The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 19 January 2001
by Ursula K. LeGuin
Two planets orbit around each other, each the Moon of the other. Two hundred years ago, a community of anarchic dissidents set up a colony on desert-like Anarres, cutting themselves off, seemingly for ever, from their home planet, lush Urras. Their society is without government, without money, without social stratification: an anarchist ideal. LeGuin gently realizes an anarchistic society, with flaws all its own, idealistic, despite the cracks of age. To own property, to "egoize", are the lowest forms of human behavior to them.
Shevek is a physicist on the brink of a brilliant theory of space and time, but he finds that the low-tech society of his birth isn't particularly interested, and his overtures to the forbidden home-world are looked upon with fear and suspicion. The book opens with Shevek lifting off, starting a journey to the capitalistic, wealthy, stratified world from which Anarres's legendary founders came. LeGuin interweaves his present day journey with the long paths that led to this momentous trip. We learn about his past, struggling with the subtle structures found even in an anarchistic world. And we learn about his discoveries on Urras. Initially, he is disgusted with the vast wealth of this planet, and a society that guarantees a permanent poor class, as well as the subtle subjugation of women. LeGuin was writing in the late 60s, early 70s (published in 1974), and much of the social critique of those days is evident in the structure of Urras (A-Io, seems very American, Thu very Soviet, the two systems fighting it out in broken Benbili (Vietnam?)). Yet the author also gives us the ambiguities of these worlds. Anarres is an idealistic society, but stunted by lack of initiative. Urras is capitalistic and unjust, but also fabulously wealthy and beautiful. LeGuin wastes no opportunity to remind us of the difficulties in finding Utopia in any particular system. Shevek is energized by the injustice of Urras, and re-discovers the revolution that was his birthright. Will Urras let him give his marvelous theory away? And will Anarres accept him as anything but a traitor? LeGuin was one of the best science fiction writers, and here she subtly brings to life the hopes and dreams of an ideal society in the face of human frailties.
(This book won the 1975 Hugo award and 1974 Nebula award for best novel.)
Also by LeGuin: [The Left Hand of Darkness] [The New Atlantis]