Another absolute banger by Ursula K. Le Guin, she’s done it again. This was a relatively short book, only just over 100 pages, and yet it still felt like I was loosing a good friend when I finished reading it.

The world it conjured up was vivid and beautiful, with a dense forest covering all and the native people at peace with themselves. That is, until the Americans come, or at least, all their stereotypes. They are the villains in this book and they are comically evil. It’s basically all the worst characters from Apocalypse Now getting their way and that being taken to its local conclusion.

The foreword mentions that she wrote this book when she was really pissed off about Vietnam, and that is pretty much what the book is about. I didn’t need convincing that colonialism or war are bad ideas, but still, this was a very enjoyable read.