Herland vs The Left Hand of Darkness: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Classics, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction
Herland
On the eve of WWI, three American male explorers stumble onto an all-female society somewhere in the distant reaches of the earth. Unable to believe their eyes, they promptly set out to find some men, convinced that…
vs
The Left Hand of Darkness
[Comment by Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Guardian's website][1]: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (1969) One of my favorite novels is The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K Le Guin. For more than 40 years…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Left Hand of Darkness highest: The Left Hand of Darkness 4.4 · Herland 3.5.
- Herland is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 6 for The Left Hand of Darkness.
- Herland has the widest readership — 27596 ratings behind its score.
- The Left Hand of Darkness runs the darker storyline; Herland stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
Herland
≈ 2h vs 6h for The Left Hand of Darkness
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Left Hand of Darkness
4.4 vs 3.5 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
The Left Hand of Darkness
a darker storyline than Herland
Want something lighter?
Herland
an easier tone than The Left Hand of Darkness
Scores by source
| Herland | The Left Hand of Darkness | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (27596) | 4.3 (262) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 3.0 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (220) | 4.5 (576) |
Reception
| Herland | The Left Hand of Darkness | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 27596 | 576 |
| Editions | 627 | 91 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 27853 | 502 |
| Reading it now | 1233 | 15 |
| Written reviews | 3322 | 27 |
| Wikipedia attention | 2414 | 34258 |
| Pages | 142 | 329 |