world are naturally androgynous. No, I didn’t care. A laborous, it not self indulgent, attempt at being ethereal and thought provoking. Pages and pages dedicated to one long torturous journey across an ice wasteland, to have all the political social questions wrapped up a few quick sentences. I should have been given an award for finishing the book.

When I finished this book, I felt like I had been a part of the awakening of two people who had learned what it means to be fully human. Yes, they are from different planets with vastly different languages, cultures, governmental structures, daily, and sexual practices, but facing adversity together allows them to form a deep bond. I highly recommend this book.

One of the greatest Science Fiction novels ever. Space, the future and a study of human nature are all on display here. Superb writing.