The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le GuinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Murder has no reason."
For a very short novel (a little over 120 pages), this book packs quite a punch!
It is the too-familiar tale of colonialism writ anew, in a universe where there are multiple "humans" apart from Terran ones from Earth. These humanoid beings vary in terms of physical appearance but possess the same human soul and intellect.
It starts with one Terran captain who is sent to chop wood in the planet Athshe, to send back to a future Earth where wood is more precious than gold. The Athshean word for "world" is "forest," and it breaks the reader's heart to see what could have been a mutually beneficial relationship laid to waste, simply because of the Terran "man's man" who refuses to recognize the humanity of a species shorter and furrier than him.
Reading this book in light of recent events with the International Criminal Court just emphasizes the need to have a governing body that provides a check and balance over those lording it cruelly over their tiny part of the universe.
The most interesting scene in the book was the visit of two out-worlder delegates from other humanoid planets, representatives of the League of Worlds, and how differently the anthropologist and the military man treated them. One "had been trained to keep his mind open whether he wanted to or not." The other one's mind was purely set on getting his way, darn the torpedoes.
This is my second book from Le Guin's Hainish Cycle, the first one being "The Left Hand of Darkness." They can be read in any order. I had no trouble reading this 2nd of 9 independent works in the series. If LHOD was commentary on gender's impact on society, TWFWIF is Le Guin's anti-colonial, anti-racist treatise. While shorter than LHOD, this book is equally memorable. I hope to be able to track the other 7 books down. Le Guin is a delight both for the heart and the intellect!
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