The Left Hand of Darkness

George Guidall narrates this classic novel with gravity and emotion. He smoothly shifts his voice between that of the outsider Genly Ai, a black man with a masculine voice who is acting as an ambassador on the distant planet Gethen, and the more androgynous voices of the gender-shifting humanoid aliens. The people of Gethen challenge Genly's--and the listener's--notions of masculinity and femininity. The story is full of political intrigue and captivating descriptions of the chilling landscape. Guidall will transport listeners to the distant snowy reaches of "Winter," where Genly and the soft-spoken and determined Estraven struggle to cross glaciers and fight to establish Gethen's place in the community between worlds. Le Guin won the Hugo and the Nebula Awards for this tale, and it remains a genre-defining feminist work. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Le Guin's thought-provoking classic can be a challenge for any narrator. Her ahead-of-its-time narrative is a crazy quilt of excerpts from anthropological reports, cultural myths, and even a personal journal. Yet that doesn't seem to faze Golden Voice Michael Crouch in this gripping audiobook. Using a variety of accents, he brings to life the difficult mission of a human envoy visiting the planet Winter, where the inhabitants regularly change gender. Crouch smoothly differentiates the visitors and dozens of the dual-gender natives, making a complicated story simpler for the listener. Winter is a complex, often inhospitable, world, and Crouch is the perfect guide to sort it out. Thanks to his efforts, this production gives Le Guin's message-packed masterpiece the respect it deserves. D.E.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine