The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin is one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time. Her most famous work, The Left Hand of Darkness, is fantastic and appears on my list of Best Science Fiction Books, but I also want to give a shout-out to The Dispossessed. It’s one of the only books to win all three of the biggest sci-fi awards — the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula.

Shevek, a brilliant physicist from the barren planet Anarres, is preparing to leave for the first time. Anarres is a utopian society founded on anarchist principles, in sharp contrast to the capitalist world of its twin planet, Urras. While Shevek is committed to Anarres’ ideals of equality and communal living, he feels stifled by its lack of intellectual freedom.

Upon arriving on Urras, he is dazzled by the planet’s beauty and wealth, but quickly troubled by its extreme social inequalities. A wealthy elite controls most of the resources, while the working class struggles in poverty. Shevek also discovers that the intellectual freedom he sought is compromised, as his scientific work is being manipulated for the ruling powers’ gain. The novel alternates between Shevek’s past on Anarres and his experiences on Urras, highlighting the stark contrasts between these two different societies.

As Le Guin so often does, she uses an imaginative universe to examine political philosophy and economic systems, in this case anarchism and capitalism. Anarchists argue that most forms of government are inherently oppressive, concentrating power in the hands of a few, and instead advocate mutual aid, voluntary cooperation, and self-managed communities. Depicting a true anarchist society is difficult, since it must be deeply embedded in the culture to function, but Le Guin accomplishes this better than anyone I have read, alongside The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. By presenting both Anarres and Urras, she makes it clear that no system is without flaws.

The plot isn’t exactly edge-of-your-seat thrilling, but it’s engaging enough with the detailed world-building and Shevek’s funny cultural mishaps. Urras feels familiar enough to modern Earth to keep you interested — it’s easy to imagine it as a future history of our planet.

I was actually surprised to like The Dispossessed more than Le Guin’s most famous (and still excellent) novel, The Left Hand of Darkness. I think the themes are a bit clearer for newcomers to the genre, partly because it’s closer to our modern world. Overall, Le Guin does what she does best: weaves philosophical ideas into science fiction, using it to explore lasting human traits without relying solely on technology. 

I’d recommend The Dispossessed to anyone who enjoys intellectual sci-fi that focuses on societal structure, values, and governance. If you liked The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress or Brave New World, this is up your alley.