How many words are in The Left Hand of Darkness?

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin is approximately 85,592 wordslong. At an average reading speed of 238 words per minute, that's about 6 hr of reading spread across several sittings. First published in 1969, it sits in the Science Fiction category.

Typical science fiction novels run 90,000–125,000 words, with a sweet spot around 100,000–115,000. At 85,592 words, The Left Hand of Darkness comes in below the typical range — closer to a novella in length.