Humans try to colonize a forest planet and enslave the native inhibitants. The Athsheans are fed up with the situation and led by one of them they rebel.
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The review of this Book prepared by irina
By the time LeGuin wrote this novella, first published in _Again, Dangerous Visions_ in 1972 and awarded the Hugo the following year, she was firmly in control of her themes. Small military and logging colonies have been established by humans on what they call "New Tahiti" in order to send wood back to Earth, 27 light-years distant. Macho Captain Don Davidson runs roughshod over the slave labor employed to build settlements and help with harvesting the dense forests that cover the small amounts of land surrounded by oceans on the planet, which the small green furry creatures native to the planet know as Athshea. A rebellion by the Athsheans, who possess the ability to dream while awake and sing in contest and triumph, and whose towns are run by the women, leads the two species to the brink of all-out war. LeGuin presents a parable of colonial imperialism, with muted echoes of Vietnam and My Lai, and a tribute to the great forests of her beloved Pacific Northwest, in this proto-feminist eco-novella that includes plenty of action.
The review of this Book prepared by David Loftus