The Dispossessed

An Ambiguous Utopia Hainish Cycle, #6

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Paperback, 341 pages

English language

Published Aug. 11, 1999 by Gollancz.

ISBN:: 978-1-85798-882-6

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(179 reviews)

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life. Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian planet, Anarres, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.

1 edition

Library Liberty Zed reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

How to rate a book...

5 stars

that cuts close to your heart without leaving a scar? How many star deserves a book, that feels not like a story, more a dream that you once you've used to have? It may not be the best book, the best story, the best prose, but this story is personal. I've grown to the amenities that Urras may provide the elite, I've forgotten what freedom can mean. However, Le Guin does not describe a fairy utopia, rather it is about the clash between human values and the human psyche. It is in a very good way both, utopian and realistic. "Is it justice to divide the dust?". The plot is masterful crafted with a lot of plot traps you will fall in. It's not a book which should be lightly recommend. This book will stir up discussions.

Jonathan Zacsh reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

glad I read it, but not my typical choice of SFF

3 stars

Pairs well with the tail-end (covering the 60s-70s counter-culture) of "A People’s History of the United States: 1492 - Present." On the more philosophical-end of SFF I typically read, but glad I read it!

sotolf reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Slow start, and good book with a major detractor

4 stars

This was a slow starter, but I quite liked it when it got going, it's a really fun exploration of an anarchist communist and a plutocratic capitalist society meeting.

There is only one bad thing, a rape scene a bit before the half way point that felt gratuitous and not needed, and it served very little purpose in the story, apart from that I really liked the book :)

loppear reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Such a masterpiece

5 stars

Walls beyond walls.

Re-read 2024: So much to sit with and contemplate on each reading, come to it with empty hands.

Re-read 2020: Upped to 5 stars. Still a bit of a slow start and interspersed philosophical explainers, but I appreciate the complexities of this "evolving utopia" more than before, the human and social and intergenerational tensions she walks through in making the case complicated.

Lily reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

It's incredibly hard to make you believe in a utopia, but The Dispossessed manages it. Anarres feels like a real place, the people who live there feel like real people. If anything, it is the Earth-like Urras which feels slightly flat. If I have quibbles about this book, they are all on Urras.

Matto reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Good read, very original work.

Antolius reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Good:
Speculative fiction at its finest.
Great society & world building, shown through a lens of a single life.
Two timelines nicely intertwine & support each other.
The scenes of hardship & revolution resonate deeply.
* Evokes the feeling of classic Sci-Fi without any problematic elements often associated with it.

Bad: ∅

For a depiction of a similar theme check out John Kessel's [b:The Moon and the Other|30753686|The Moon and the Other|John Kessel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491126501l/30753686.SY75.jpg|51302140].

nerd teacher [books] reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Wonderful.

5 stars

I love this book. A lot. It actually means quite a lot to me because it was one of the first places where I could see someone trying to think through some kind of anarchist community, what some of the problems could be, and just how we could possibly organise our entire lives differently.

meeg reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

"I come here with empty hands and the desire to unbuild walls."

LeGuin is fearless in her criticism of capitalism and patriarchy, her wordlbuilding, and her radical view of society and what it could be. This book is a breath of fresh air in allowing me to imagine, for a moment, what it would be like to live in a world built on principles of mutual aid. It's also an extremely stark and sobering comparison to the world at present, and sometimes it's hard to juggle both of those feelings at once. While I was reading a chapter where a teacher explains prisons to children who live in a world where prisons don't exist, a humanitarian aid worker in AZ faced two felony charges for giving water to two people crossing the border. It's a dark time to read utopian fiction, but it's a necessary light.

It's also a jumping off point for really thinking about a utopia, and being mindful and critical while not losing hope for a better world.

Also, TW/CW for sexual assault halfway through the book, which was never touched on again but definitely dampened my view of the main character. There's a lot to unpack about Shevek as a whole, the influence of Urras, and conceptions of property and bodily autonomy but wowee I thought we could get into those conversations and thought experiments without rape.

gabe. reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is the first book I've read by Ursula K. Le Guin. I've meant to pick up some of her stuff for the longest time, but never got around to it. Better late than never. Apparently this book is in the middle of the "Hinish Cycle" so I'll have to go back and read the ones I missed!

Hilo reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Ich möchte einfach nur mein Lieblingszitat aus dem Buch posten, über die ersten Tage in einer Beziehung:

"Intimacy after long solitude, the abruptness of joy,
tried both Shevek’s stability and Takver’s. In the first
few decads he had wild swings of elation and anxiety;
she had fits of temper. Both were oversensitive and
inexperienced. The strain did not last, as they became
experts in each other. Their sexual hunger persisted as
passionate delight, their desire for communion was daily
renewed because it was daily fulfilled."

Jamie reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I really have to read this whole cycle now.

Eph (they, them) reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Excellent read exploring the concept of anarchy as a desired social system, it's traps, and human nature.

osiris reviewed The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle, #6)

Review of 'The Dispossessed' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This is one of the great science fiction classics, but I find it too aged for my tastes. The idea of letting two vastly different cultures meet, with at least an attempt at neutral approach to which is better, is a great one. However I find the tempo of the story way too slow, and I found the book lacking suspense.

This is added to by the the structure of intermixed presence and past. Knowing the outcome of dramatic parts of the past storyline removes a lot of potential nerve.