This is classic scifi in all its unruly glory: a wonderfully inventive idea, and a boring af execution. When Genly Ai (presumably of our very own earth, just far in the future) becomes an Envoy for a Star-Trek-style-Federation, he goes to a planet of genderless humans who only become gendered when they are ready to mate and afterwards return to their genderless state. It is an intricate study of gender and what it means for both people and society. Boring and intriguing, as I always seem to find classic scifi.