Ruin and Rising vs The Left Hand of Darkness: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fantasy, Fiction
Ruin and Rising
"The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Alina forges new alliances as she and Mal search for Morozova's last amplifier. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that alters her…
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
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Left Hand of Darkness is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 8 for Ruin and Rising.
- Ruin and Rising has the widest readership — 1522 ratings behind its score.
- The Left Hand of Darkness runs the darker storyline; Ruin and Rising stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Left Hand of Darkness
≈ 6h vs 8h for Ruin and Rising
New to the genre?
Ruin and Rising
Light vs Challenging for The Left Hand of Darkness
In the mood for something dark?
The Left Hand of Darkness
a darker storyline than Ruin and Rising
Want something lighter?
Ruin and Rising
an easier tone than The Left Hand of Darkness
Scores by source
| Ruin and Rising | The Left Hand of Darkness | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 4.3 (262) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (982) | 3.0 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (1522) | 4.5 (576) |
Reception
| Ruin and Rising | The Left Hand of Darkness | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1522 | 576 |
| Editions | 26 | 91 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 502 |
| Reading it now | — | 15 |
| Written reviews | — | 27 |
| Wikipedia attention | 8580 | 34258 |
| Pages | 480 | 329 |