The best books where darkness stalks the edges of wonder

Book cover of Wool Omnibus Book cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Book cover of Dune Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of The Fifth Season

The best sci-fi books about understanding the “enemy”

Book cover of The Naked Sun Book cover of God Emperor of Dune Book cover of Speaker for the Dead Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of Enemy Mine

The best books that most challenge myths about gender and sex

Book cover of The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do men and women really speak different languages? Book cover of Female Masculinity Book cover of Testosterone Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of Sex/Gender

The best books that delve into the darker side of human nature and reality, exploring complex themes through worldbuilding and artistic expression

Book cover of The Shining Book cover of The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories Book cover of The Raven and Other Favorite Poems Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of The Lord of the Rings

The best books to explore strange worlds and new societies

Book cover of A Psalm for the Wild-Built Book cover of The Dispossessed Book cover of Aurora Book cover of The Caves of Steel Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness

The best books that are fantasy and science fiction and make you think

Book cover of The Night Circus Book cover of The Fellowship of the Ring Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Book cover of Cloud Cuckoo Land

The best fantasy books that transport you from reality to imagination

Book cover of The Fellowship of the Ring Book cover of Riddley Walker Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of A Fish Dinner in Memison Book cover of The Borrowers

The best excursions into mind-bending 1970s science fiction

Book cover of Worlds Beyond Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 1970s Book cover of Out from Ganymede Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of 334 Book cover of Among Others

The best LGBTQ+ books to annoy the people trying to ban them

Book cover of This Book Is Gay Book cover of The Color Purple Book cover of The Fifth Elephant Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of The Picture of Dorian Gray

The best science fiction/fantasy novels historically written by women

Book cover of Brightness Falls from the Air Book cover of Dragonflight Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of Frankenstein Book cover of The Tale of Genji

The best sci-fi and speculative stories depicting queer lives

Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of The Offset Book cover of You Sexy Thing Book cover of Shadow Man Book cover of A Psalm for the Wild-Built

The best books that explore what it means to be human

Book cover of Onslaught Book cover of Cyteen Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of City of Golden Shadow Book cover of Dune

The best books to pick for book club

Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence Book cover of Crossing to Safety Book cover of The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia Book cover of A Confederacy of Dunces

The best science fiction books focusing on character and anthropology vs hard science

Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of The Handmaid's Tale Book cover of The Martian Book cover of Ender's Game Book cover of The Three-Body Problem

The best fantasy and science fiction novels with feminist themes and strong female lead characters

Book cover of Light on the Sound Book cover of Babel-17/ Empire Star Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of Kindred Book cover of Meet Me at Infinity

The best science fiction books featuring queer characters

Book cover of Winter's Orbit Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of Gideon the Ninth Book cover of The Space Between Worlds Book cover of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

The best science fiction stories with thought-provoking twists

Book cover of The Dispossessed Book cover of The Gate to Women's Country Book cover of We Can Remember It for You Wholesale and Other Classic Stories Book cover of Stories of Your Life and Others Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness

The best contemporary fantasy and science fiction books with new takes and fresh characters

Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of After Atlas Book cover of The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection Book cover of Tangle's Game Book cover of The Janus Cycle

The best speculative fiction about sex and society

Book cover of Sextopia Book cover of The Gate to Women's Country Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness Book cover of Kushiel's Dart Book cover of Ethan of Athos

The best science fiction about life-changing journeys of survival by women

Book cover of The Fifth Season Book cover of Station Eleven Book cover of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet Book cover of A Gift Upon the Shore Book cover of The Left Hand of Darkness

Want books like The Left Hand of Darkness?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Left Hand of Darkness.

Book cover of The Lord of the Rings Book cover of The Dispossessed Book cover of Dune Book cover of The Three-Body Problem Book cover of The Tale of Genji Book cover of The Handmaid's Tale

Browse books like The Left Hand of Darkness

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in worldbuilding, anthropology, and feminism?

Worldbuilding 173 books
Anthropology 113 books
Feminism 396 books