The Left Hand of Darkness vs The Machine Stops: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Science Fiction, Fiction

Cover of The Left Hand of Darkness

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

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Cover of The Machine Stops

The Machine Stops E. M. Forster · 1909 ★★★★☆ 4.1 36 pages · ≈ 40 min · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate The Left Hand of Darkness higher: 4.4 vs 4.1 from 576 votes.
The Machine Stops is the quicker read — about 1 hours vs 6 for The Left Hand of Darkness.
The Machine Stops is the easier read (Moderate), The Left Hand of Darkness more demanding (Challenging).

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