Ursula K. Le Guin Science Fiction^The Word for World is Forest: The Best of the SF Masterworks

A world of peaceful aliens conquered by bloodthirsty yumens, their  existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans  find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters.

 Desperation causes the Athsheans to retaliate against their captors,  abandoning their strictures against violence. In defending their lives,  they endanger the very foundations of their society. Every blow against  the invaders is a blow to the core of Athsheans’ culture.

And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.

Winner of the 1973 Hugo award for Best Novella, and nominated for many others, The Word for World is Forest  is part of 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 that, like most things Le Guin wrote, packs a powerful emotional and critical punch’- Tordotcom
‘Deeply moving and shocking by turns’- Suzanne Reid
‘Le  Guin writes in quiet, straightforward sentences about people who feel  they are being torn apart by massive forces in society . . . and who  fight courageously to remain whole’ – The New York Times Book Review

Welcome to The Best Of The Masterworks: a selection of the finest in science fiction