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The Left Hand of Darkness: Difference between revisions
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like the end and the way."'' }}
A 1969 Science fiction novel from [[Ursula K. Le Guin]] telling the story of Genly Ai of Earth, the Envoy of the [[The Federation|Ekumen]], to the planet Gethen. Gethen is far away from the rest of the planets humans were settled on by the ancient [[Precursors|Hain]]. Gethen, which has been nicknamed by Terrans Winter, is a cold, glacial planet, but its real peculiarity is in the people: Gethenians are [[Gender Bender|Gender Benders]], and it has a profound effect on their society.
Genly Ai's task is to persuade Gethenians to join the Ekumen, but they're unreceptive, while tensions between the nations of Orgoreyn and Karhide grow and the first war ever on Gethen is looming on the horizon...
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* [[God Save Us From the Queen]]: with a few twists, quite apart from the [[Gender Bender|obvious one]]; Argaven is also, for the most part, sufficiently bonkers to qualify as a version of [[The Caligula]].
* [[The Great Escape]]
* [[The Gulag]]: Orgoreyn runs them. Gulag - "[[Reassigned to Antarctica|send them to Siberia!]]" - the planet [[Exactly What It Says
* [[Her Heart Will Go On|His/Her Heart Will Go On]]: It's complicated.
* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]
* [[Humans Are Psychic in
* [[Ice World]]: Gethen is currently in its Ice Age.
* [[IKEA Erotica]]: Most of the discussion of Gethenian sexuality; justified in that these are generally anthropological in intent. Also Genly's speculation about the possibility of intercourse with a Gethenian.
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* [[The Republic]]: Orgoreyn, which is a [[Police State]].
* [[Perfect Pacifist People]]: Sort of. Gethenians do kill each other by murders or clan feuds, but have never had a war. Like in the [[Medieval Stasis]] example, it's discussed if it's the harsh weather, or the lack of male-female -- the most primal kind of "us versus them" -- distinction. {{spoiler|Later short stories reveal that the war will happen.}}
* [[Shown Their Work]]: [[Ursula K. Le Guin|le Guin]]'s interest in Taoism fairly clearly colours the descriptions of Gethenian religion, at least as far as Handdara is concerned: it is less clear what the breakaway Yomeshta group (dominant in Orgoreyn, and increasingly in Karhide) corresponds to, but at least it's a founder religion like Islam or Buddhism.
* [[Smug Snake]]: Argaven's [[Perpetual Smiler]] evil cousin Tibe, with a side of [[The Starscream]] (though s/he finds it convenient to leave Argaven officially in charge).
* [[Someone to Remember Him By]]
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