Book Review: “The Word for World is Forest” by Ursula K. Le Guin
Book Summary
This was my first book by Ursula K. Le Guin. She is a very prominent science fiction writer who has written popular books such as the Earthsea series and The Left Hand of Darkness. She was always on my reading list, and I finally got a chance to read one of her books.
What attracted me to this book was the unique title: The Word for World Is Forest. This is a poignant title, which is, of course, a phrase from the book. This phrase is spoken by a humanoid species on another planet far from Earth, but in some ways, they are more humane than the actual humans in this story. The humans derogatorily call them “creechies,” a furry, green, little species populating the planet Athshe. Athshe is a world full of trees—a global forest. The Athsheans cohabit the forest and live in harmony with it. On the other hand, humans have come from Earth with the sole objective of clearing the forest and harvesting its lumber. Lumber is a precious resource in the future, as humans have consumed it all on their home world. The story revolves around the conflict over resources: the needs of the local people versus the wants of the outsiders.
The story employs an old trope and runs along a common theme: a technologically advanced civilization abusing a primitive, less-developed populace. This can be seen in movies such as Avatar, in historical colonialism between so-called developed nations and indigenous peoples. The primary object of conflict is always a resource, which becomes the justification for the ‘developed’ people to dominate the ’less-developed’ natives. Arrogance and a feeling of superiority drive the colonizers to dominate and abuse the native populace, ultimately resulting in a rebellion against the outsiders. This story repeats itself again and again in one form or another. The way this story differs is in its world-building.
The way Ursula K. Le Guin builds such an engaging and deep environment of an alien planet is astounding. Every forest, every tribe, the aspects of language, and the characterization described by the author are rich and vivid. There is a special emphasis on the way the Athsheans dream, which, as mentioned in the book’s afterword, is inspired by “Dream Theory in Malaya”.
Dream Theory in Malaya is titled a paper by a visionary anthropologist, Kilton Stewart, who in 1935 visited a remarkable highland tribe of Malayan aborigines, the Senoi, whose happiness and well-being were linked to their morning custom of family dream-telling—where a child’s fearful dream of falling was praised as a gift to learn to fly the next night and where a dream-song or dance was taught to a neighboring tribe to create a common bond beyond differences of custom.
This dream-like state of the Athsheans brings an element of mysticism, representing a form of indigenous knowledge that the oppressors fail to understand despite their technological and financial superiority.
My views about the Book
The book is a short read, at about 150 pages, but packs quite a punch. The core of the story is timeless, and the world-building is captivating. One thing I disliked was the representation of the antagonists; their villainous characterization was one-dimensional and slightly distracting. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.
Overall Rating
I would like to give the book 3.5 stars. I would perhaps re-read this on a short train or flight journey.