The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

Reviewed by Lisa Eckstein, 2/12/06

The Dispossessed is nominally a science fiction story, in that it's set in a distant galaxy and in a time when interstellar space travel is possible, but don't let that scare you away if you're not interested in scifi. This book is far more about political ideologies than futuristic technologies. Don't be intimidated by that description, either -- it's a fairly accessible introduction to a couple of different political and economic systems.

The novel begins as Shevek boards a spaceship to leave his home planet of Anarres for Urras. The book follows Shevek's experiences on Urras and, in flashback, reveals how his life on Anarres led him to this point. What's most interesting about the story is the structure of Anarresti society, and how Shevek's background causes him to view and interpret the world of Urras, which is similar to our Earth in culture and geography.

I really liked reading the parts of the book set on Anarres, because I was fascinated by the extensive details about how the society functions. These sections also contain interesting character relationships. By contrast, the characters on Urras aren't as well developed, and I wasn't as caught up in that plot, which tends toward political intrigue.

I wasn't overly impressed with the writing style of the book, though some of that is personal taste -- I don't like reading lengthy descriptions. The characters speak in monologues far more often than seems realistic. And the edition I read was very poorly proofread, which is disappointing, though probably not the author's fault. But the ideas are very powerful, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about how societies work.