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The Word for World Is Forest (1972)

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Hainish Cycle, Chronological (2), Hainish Cycle (5)

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2,735874,971 (3.79)105
Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:

The award-winning masterpiece by one of today's most honored writers, Ursula K. Le Guin!
The Word for World is Forest
When the inhabitants of a peaceful world are conquered by the bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters.
Desperation causes the Athsheans, led by Selver, to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. But in defending their lives, they have endangered the very foundations of their society. For every blow against the invaders is a blow to the humanity of the Athsheans. And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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▾Member reviews
English (78)  Spanish (5)  Italian (3)  Catalan (1)  All languages (87)
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Showing 1-5 of 78 (next | show all)
This is a thematically rich and tight novella, and easily the most I've enjoyed of the Hainish Cycle. I really didn't care for The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness, despite their reputation, and typically I'm much more fond of the Earthsea books. In contrast to the former two, this is much less politically charged. There's a nice balance between the fantasy and science fiction elements, and the characters are well developed. It was a good choice to bounce between three characters, all of whom have deeply contrasting outlooks on the situation.

Beautifully written, as is often the case with LeGuin, though Left Hand felt too cold and dry. This injected some much needed heart into the series. ( )
  TheScribblingMan | Jul 29, 2023 |
A quick read, certainly influenced by events of its time (Vietnam war), but with Le Guin's signature thoughtfulness and emotional heft. ( )
  grahzny | Jul 17, 2023 |
Terrains are trying to colonize a forest world with little to no understanding of the local population. ( )
  leslie.98 | Jun 27, 2023 |
Thrilled to stumble on this sci-fi classic, with its wonderful title. But it's Ursula K Le Guin. She has such a huge collection of her writing, I doubt I will be able to read all of her books. This one is a mix between ecology and how indigenous people are treated. Irrevocable repercussions on native peoples. The book begins a few years after humans from Earth have started colonizing another planet after depleting Earth of all its trees and most animals (hey rats, you're still going.) Told in a polyphonic form, the reader gets to hear from a real ass who treats ALL living things like crap, but also a native of the planet and a sympathetic scientist. I'd say the plot line here could be a stand-in for many conflicts between indigenous peoples and colonizers... ( )
  booklove2 | Jun 5, 2023 |
Excellent and thought proviking.
Don't read the Foreward before reading the book ... it contains spoilers IMHO. ( )
  CraigGoodwin | May 31, 2023 |
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Showing 1-5 of 78 (next | show all)
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▾Other authors

» Add other authors (16 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Le Guin, Ursula K.—primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Chiconi, OscarCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Courtney, R.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Elson, PeterCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Horne, MatildeTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lokka, PirkkoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
MacLeod, KenIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pariseau, KevinNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Powers, Richard M.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stege, GiselaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thole, KarelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Valla, RiccardoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Vallorani, NicolettaForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
▾Series and work relationships
▾Awards and Honors
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▾Common Knowledge
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Canonical title
The Word for World Is Forest
Original title
The Word for World Is Forest
Alternative titles
Original publication date
1972 (as part of Again ∙ Dangerous Visions anthology)
People/Characters
Don Davidson (Captain)
Selver Thele
Raj Lyubov
Important places
New Tahiti (planet)
Important events
Related movies
Awards and honors
Nebula Nominee (1972.2 | Novella, 1972)
Hugo (Novella, 1973)
Locus Nominee (Novella, 1973)
thisrecording.com 100 Greatest Science Fiction or Fantasy Novels of All Time (100)
Epigraph
Dedication
For Jean who went ahead
First words
Two pieces of yesterday were in Captain Davidson's mind when he woke, and he lay looking at them in the darkness for a while.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Paley, Grace
Original language
English
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC
▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

▾Book descriptions
Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:

The award-winning masterpiece by one of today's most honored writers, Ursula K. Le Guin!
The Word for World is Forest
When the inhabitants of a peaceful world are conquered by the bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters.
Desperation causes the Athsheans, led by Selver, to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. But in defending their lives, they have endangered the very foundations of their society. For every blow against the invaders is a blow to the humanity of the Athsheans. And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

.
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WorldCat

Genres

Melvil Decimal System (DDC)

813.54Literature › English (North America) › American fiction › 20th Century › 1945-1999

LC Classification

PZ4.L518Language and Literature › Fiction and juvenile belles lettres › Fiction and juvenile belles lettres › Fiction in English

Rating

Average: (3.79)
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