The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Series)

Written using alternate points of view, THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS tells the story of Genly Ai, an ethnologist who arrives at the planet Gethen. There he encounters not only sub-zero temperatures, but an androgynous humanoid species whose ways perplex and intrigue him. Though not dependent on the earlier books, this is the fourth book in the Hainish series. It won both the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1969, and, in 1995, was the recipient of the James Tiptree, Jr. Retrospective Award.