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The Dispossessed (Hainish Cycle) Mass Market Paperback – October 20, 1994

by Ursula K. Le Guin (Author)

338 customer reviews

Book 5 of 7 in the Hainish Cycle Series

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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.

The Dispossessed (Hainish Cycle)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“This novel, by a celebrated Hungarian poet, depicts the world of his childhood…The narrator, a young boy whose family is shunned-it was once wealthy and is suspected of being Jewish-endures beatings, hunger, and taunts with the fatalism of someone who has never known anything else.” (New Yorker)

From the Back Cover

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Series: Hainish Cycle
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager; Reprint edition (October 20, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061054887
ISBN-13: 978-0061054884
Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 338 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1591 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary
- #1674 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

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Top customer reviews

A riveting story about vastly different governments, sexuality and family

Byami-mac-sunon August 4, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I don't usually like stories with flashbacks (thankfully, the flashbacks are chronological), but this is one where the technique really pays off. Two planets rotate around each other, one has a rich biosphere and lacks many resources while the other is barely able to produce enough food for a rather small population, but is rich in resources the other planet needs. The former planet has a strict authoritarian government and unlimited luxuries for the rich and rather austere lives for the poor who have no freedom at all. This contrasts with the austere second planet where everyone is at least theoretically free in a human/computer organized anarchy, but some people manage to have more power than others despite a system that should not favour anyone over another (everyone usually works together for the common good).

This book is a must read. It also includes an english professor's reading guide at 94% that includes a brief synopsis of the social situation at the time the novel was written to help explain why the author wrote the book the way she did and then poses thought provoking questions about each chapter. I suggest that you read this guide first and then read each chapter and try to answer the questions in the reading guide and repeat until you have completed the novel. Reading the book in this way will be a far more moving and enjoyable experience.

0Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

An intensely interesting read

ByFrances Haason September 20, 2015

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is an imaginative rendering of three tales, widely separated by time and space but all dealing obliquely with the Hain civilization, the most superior and ancient in the known galaxy. The Hain have grown weary with eons of experience behind them. They want to bring other planets the technology to reach space so that a interplanetary council can be created. Their reasons are never given and they themselves are seldom seen. Only the first tale, Rocannon's World, has a Hainish protagonist. The second tale takes place on the same planet thousands of years after the planet is named Rocannon. These inhabitants are descended from earthlings unable to return home. This tale is called Planet of Exile. The plot is about how the earthlings become changed so that they can survive physically and reproduce on Racannon. The third tale takes place thousands of years later on earth and is City of Illusions. The protagonist came from Raconnon back to earth, but earth has been insidiously taken over by the enemy, whose arrival was long expected by the Hains. This tale deals with his ordeal and final triumph. Excellent. I was deeply interested all the way through and surprised by the imaginative scope of le Grin. Well worth reading.

0Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Very throughtful Sci-Fi

ByDonald Roy Aireyon June 28, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is one of the most profound books I've ever read. The 'Science Fiction' really only serves as the setting for a Utopian vs. Capitalism conflict. There is also the more interesting juxtaposition of total female equality/Sisterhood vs. submissive female/Viva la difference between the two worlds. The narrative style is non-linear starting from the middle of the story and working it's way backwards and forwards in alternating chapters. This was not a page-turner (in that you weren't constantly hoping to get to the next chapter), but when you're done you'll have the feeling like you've read something important.

0Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A magnificent book of science fiction and human social organization and behavior

ByA. A. Baldwinon January 16, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

How does one write a review of such a book, seriously? This book is magnificent. It is my first time reading anything by Le Guin so perhaps that colors my experience. While this is the fifth book in the Hainish Cycle, I am assured that it is a good place to start and the series need not be read in order. Reading it certainly did not feel like anything was missing or that I'd missed out on a backstory at all.

This book chronicles the related people of twin planets, one previously colonized by settlers from the other. The narrative vividly contrasts various types of social organization and behavior, including freedom (and the lack of it), government (and the lack of it), mutual cooperation and competition, and so forth. While the differences seem stark at first, the subtleties become more apparent as more is revealed. It not only entertains but forces the reader to think about alternate ways of living that have been dismissed or not considered before.

The story is delivered mostly from the view of the protagonist, from two different periods in his life. The movement back and forth from his earlier life to his later life helps with a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the tale. The timelines come together eventually, of course, but the beauty of the book is in the wholeness of the telling.

The author occasionally creates words, or at least they appear to be created as they are new to me and not in dictionaries or wikipedia, but these created words have meanings that are obvious. They add to the beautiful fabric of the chronicle.

0Comment 13 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Complex and thoughtful

ByAmazon Customeron September 8, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

As with all good sci-fi, LeGuin's stories function as a kind of extended metaphor for the complexities of the real world and of human experience. Her work is profoundly humanistic, and often deeply moving. Both the violence and sexual content of this book are very minimal-- not at all graphic. What violence there is in the book serves as a poignant illustration of the types of injustices that plague society, rather than being gratuitously violent simply for entertainment's sake. I would say the content is appropriate for both adults and teens.

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Most recent customer reviews

Ursula's Loose End

You are all oh-so-clever, but have any of you noticed the loose end in the plot at the end of Chapter 7, while Shevek is sleeping off his first drunk, Pae goes through his private...Read more

Published 19 days ago by Ian Elliott

I could see how some would love this

Intersting plot, but moved slowly, I could see how some would love this book

Published 24 days ago by DrBlackTurtle

Books are great presents

Gift for my brother highly recommend

Published 1 month ago by Lady McCray

this book is exactly what I love from sci-fi

Apparently the fifth book in a series (so now I have a new set of books to read!), this book is exactly what I love from sci-fi.Read more

Published 2 months ago by Will Gardner-Rojas

The book is good. The story line flips from future to past. The book I ordered came in perfect condition.

Published 2 months ago by Emma

Worth a read for those with political interests

An intriguing exploration of the meaning and possibility of anarchism.

Published 2 months ago by Joe

Well-written, doesn't reach its potential

As The Dispossessed won the Nebula and Hugo awards in the mid '70s, as it is written by one of science fiction's grand masters, I had high expectations.Read more

Published 3 months ago by Abner Rosenweig

One of my favorite books.

I heard this book recommended in an interview with a musician I liked, and I wasn't sure it was for me -- but after giving it a shot, I'm blown away by how amazing it is.Read more

Published 3 months ago by Amazon Customer

It was okay. I am not a fan of Sci Fi, but it is one of the better books I read for my Science Fiction class in college.Read more

Published 3 months ago by V. Ulibas

Relevant, Brilliant, and Inspiring

Ursula Le Guin is the best. This book is relevant, touching, and inspiring. An anarchist goes to the sister planet to study and finds a planet (gasp: much like ours) with a huge...Read more

Published 3 months ago by Sara Schultz

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