This is the first Ursula K. Le Guin book that I have read, and I enjoyed it. This book is the epitome of sci-fi. It has all the features of a good sci-fi novel: an alien race on an alien world, space-time travel, and the interaction of the familiar with the unfamiliar.

I liked the overlying question that Le Guin weaved throughout this book: What defines humanity? In a world without gender, does the human race lose its defining spark? Or is there still something under the surface that defies minor differences such as gender? Le Guin brought up the dualities that usually define the human experience: yin and yang, male and female, light and dark; she questioned the existence of such dualities in a world lacking the male and female distinction, and theorized the effect this lack would have on the growth of a culture.

To explore this question, the story follows the interaction between the Envoy, Genly Ai from the Ekumen, and the ex-Prime Minister of Karhide, Estraven. Estraven rescues Genly from a prison in Orgoreyn, and for me this is where the story really begins. They must cross the wastes of the land back to Karhide, without encountering anyone from Orgoreyn, who will capture Genly and Estraven who do not have papers which will pass inspection. Estraven is a surprising resource at this point, especially to Genly. Estraven prepares them for their journey, calculating how much food they will need and how quickly they will complete their journey. Of course, they run out of food and go several days over their initial calculations because of unforeseen problems during their journey. But during this time, they learn much about each other and become as close as they can be. It makes a profound change to the both of them.

The rest of the story is very political, and the plot wraps up quite nicely. The Envoy's mission is completed; Karhide is convinced to join the Ekumen by Genly's timely return. The story ends with Genly visiting Estraven's family to deliver his journals to them.

There were a lot of elements to this story that went unexplored; I admire Le Guin's ability to display the depth of culture in a people without overly describing it. Genly, of course, explores this society as much as we can, and we learn much through his perspective, but much else goes unexplained (or at least, explained in less detail than my curiosity would like). I wanted to know more about the Hearths and the family system--Le Guin hints at this a lot throughout the book. Shifgrethor is talked about a lot, but I don't think I ever truly understood it, and this is probably because Genly never truly understood it either. Le Guin does an excellent job of describing her world through the eyes of a stranger, one who can never fully explore or understand the depth of the culture he has entered into.