Finished these recently;
The Purple Cloud by M. P. Shiel
A Red Sun Also Rises by Mark Hodder
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
The Purple Cloud was incredibly interesting in places, but was generally such a chore to read that I was glad when it was over. It was interesting seeing how, at the time the book was written (8 years before anyone reached the north pole), people really had no idea what was there and had all manner of fanciful explanations. But, once the book concerns itself with the destruction of humanity that occurs from the visit to the pole and then proceeds to chart the protagonists exploits as a lone survivor over the next twenty years, it falls apart completely and I struggled to reach the end.
A Red Sun Also Rises was not was I was expecting at all, it started out feeling like a HG Wells adventure, before quickly becoming something much more alien and inventive. The world Hodder creates is intriguing and perplexing in equal measure and, while confusion reigns at first, the outcome and resulting explanation are a satisfying conclusion to one of the most unique new fantasy/science-fiction hybrids I've read in years.
Finally, I found
The Left Hand of Darkness to be an incredibly well written piece that presents some unique ideas (such as the idea of a society of humans that have evolved without gender) and is set on a wonderfully wrought planet in the grip of a continuous ice age. Le Guin brings to world to life in expert fashion and although, at times, the themes of progress versus tradition and fear in the face of inevitable change aren't very subtle, the depth of the setting and of the characters within was more than enough to keep me intrigued and entertained in equal measure. When the book was finished and I had read through the pieces of poetry and extraneous lore at the back and poured over the maps of the world, I wanted nothing more than to carry on reading stories set in that world, which I think is a testament to how well Ursula Le Guin handles her craft.
