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A review by trailmixraisins
The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This Ursula K. Le Guin classic is a short and bittersweet parable-like story. She uses vivid and explicit depictions of colonialism in the setting of an alien planet years in the future where humans have developed the technology to travel through space. Selver, an Athshean man, and his society are irrevocably changed after humans settle the planet to harvest wood to be sold on Earth. Though ultimately hopeful, the toll of human violence and hatred on the non-violent society puts its continued existence in jeopardy.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail