[stencyl]

I think that it is a tough call between Lathe of Heaven and Left Hand of Darkness. Both are excellent novels.

I agree with all that was said about Lathe of Heaven. I like the way it plays out the power struggles throughout. I like the fact that LeGuin subtly begins with a sort of gender role reversal between Lelache and Orr, and that role reversal is shifted to a more traditional one through on of the reality-revising dreams. I also like the way the book deals with the conflict of action v. inaction in light of some very man-made messes in the world, not too far fetched ones at that. These things are secondary to her concepts of utopian building in the novel, which are dealt with extremely well.

I think that Left Hand of Darkness does some very interesting things with gender, far more overtly in this work. The tension, sometimes revulsion, that Genly Ai feels in reaction to the androgynes is palpable. And it's this that allows LeGuin to critique those behaviors that even the reader has learned are "supposed" to be attached to males and those that are "supposed" to be attached to females.

She is also one of those writers who can flat out tell a great story.