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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
devastating read
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Darker and more violent and more didactic than some of Le Guin's other writing, but she's still very good!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin is a short but powerful novel. It reads as though it was written in a burst of anger. There is a bit of room for nuance and exposition - it’s still written by Le Guin after all - but not much. The central theme is the heroic struggle of the indigenous population of the world for which the word is forest against invading Earthlings and what armed resistance can demand from a peaceful society.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"The Word for World is Forest" was originally published in 1972 in an anthology, and won a Hugo in 1973, and falls in the category of "Everything that is old is new again."
I hated the first chapter (and all the chapters with Davidson's POV (there are multiple POVs)). The opening language and attitudes of Davidson is horrendous. Moreover, I hate we have returned to women being thought of as only breeders and "comfort" again, over fifty years later. We moved away and now this language and attitude has returned and maybe will remain even as mankind (not humans!) settle the stars. Climate, exterminations of animal species (for sport!), mistreatment of indigenous people, and toxic colonial man's-man thinking are all explored.
Ursula K. Le Guin did the exploration in relation to the Vitenam war, firebombs and helicopters sing out the link, through her jungle-based alien narrative.
Today (9/10/2025), a talk-personality was murdered, some say assassinated since he had political connections. The story explores a non-violent race learning to kill as the dreams of Earth humans to conquer their world clash with their dreams of survival. The dreams move into reality. The juxtaposition of today, where the "left" keeps saying if we take on the killing we become no better, and the "right" saying don't politicize death (note that there was a school shooting the same day where three teens were injured - and talk-personality was famous for saying empathy is a scam and a few deaths is a price to pay for second amendment rights), to the book where the non-violent learning violence from the violent is a big thought process. I wish this was a book-club book because I need to hash this out verbally with someone.
The Fruit of Knowledge is shared by humans with the indigenous of the planet in "The Word for World is Forest".
(Side note: There is a book moment of "when the oppressed say they were attacked, believe them.")
This story is very much about today and fifty years ago. I wish it could fade into "ancient" history, but the cycle continues of the dreamers and the woke. I read this book to study a historic science fiction master, and discovered a difficult to swallow, urgent story for today.
I hated the first chapter (and all the chapters with Davidson's POV (there are multiple POVs)). The opening language and attitudes of Davidson is horrendous. Moreover, I hate we have returned to women being thought of as only breeders and "comfort" again, over fifty years later. We moved away and now this language and attitude has returned and maybe will remain even as mankind (not humans!) settle the stars. Climate, exterminations of animal species (for sport!), mistreatment of indigenous people, and toxic colonial man's-man thinking are all explored.
Ursula K. Le Guin did the exploration in relation to the Vitenam war, firebombs and helicopters sing out the link, through her jungle-based alien narrative.
Today (9/10/2025), a talk-personality was murdered, some say assassinated since he had political connections. The story explores a non-violent race learning to kill as the dreams of Earth humans to conquer their world clash with their dreams of survival. The dreams move into reality. The juxtaposition of today, where the "left" keeps saying if we take on the killing we become no better, and the "right" saying don't politicize death (note that there was a school shooting the same day where three teens were injured - and talk-personality was famous for saying empathy is a scam and a few deaths is a price to pay for second amendment rights), to the book where the non-violent learning violence from the violent is a big thought process. I wish this was a book-club book because I need to hash this out verbally with someone.
The Fruit of Knowledge is shared by humans with the indigenous of the planet in "The Word for World is Forest".
(Side note: There is a book moment of "when the oppressed say they were attacked, believe them.")
This story is very much about today and fifty years ago. I wish it could fade into "ancient" history, but the cycle continues of the dreamers and the woke. I read this book to study a historic science fiction master, and discovered a difficult to swallow, urgent story for today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, War
Moderate: Drug use, Genocide, Rape, Trafficking
Minor: Animal death
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Rape, Murder
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape