The Left Hand of Darkness vs Time and again: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Space Travel, Science Fiction, Fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin · 1969 ★★★★☆ 4.4 329 pages · ≈ 6 h 06 m · Challenging

[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…

Gender Ice Age LGBTQ gender identity Ciencia-ficción

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Time and again Clifford D. Simak · 1951 ★★★★☆ 3.9 255 pages · ≈ 4 h 43 m · Moderate

It is the future and Mankind has spread to the stars like seeds before the wind. One star system, though, shrouded in mystery, has defied Man's every attempt to visit it. Every expedition to 61 Cygni has found its path…

Androids Robots

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The Left Hand of Darkness highest: The Left Hand of Darkness 4.4 · Time and again 3.9.
Time and again has the widest readership — 3963 ratings behind its score.
The Left Hand of Darkness runs the darker storyline; Time and again stays the lighter read.

The Left Hand of Darkness: Check price →Time and again: Check price →

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How to choose

Just want the better-reviewed one? The Left Hand of Darkness 4.4 vs 3.9 from readers New to the genre? Time and again Moderate vs Challenging for The Left Hand of Darkness In the mood for something dark? The Left Hand of Darkness a darker storyline than Time and again Want something lighter? Time and again an easier tone than The Left Hand of Darkness

Scores by source

	The Left Hand of Darkness	Time and again
Goodreads	4.3 (262)	3.9 (3963)
Hardcover	3.0 (2)	3.4 (22)
Apple Books	4.5 (576)	4.0 (75)
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Reception

	The Left Hand of Darkness	Time and again
Ratings	576	3963
Editions	91	14
Citations	—	2
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	502	3142
Reading it now	15	676
Written reviews	27	232
Wikipedia attention	34258	181
Pages	329	255
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The Left Hand of Darkness or Time and again?

The Left Hand of Darkness has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Left Hand of Darkness 4.4/5, Time and again 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: The Left Hand of Darkness or Time and again?

Time and again is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Time and again (255 pages, ≈ 4 h 43 m); The Left Hand of Darkness (329 pages, ≈ 6 h 06 m).

Which is harder to read: The Left Hand of Darkness or Time and again?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Left Hand of Darkness: Challenging; Time and again: Moderate.