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Liked It “LeGuin at her best. Try imagining a world in which you are the only one who knows what was just real and what is real now. You shape the world but it goes awry.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“LeGuin at her best. Try imagining a world in which you are the only one who knows what was just real and what is real now. You shape the world but it goes awry.”
Jay R wrote this review Saturday, November 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A chilling sci-fi story of a young man whose affective dreams become an accepted reality. He seeks help by a psychologist who uses the man's powers inappropriately resulting in horrific consequences. It is full of excitement, apocolypse, chase scenes, good versus evil, intergalactic war, love and redemption. Classic science fiction literature.”
She wrote this review Saturday, November 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I read this one in my Science Fiction / Fantasy class in college. What a great one ... A scientist studies the effects of sleep... ”
Wurm wrote this review Wednesday, November 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Fascinating sci-fi about a man whose uncontrolled dreams become reality. Every time George Orr dreams, whatever he dreams comes true when he awakens...and has always been true for everyone else. When he goes to a psychiatrist for help, the good Dr. Haber devises a way to control his dreams in order to bring about a better world. This book (written in the 70's) foretells a dreary, government controlled society that gets worse every time the doctor tries to make George "dream" it better. The moral of the story? Trying to control people, trying to make everyone the same makes for a world that truly is completely unlivable. As George says, "The end justifies the means. But what if there is no end?"”
Rachel T wrote this review Tuesday, October 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This might be my favorite Le Guin book yet. The powers of George Ore are mind-boggling, but it's his shrink who dares to use them. This is an unhinged romp through reality--whichever reality that happens to be at the moment--with profound consequences that will snare the reader's interest. You might end up with a different view on wishing dreams came true.”
T.R.M. wrote this review Sunday, October 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Heartbreakingly beautiful. Read this book!”
Katie A wrote this review Thursday, September 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Excellent and amazing. This book kept me enthralled through one long, tense night. Recommended to anyone who enjoys a well written speculative story.”
Misabel wrote this review Sunday, August 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Excellent Book! The first book I've read of this Science Fiction great, and judging by this book, there'll be a lot more to read. O.K. after the gushing, I've to add that there are some defects, like the humour being misplaced sometimes, but a definite must-read...”
Abhinav Neelam wrote this review Monday, August 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I've read this several times. It reinforces my belief that control
Gail J wrote this review Friday, August 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
freaks should be "retrained".”“Amazon Review:
Andrew Hughes-Onslow wrote this review Tuesday, August 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
First published in 1971, Ursula Le Guin's SF novel The Lathe of Heaven combines a sheaf of future possibilities--including an early evocation of global warming--with a parable about wishes that has the terrible clarity of a fairytale.
The uncomfortably gifted George Orr is desperately drugging himself to avoid sleep, because he knows his dreams can change the world. Psychiatrist Dr Haber begins with good intentions of curing Orr, but when he finds he can shape Orr's "effective dreams" and force his own wishes into reality, the lure of power is too much. Though Haber believes he wants only to do good, he's also quick to upgrade himself from obscurity in a windowless office to Director of the prestigious Oregon Oneirological Institute.
During his flawed attempts to create an earthly paradise, we see that each sweeping change makes matters worse. Let's fix over-population: suddenly there's a new past in which humanity was almost destroyed by plague, billions of people are written out of existence, and Haber drinks a toast--"to a better world". Let's fix war: the hapless Orr's dreaming mind can only imagine and create a new threat that unites Earth against outside foes. Let's fix racism: the result is even more painful. As Orr broods:
The end justifies the means. But what if there never is an end? All we have is means.
In this mad round of poisoned wishes, it becomes necessary to stop. But power-crazed Haber refuses to stop....
Beautifully written, jolting in its moral force, The Lathe of Heaven is one of Le Guin's finest SF excursions. --David Langford
George Orr is a mild and unremarkable man who finds the world a less than pleasant place to live: seven billion people jostle for living space and food. But George dreams dreams which do in fact change reality - and he has no means of controlling this extraordinary power. Psychiatrist Dr William Haber offers to help. At first sceptical of George's powers, he comes to astonished belief. When he allows ambition to get the better of ethics, George finds himself caught up in a situation of alarming peril.”
