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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
UGH!
I'm going to say it - I love Ursula K. Le Guin. She MIGHT be my favourite author. HAPPILY I will have to read all of her other books to determine this.
The Dispossessed was another example of Le Guin using the alien to establish humanity. The themes of the novel had some ties to The Left Hand of Darkness - isolation, brotherhood, love and anthropology. However, where TLHOD established solidarity, The Dispossessed highlighted disparity. It was extremely cool to see an Earth-like world being visited by an anarchist, collectivist alien.
This novel had me feeling ashamed of our society, in awe and totally hopeful. The way in which Le Guin uses 'Science' as the relating point was very clever.
We often consider science as "the people's" - it is therefore the perfect jumping point to illustrate the differences between different ideologies. What does this mean to different ideologies? Can something be "the people's" in a place where anything can be bought, sold or withheld for power? Can something be "the people's" in a place where the concept of ownership does not exist? Can anything be held in higher regard if everything is considered value-less? Do the most highly regarded things deserve that status in a place where everything has a value?
I truly enjoyed the process of reading this book. Le Guin's writing is always a pleasure to read and think about. Highly recommend.
I'm going to say it - I love Ursula K. Le Guin. She MIGHT be my favourite author. HAPPILY I will have to read all of her other books to determine this.
The Dispossessed was another example of Le Guin using the alien to establish humanity. The themes of the novel had some ties to The Left Hand of Darkness - isolation, brotherhood, love and anthropology. However, where TLHOD established solidarity, The Dispossessed highlighted disparity. It was extremely cool to see an Earth-like world being visited by an anarchist, collectivist alien.
This novel had me feeling ashamed of our society, in awe and totally hopeful. The way in which Le Guin uses 'Science' as the relating point was very clever.
We often consider science as "the people's" - it is therefore the perfect jumping point to illustrate the differences between different ideologies. What does this mean to different ideologies? Can something be "the people's" in a place where anything can be bought, sold or withheld for power? Can something be "the people's" in a place where the concept of ownership does not exist? Can anything be held in higher regard if everything is considered value-less? Do the most highly regarded things deserve that status in a place where everything has a value?
I truly enjoyed the process of reading this book. Le Guin's writing is always a pleasure to read and think about. Highly recommend.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this changed me. i don't know how new, commercial SFF will fulfill me intellectually now, unless they're as socialist & literary-leaning as this.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Marvellously convincing portrayal of alien ways of life, culture and thinking. Ursula K Le Guin at her best. World building at its best.
I really don't know how I feel about this one. There's no denying that Le Guin is a great writer. Yet the story was a dry one. It truly earns the distinction of being "speculative" rather than "science" fiction since the "what if" here isn't concerned so much about technology -though it does take place far in the future on other planets- as it is economic and political structures. At times picking it up felt like a chore although I can't say I disliked it at all. It had a dusty heart buried in all the theories and I did end up caring about Shevek and his friends and family. This book left a lot of unanswered questions so I'll probably read the next two to see what happens... eventually.
Thoughtful. Almost 40 years later, there is still more than enough (perhaps more) to spark discussion about the world in which we live...how it is or isn't similar to the futuristic worlds LeGuin has imagined, the nature of humanity, and the importance of questioning.