Her next novel was "The Left Hand of Darkness" in 1969 showed the strength of her writing and won awards. It was in her Hainish universe on a fictional planet where humans have no fixed sex. Le Guin explored experiences of gender and sexuality. The book was Le Guin's first about feminist issues. The book shocked and surprised science fiction critics. It won both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards for best novel. Le Guin the first woman to win these awards.