The Word for World is Forest was initially published in the first volume of the anthology Again, Dangerous Visions in 1972,[37] which was edited by Harlan Ellison.[38] The volume was meant to be a collection of new and original stories from authors that had come to be known as the "New Left" of science fiction.[39] It has subsequently been reprinted as a stand-alone volume several times, beginning in 1976, when it was published by Berkley Books.[38][40] The work was nominated for the Nebula[41] and Locus Awards for Best Novella[42] and won the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Novella.[43] It was also a finalist for the National Book Award in 1976.[44]
The novella has received significant critical attention since it was published, along with Vaster than Empires and More Slow, with which it is frequently compared.[39] It has gotten generally positive reviews from critics and scholars, although several noted that it was not Le Guin's best work. Kirkus Reviews stated in 1976 that the book was "Lesser Le Guin, but often impressive",[45] while Carol Hovanec called it "brief but stunning."[10] Suzanne Reid stated that the novella was "deeply moving and shocking by turns".[15] The novel contrasts good and evil very explicitly, unlike in other Hainish cycle works such as The Left Hand of Darkness or The Dispossessed, which made The Word for World is Forest less complex than those other works.[15]
Charlotte Spivack stated that although the novel was "deftly written and imaginatively conceived", its "polemic" style made it a lesser literary achievement than many of Le Guin's other works.[46] She says that unlike many other characters that Le Guin has created, such as George Orr and Dr. Haber in The Lathe of Heaven, several characters in The Word for World is Forest, such as Davidson, exist only as one-dimensional stereotypes. She described the style of the novel as "moving and hard-hitting", but said that because it was written in the mood of the reaction to the Vietnam War, it was "not meant to be entertainment".[46]
