The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

This kind of book is precisely why I do this blog. I found it on my brief list of books that I use to keep track of my reading, and it took some time to recall what it was and why I read it. It came back, but in 6 more months that would have been doubtful.

The story is of a sort of United Nations of planets that is trying to bring another world into the fold for its own protection and benefit. The problem is that the planet does not believe in other civilizations outside their world, and their king distrusts what he assumes is an imposter trying to tie their hands in some way. The planet has its own problems, chief of them being that it's primarily ice, though the people there seem to prefer it that way. The story becomes one of court intrigue in part, though in a very muscular fashion--it is a very primitive planet with primitive ways. The story drags a bit, I thought, when the ambassador and one of the court members undertake to cross a glacial plain in order to get to another outpost of the civilization. The crossing is arduous and well told, but long.

Overall, I loved the book for its ideas, but it was a bit of a tedious read in spots.

Le Guin's book is a classic of sci-fi though I had not heard of it until I read a random twitter post by David Malki, asking why no one had pointed it out to him in the past because it was so brilliant. Seeing that, I put it on the library list and read it, finishing it in mid-May 2013.