The Dispossessed
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guinby Ursula K. Le Guin
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 22 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended for its believable anarchist society and its use of science and technology to tell its story.
Recommended for its believable anarchist society and its use of science and technology to tell its story.
22 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 21
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 95%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 21 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 21 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Called a favorite or masterpiece
“there was a solid decade of my life where I'd have probably said this was my favorite sci fi book”
Comment from 15 Apr 2026 in “A Communist Apple II and Fourteen Years of Not Knowing What You're Testing” “One of my favourite books of all time is by her: The Dispossessed.”
Comment from 2 Aug 2026 in “Ursula K. Le Guin: A Rant About "Technology" (2005)” “it's one of my favourite novels”
Comment from 9 Nov 2025 in “I Am Mark Zuckerberg” - Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Curating a Show on My Ineffable Mother, Ursula K. Le Guin”
Believable anarchist society
“An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “I always liked the model in The Dispossessed”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “South Korea – A cautionary tale for the rest of humanity” “examples of anarchy in fictional action”
Comment from 7 May 2026 in “The map that keeps Burning Man honest” Praised alongside other Le Guin novels
“If you’d like to read novel length LeGuin, “The Left Hand Of Darkness” and “The Dispossessed” are excellent.”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “The Gentle Seduction” “I love the left hand of darkness, the dispossessed, all the hainish books”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Curating a Show on My Ineffable Mother, Ursula K. Le Guin” “If you like that one, you'll like the rest of her work.”
Comment from 2 Aug 2026 in “Ursula K. Le Guin: A Rant About "Technology" (2005)”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Dispossessedby Ursula K. Le GuinThis page | 21 | 1 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
What people said
18 of the 22 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“A great sci-fi book for this crowd that centers on this topic”
“having the option to move to Anarres and leave Uras behind”
“Some of Ursula Le Guin's more serious books might fit the bill”
“She uses science and technology to amazing affect to tell the story she wanted to tell in Dispossessed.”
“If you like that one, you'll like the rest of her work.”
“One of my favourite books of all time is by her: The Dispossessed.”
“The Dispossessed has one of my favorite quotes”
“examples of anarchy in fictional action”
“there was a solid decade of my life where I'd have probably said this was my favorite sci fi book”
“I love the left hand of darkness, the dispossessed, all the hainish books”
“I found the Dispossessed to be relatable is ways I wouldn't have if I'd read it earlier in life.”
“I found 'The Dispossessed' to be too difficult for me.”
“That book is a masterpiece!”
“If you’d like to read novel length LeGuin, “The Left Hand Of Darkness” and “The Dispossessed” are excellent.”
“An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.”
“there's really good stuff that I've loved”
“I always liked the model in The Dispossessed”
“it's one of my favourite novels”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.