From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever

The Word for World Is Forest
by
Start date
May 15, 2021
Finish date
June 1, 2021
Discussion
Archive - AW Movie Club
Discussion leader
Gertie
Why we're reading this
Discussion opens June 1st, read anytime before then. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...…more

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Group Discussions About This Book

* AW Movie Club: what we've watched
By Gertie · 43 posts · 313 views
last updated Aug 10, 2023 07:41PM
Don't look up!
By Xapphirea · 17 posts · 53 views
last updated Jul 27, 2025 07:20AM
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What Members Thought

Joe
Nov 16, 2019 rated it really liked it
Ursula Le Guin is reliably amazing, but I struggled to get my head around this story, which seemed to kind of collapse in the second half. Probably with a re-read I will enjoy it even more.
 Michelle
Oct 29, 2010 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
The title implies a heavy focus on ecology - which is definitely present - but this book is more about what, exactly, is "human" and what, exactly, is "sane"? One of the main human characters reminded me a lot of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness (admittedly haven't read that in about 25 years...) - slowly going insane in a strange environment, while thinking himself to be the only one with any self-control. I also loved the description of the Athsheans sleep/dream patterns and the mutual certainty tha ...more
Joe
May 17, 2021 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Ursula Le Guin - always a hit. An exploration of guilt, punishment and betrayal. Enjoyed it much more than the first time I read it.
Mitchell Friedman
Good. But the evil is just a little bit too obvious. But as a way to say ourselves as a group and as not totally evil but leaning in an evil direction, was worth reading. The aliens are alien in this one and are also not all good. And the impact of actions on a society were not missed.
Alice
Dec 28, 2011 rated it really liked it
They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
...more
Gaijinmama
Oct 04, 2009 marked it as to-read
Andy S
Aug 18, 2011 rated it really liked it
Sandi
Jan 21, 2012 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: sci-fi, 2012, audiobooks
Jesse Morgan
Jan 28, 2012 marked it as want
Zac
Sep 12, 2012 rated it really liked it
Belinda
Mar 25, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Heather
Apr 02, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: fiction, fantasy
Chris Sachnik
Oct 16, 2014 marked it as to-read
Shelves: e-books
Tonia
Jan 17, 2016 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Betsy
Nov 29, 2016 rated it really liked it
Michele
Apr 15, 2017 marked it as to-read
Shelves: sci-fi_general
Tim
Oct 02, 2017 marked it as to-read
Laura
Nov 06, 2018 marked it as to-read
Sunjay
Jan 03, 2020 marked it as to-read
Donna
Aug 30, 2020 marked it as looks-interesting  ·  review of another edition
Angela
Dec 30, 2020 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction, sci-fi
Susan Levin
May 22, 2021 marked it as to-read
Blythe
May 22, 2021 marked it as to-read
William
Jun 23, 2021 marked it as to-read
Shelves: apocalyptic
Dave Schumaker
Aug 18, 2021 rated it liked it
Brook
May 22, 2023 marked it as to-read
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