The Dispossessed

Amazing. This book is for me the pinnacle of social science fiction, in which the narrative is propelled not by an exploration of a technological or scientific advance, but by an exploration of the political, sociological, and economic workings of an imagined universe.

The Dispossessed follows the physicist Shevek as he attempts to reconcile two divergent societies, the anarchic lunar colony where he was born and the (mostly) capitalistic world from whence his ancestors came. The premise alone would've piqued my interest; paired with Le Guin's sympathetic characters, complex worldbuilding, smooth writing style, and distinctively compassionate yet clear-eyed perspective, the story becomes something incredible.