nicanical
The Dispossessed is recommended, together with The Left Hand of Darkness, as a good first read for readers new to Ursula K. Le Guin. It's an irresponsible recommendation without disclaiming the book's slow start. The story is captivating but it takes its sweet time getting there.
The Dispossessed follows Anarresti physicist Shevek as he journeys from Anarres to Urras, which Anarres orbits. The journey is a matter of principle for Shevek, and for Le Guin, a medium for contrasting between diametrically-opposed values: Anarchism and Capitalism, Individualism and Collectivism, as represented by the Anarresti and the state of A-Io on Urras.
The chapters alternate between Shevek's present and past like Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks. Here though, both of Shevek's narrative streams proceed forward in time. The even-numbered chapters eventually lead to the events of the first (odd) chapter. I only noticed this structure a third into the book. Until then, I wondered why the story felt so disjointed.
Dry exposition is front loaded into the first third of the book and you just have to power through it. The book reads better after that as Le Guin shifts more to "showing" with her characters and also focusing on Shevek's relationship with his wife Takver. The latter adds more depth to the world than any of the exposition ever did.
The Dispossessed is recommended, together with The Left Hand of Darkness, as a good first read for readers new to Ursula K. Le Guin. It's an irresponsible recommendation without disclaiming the book's slow start. The story is captivating but it takes its sweet time getting there.
The Dispossessed follows Anarresti physicist Shevek as he journeys from Anarres to Urras, which Anarres orbits. The journey is a matter of principle for Shevek, and for Le Guin, a medium for contrasting between diametrically-opposed values: Anarchism and Capitalism, Individualism and Collectivism, as represented by the Anarresti and the state of A-Io on Urras.
The chapters alternate between Shevek's present and past like Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks. Here though, both of Shevek's narrative streams proceed forward in time. The even-numbered chapters eventually lead to the events of the first (odd) chapter. I only noticed this structure a third into the book. Until then, I wondered why the story felt so disjointed.
Dry exposition is front loaded into the first third of the book and you just have to power through it. The book reads better after that as Le Guin shifts more to "showing" with her characters and also focusing on Shevek's relationship with his wife Takver. The latter adds more depth to the world than any of the exposition ever did.