The Dispossessed Audiobook By Ursula K. Le Guin cover art

The Dispossessed

A Novel

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The Dispossessed

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: Don Leslie
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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 mother planet, Anarres, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.

©1974 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers Fantasy Genre Fiction Hugo Award Literary Fiction Locus Award Metaphysical & Visionary Nebula Award Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

  • Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1975
  • Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1974

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This book follows the struggles of Shevek at two different times in his life (the switching back and forth actually confused me for a few chapters). We get to see his struggle to fit in with two very different societies, one Anarchistic and another more like our own.

The author's writing is superb and the character of Shevek is deep and easy to empathize with. The narrator does a great job and has a very pleasant voice.

I highly recommend this book to anyone. It's absolutely one of the best science fiction books of all time.

One of my favorite books of all time

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It is obvious that the author is an extremely intelligent, thoughtful person. The story itself is a bit too slow for my taste, with too many preachy monologues. Remind me of Ayn Rand's style, while extolling the converse idealogied of Rand. A thoughtful piece of literature. I wish the other books which also take place with this cosmos were more interconnected like a saga.

Thoughtful, but laborious.

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This is a somewhat atypical science fiction novel, focused exclusively on contemplative meditations in the socio-economics of both anarchy and to a lesser extent colonialism. Do not expect a lot of plot.

This strikes me as a great book to read while still in college and embedded in the kind of coursework that can shine a richer light on the philosophy and socialism described in the book. Le Guin builds her world based on some themes that were very popular in the socially precarious 1970s, so there's a definite tone that comes across in her writing that I would not describe as "dated" but certainty "dates" her storytelling. If not embedded in that tapestry of time and compendium source material, the book may fall flat.

Without also reading some of her philosophical source material (dostoevsky, taoism, etc.) you will run the risk of interpreting the narrative as a kind of propaganda. And for the protagonist it absolutely is, but for Le Guin I dont think that's what was intended. It is not passing judgement on society as an author as much as exploring a world view from the eyes of a character who is primed to introspect and project while in a foreign land.

Overall it is a well-crafted work, but it deserves to be categorized on the same bookshelf as Plato's dialogues but not the same shelf as Earthsea. Dont misunderstand, there are some great examples of novels in science fiction that balance philosophy and storytelling, but this is not one of them. The quality of craftsmanship here is much more in the concept and idea that she is exploring than in the novelization of a good story.

Part of a larger tapestry

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It started out a little slow, but I enjoyed the non-linear storyline. it slowly made everything come together nicely. I loved the ideas about government (or lack thereof) and how custom and tradition is sometimes stronger than law. It also touches on the idea about people set in their ways, in all situations.

Everything changes

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At first I thought I wouldn't be able to get through this. All the weird names of people, places, and languages were difficult in the audio format. But I kept listening and eventually got used to the terminology. After the initial "scene" I started understanding the main character, and the story became compelling.

Starts slow but gets good

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