An incredible, inspiring, fascinating, emotional, political, thought provoking book. Yes, it's obviously in the vein of utopian literature, but the anarchist society isn't free from conflict- Le Guin talks about the differences in opinion, the burdens of public expectations. The sketch of an anarchist society is incredible, and far more inspiring and convincing than any anarcho communist polemic. Utopian fiction is amazing to give us an idea of how the future can be, not as a blueprint but a way of making us feel it's possible. Le Guin captures the human essence of such a society, the reason it's desirable- the mutual aid, solidarity, the satisfaction of working together and working only for need and for pleasure. She talks about the risks to individuality even when each individual is free- to me this isn't so important but she handles the topic so well it's cool. She covers so many topics about what freedom is, what an individual's responsibility to the majority is, to what extent wealth matters, it's great

I like the people complaining that it's not hard sci fi enough -there's a bunch of techno babble regarding the alien physics that feels almost like it was mocking the people looking for that sort of story where social structures aren't questioned and instead it's western capitalism right now in space. Le Guin pretty much keeps to very recognizably human stuff- there's even the equivalent of the ussr USA cold war- which keeps things relatable and understandable while changing up the social structures to create something that genuinely makes you think about your expectations of human actions.

It ends on a sort of cliffhanger, but it fits the book - the theme of needing to make your own path, things being a process rather than something that just ends at some point. The journey is the destination. I liked that the anarchists' sealing themselves off on the moon was presented almost as a dereliction of duty -like cutting off from the process of revolution on their home planet, in the phrase of the book going out but never making the return journey.

Her writing is brilliant and affecting - it captured the feelings of loss, loneliness, isolation, and solidarity, sometimes hitting very close to home.

some people would probably compare it to Ayn rand or something but it's so different - Le Guin clearly supports the anarchists but she looks at everyone involved fairly and tries to question the details of people's ideas. None of the characters are weird ubermensch. Everyone has conflicts and problems and different ideas and it's not clear the solution to everything ever or exact levels of culpability. It's great ( )

It has some slow parts but really interesting ideas and concepts ( )

Humans and aliens on another planet and moon system. The dispossed have rebelled but had to leave the planet in order to set up their utopian society on the barren moon. The main character of the book is inspiring. Seemed like a commentary of capitalist and communist socities during the 1970's. ( )

An incredible work, even for the standards of Le Guin (which is as high a compliment as I can give to a book). This enjoyable science-fiction entry into her Hainish series features a fully realized model of an anarcho-syndicalist nation, which Le Guin has carefully and artfully crafted.

This will not be for everyone, though everyone should be able to recognize the care and work that went into its creation. Non-anarchists and non-communists will need to set aside their personal views and try to see the world through the eyes of the protagonist. It is most certainly worth a try for anyone, regardless of political views and biases. ( )

One of the best sci-fi books I've ever read. LeGuin creates an incredible dualistic world and culture here, with one planet being anarcho-communist, based around the principles of mutual aid, and the inverse planet being ultra capitalistic. She does a great job of showing the positives and negatives of such worlds, how they influence society, and the perspectives and psychologies of the populations in such a society.

This book is a masterpiece, and LeGuin weaves a story around cultures, morals, philosophies, and theoretical physics. They are all linked together in such an intricate balance, and she pulls it off so well. ( )