Paperback, 341 pages
English language
Published Aug. 11, 1999 by Gollancz.
Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life. Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian planet, Anarres, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.
Brilliant, complex and fearless imagination of an anarchist society. Probably one of the best books I've ever read.
Walls beyond walls.
Re-read 2024: So much to sit with and contemplate on each reading, come to it with empty hands.
Re-read 2020: Upped to 5 stars. Still a bit of a slow start and interspersed philosophical explainers, but I appreciate the complexities of this "evolving utopia" more than before, the human and social and intergenerational tensions she walks through in making the case complicated.
I love this book. A lot. It actually means quite a lot to me because it was one of the first places where I could see someone trying to think through some kind of anarchist community, what some of the problems could be, and just how we could possibly organise our entire lives differently.
