Ann Leckie is the author of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award winning novel
Ancillary Justice and the novels that followed,
Ancillary Sword and
Ancillary Mercy. One title from her list of the ten best science fiction books she tagged for
Publishers Weekly:
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The "science" in "science fiction" isn't just physics and engineering. It can also be linguistics, anthropology, and psychology. This is the story of Genly Ai, a man sent to talk the inhabitants of the planet Gethen into joining the interstellar civilization he represents. The genderless nature of the Gethenians is probably the most famous aspect of this book, but it is hardly the only notable thing about it. The cultures are carefully drawn, and there's a reason everyone who reads it remembers Genly and Estraven's desperate flight across the ice.
Read about
the other books on the list.
The Left Hand of Darkness is among
Esther Inglis-Arkell's ten most unfilmable books,
Jeff Somers's top five sci-fi novels that explore gender in unexpected and challenging ways,
Joel Cunningham's top twelve books with the most irresistible titles,
Damien Walter's top five science fiction novels for people who hate sci-fi and
Ian Marchant's top 10 books of the night. Charlie Jane Anders included it on her list of
ten science fiction novels that will never be movies.
--Marshal Zeringue