The Left Hand of Darkness vs The Machine Stops: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Science Fiction, Fiction
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…
vs
The Machine Stops
"The Machine Stops" is a science fiction short story by E. M. Forster. After initial publication in The Oxford and Cambridge Review (November 1909), the story was republished in Forsters The Eternal Moment and Other…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Left Hand of Darkness highest: The Left Hand of Darkness 4.4 · The Machine Stops 4.1.
- The Machine Stops is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 6 for The Left Hand of Darkness.
- The Machine Stops has the widest readership — 22307 ratings behind its score.
- The Left Hand of Darkness runs the darker storyline; The Machine Stops stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Machine Stops
≈ 1h vs 6h for The Left Hand of Darkness
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Left Hand of Darkness
4.4 vs 4.1 from readers
New to the genre?
The Machine Stops
Moderate vs Challenging for The Left Hand of Darkness
In the mood for something dark?
The Left Hand of Darkness
a darker storyline than The Machine Stops
Want something lighter?
The Machine Stops
an easier tone than The Left Hand of Darkness
Scores by source
| The Left Hand of Darkness | The Machine Stops | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (262) | 4.1 (22307) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (2) | 4.1 (139) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (576) | 4.5 (60) |
Reception
| The Left Hand of Darkness | The Machine Stops | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 576 | 22307 |
| Editions | 91 | 311 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 502 | 27353 |
| Reading it now | 15 | 932 |
| Written reviews | 27 | 2844 |
| Wikipedia attention | 34258 | 8694 |
| Pages | 329 | 36 |