Ursula K. Le Guin - The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia

Pros: Ursula K. Le Guin: Godmother of all that's good in science fiction.
Cons: People like Harold Bloom chastise Le Guin for fraternizing with genre fiction.

It's appropriate that my library's copy of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed was donated by the professor, now deceased, who helped me see science fiction as literature as well as recreation. Appropriate because Le Guin herself has brought so ...

Pros: Minutely detailed "other worlds" novel, thoughtful and intelligent
Cons: A bit long , some commentary a bit dated.

The dispossessed by Ursula LeGuin is one of the most comprehensive descriptions of an alien world ever achieved in a single book. We follow the story of Shevek, theoretical physicist, who has spent most of his life developing a root equation for ...

Pros: Strong in discussions of the dangers of ideology
Cons: Perhaps, at points a bit preachy

Societies design us, for better or worse. Within the attitudes manifest in a nation's ethics, or moral viewpoint we are molded in how we think, how we behave. The question becomes, though, what of those within the community, or society that are...

Pros: Intellectually simulating, interesting POV's, well thought out
Cons: An intellectual treatise or sorts, interesting but not as entertaining for sci-fi

I went out of my way to read something different. This book was an odd experience, though my first impression would be that this book is a long-winded social commentary. Luckily it was very interesting, telling the story of two polar opposite words and a ...

Pros: Wonderfully real characters
Cons: As with all of Le Guin's writing, almost too honest

I always find reading Ursula K. Le Guin's writing satisfying yet difficult. Her work is satisfying because it is very honest: none of her characters are unrealistically good or evil, and she doesn't force a happy ending, or a sad one, if it doesn't fit...

Pros: great characters, thought provoking
Cons: a little slow at times

This is the story of two planets: Urras, a capitalist planet, and Annares, an anarchist planet that was given to the anarchists in hopes that they wouldn't revolt. Shevek, a physicist from Annares decides to travel to Urras to unite both planets, but...

Pros: highly relevant to our time
Cons: a little long-winded in writing style

If you appreciate the goals of organizations such as Project GNU or the Free Software Foundation, then you owe it to yourself and your cause to put this on your must-read list. It's especially relevant to me as an early 21st century American, living in...