The Dispossessed

Ursula Le Guin’s “The Dispossessed” is a continuation of the Hainish Cycle, one of the greatest examples of the science-fiction genre. The planet Urras is engulfed by endless hostility. About a century and a half ago, after a successful revolution, the leaders of Urras made a deal with the revolutionaries and sent them to colonize a neighboring uninhabited planet, Anarres. Now Anarres society is utopian anarchism: there are no money, property, rulers, police, or laws. Yet behind the façade of formalities lies a contradictory reality: instead of appointed officials, there is public opinion and authority; instead of employers and hiring, there is voluntary labor, which leaves many talented people out of work for being “unnecessary” in terms of their abilities.

Shevek, a physicist, is one of them. He works on a scientific theory that could be a breakthrough and permanently change intergalactic civilization. But due to the social order and envious colleagues, his work may never see the light. To the scientist, it’s necessary to go to Urras and stake everything on getting a chance to publish his research.

Shevek’s ambitions will lead him to far greater dangers than he expected—he will find himself at the heart of an interplanetary conflict. Will the scientist have the resolve to challenge axioms and bring together two warring worlds?