The Word for World is Forest: The Best of the SF Masterworks

The Word for World is Forest is a science fiction novella by Ursula K. Le Guin, winner of the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Novella. It explores a future history of Earth and pacifistic ideals, depicting violence, colonialism, and resistance. The story follows the Athsheans, a peaceful alien race conquered by bloodthirsty yumens, who are forced into servitude. Desperation causes them to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. This leads to the destruction of their society and the core of their culture. The novella is a powerful exploration of the consequences of violence and the fight for survival.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 128 pages
Publication date: 24 November 2022
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

A peaceful alien world is conquered by bloodthirsty yumens, irrevocably altering their existence. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters. Desperate to retaliate, they abandon their strictures against violence, endangering the very foundations of their society. Every blow against the invaders is a blow to the core of Athsheans culture. Once the killing starts, there is no turning back.

Winner of the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Novella and nominated for numerous others, "The Word for World is Forest" is part of Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish Cycle. It explores a future history of Earth and pacifistic ideals in its depictions of violence, colonialism, and resistance.

A simple story, like most things Le Guin wrote, packs a powerful emotional and critical punch. Tordotcom describes it as "deeply moving and shocking by turns." Suzanne Reid praises Le Guin's writing for its quiet, straightforward sentences about people who feel torn apart by massive forces in society and who fight courageously to remain whole.

The New York Times Book Review highlights Le Guin's ability to write about people who feel they are being torn apart by societal forces and who fight bravely to remain whole.

Weight: 122g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399607797