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Kees Van Sten is an ecologist working in Smith Camp prior to its collapse; he greatly dislikes Don Davidson. At the start of the novella, Kees speaks to Davidson and expresses frustration at the fact that the colonists are hunting red deer, which is forbidden under martial law. Davidson doesn’t see the point in enforcing this rule, as he believes that the colonists need hobbies, but Kees insists that deer are endangered—in fact, there are no deer left on Earth. Deeply concerned about World 41’s ecological future, Kees threatens to report Davidson, which doesn’t ruffle Davidson at all. Kees also expresses concern that World 41 will turn into another version of Earth, which is all cement. Not long after this conversation, Kees dies during the Athsheans’ attack on Smith Camp.
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Kees Van Sten Character Timeline in The Word for World is Forest
The timeline below shows where the character Kees Van Sten appears in The Word for World is Forest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter One
Walking through the camp, Davidson runs into Kees Van Sten, who asks him to stop the loggers from hunting red deer. There’s a...
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Davidson calmly condescends to Kees, saying that it’s fine to report him, but it’s silly to want to preserve and...
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Kees storms away, and Davidson thinks about deer, which he first saw on New Tahiti—they’re amazing...
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