The Left Hand of Darkness is a 1969 novel that has won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. It takes place on the planet of Genthen, also known as Winter due to the fact it is a perpetually frozen planet, but the real focus is on gender identity. The inhabitants of Genthen are androgynous humans most of the time, except when they enter their sexual cycle and become either male or female in order to mate. So when a male human, Genly Ai, arrives on planet, they consider him a pervert who is eternally stuck in heat. Genly is an envoy who represents the Ekumen, and his mission is to convince the warring kingdoms of this world to join the galactic federation. This attempt at diplomacy deeply explores the concepts of friendship, political intrigue, and sexuality as Genly risks his life to complete his mission.

Zane is not a successful person and when things finally get too rough for him, he decides it is time to take his own life. As he starts to pull the trigger, he notices the Grim Reaper coming right for him. So instead of taking his own life, he turns the gun on Death himself and shoots him right between the eyes. Wow, Zane just cheated death, finally a lucky break right? Not exactly. This is when Fate pays Zane a visit and explains that the rules dictate that whoever kills Death takes over the job. This means Zane is in store for some immediate on the job training and he is now behind schedule.