User Profile

noisenerd

noisenerd@bookwyrm.social

Joined 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Maker of strange noises and devices for the proliferation of such. He/him. Read dates before 2024 are approximate.

Mostly a reader of SF & politics/history, also some fantasy, science, philosophy, and religion (though I'm not religious myself).

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noisenerd's books

Currently Reading

2025 Reading Goal

58% complete! noisenerd has read 7 of 12 books.

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness (Paperback, 2010, Ace Books)

On the planet Winter, there is no gender. The Gethenians can become male or female …

I get why it's held in high esteem, but not a top favorite for me

It's well-written, contains interesting ideas, and takes place in an interesting setting, but the story itself just didn't grab me. It was still pretty easy to keep reading though, in part because the writing was so enjoyable, and in part because there were some bits of lore sprinkled in that I actually found more engrossing than the main plot. They don't feel clunky enough for me to call them infodumps, though I suppose that's kind of what they are. Whatever you want to call those, I think they were my favorite parts.

Ultimately, I would say this is one of those books I admire more than I like, but don't take that overly harshly. I would say this is purely a matter of taste, not quality.

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness (Paperback, 2010, Ace Books)

On the planet Winter, there is no gender. The Gethenians can become male or female …

Complex feelings on this one

On the one hand, I didn't enjoy the main story that much. I wouldn't say it's boring, it just didn't grab me I guess. On the other hand, the writing/prose is quite good, and there were parts I did quite enjoy. I did like the core idea, and the setting is interesting and well-constructed. There are a couple of "lore dumps" in particular that were my favorite parts of the book.

I remember hearing someone say about some other book something along the lines of "I admire it more than I enjoyed it," and I think that somewhat fits my feelings here. I wouldn't go so far as to say I didn't like it, but I wouldn't call it a favorite either. That said, I find it hard to give it just an average rating, as it was so well-written.