"The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. LeGuin

387 pages

About two hundred years before this story begins, a group of anarchists from the planet Urras settled on their moon--Arannes--after the government promised not to interfere with their society if they left and didn't start a revolution on Urras. The story begins with Shevek, a theoretical physicist, leaving his home "planet" of Arannes (even though it is a moon, it has it's own atmosphere and is therefore often referred to as a twin planet) for an extended trip to Urras. Some of his fellow citizens are angry at him for leaving, as he is the first person in 170 years to travel to Urras and many still feel resentment toward the Urrasti society. Shevek is leaving to work on his General Temporal Theory, which involves looking at time as more complex than the linear way we understand it (honestly, that is about all I was able to understand about it). Although he appreciates many parts of his anarchist society, as he tried to develop and share his scientific ideas he found himself facing hierarchical pressure from other physicists--basically, he discovered a power structure that is not supposed to exist on his planet. He is also frustrated by his planet's self-imposed isolation from the rest of the universe, as he believes that ideas should be shared for the progress of all. In going to Urras, Shevek thinks he will be part of the reconnection of the two planets. However, although the Urrasti try to hide it, he soon discovers that the planet has its own set of problems--and that some of his hosts have a not-so-noble ulterior motive for inviting him.

It took me a long time to get into this book, and I'm not sure that I would have finished it had I not been leading a book discussion on it. I think that the world the LeGuin has created is unique and interesting, but the story itself didn't hold my attention. There's not a lot of action and I expected more of that from this type of story. On the other hand, I am glad that I finished "The Dispossessed." I like that LeGuin shows both the benefits and major problems with both the anarchist society and the capitalist society. This book examines a lot of interesting ideas and will be making me think for a while.