184 pages
English language
Published Nov. 7, 1991 by Book-of-the-Month Club.
“The Lathe of Heaven” ; 1971 ( Ursula Le Guin received the 1973 Locus Award for this story) George Orr has a gift – he is an effective dreamer: his dreams become reality when he wakes up. He is aware of his past and present, two or more sets of memories, although the people around him are only aware of the current reality. This science fiction story is set in Portland, Oregon, in/around the late 1990s - early 2000s. Orr begins to take drugs to suppress dreams but eventually he is sent to a psychotherapist, Dr. William Haber, who has developed an electronic machine, the Augmentor, which records the brain patterns of a person as they dream. When Haber realizes that he can use Orr's unique ability to change their world, the consequences are both beneficial and frightening, both locally and globally. Orr seeks out the help of a civil …
“The Lathe of Heaven” ; 1971 ( Ursula Le Guin received the 1973 Locus Award for this story) George Orr has a gift – he is an effective dreamer: his dreams become reality when he wakes up. He is aware of his past and present, two or more sets of memories, although the people around him are only aware of the current reality. This science fiction story is set in Portland, Oregon, in/around the late 1990s - early 2000s. Orr begins to take drugs to suppress dreams but eventually he is sent to a psychotherapist, Dr. William Haber, who has developed an electronic machine, the Augmentor, which records the brain patterns of a person as they dream. When Haber realizes that he can use Orr's unique ability to change their world, the consequences are both beneficial and frightening, both locally and globally. Orr seeks out the help of a civil rights lawyer, Heather Lelache, who attends a treatment session, and sees Portland change before her very eyes as Orr awakens. In a strange turn of events, Heather helps Orr by putting him in a dream state where Orr can undo some of Haber's actions. The result – Aliens on the Moon land on Earth ! A special affinity exists between George Orr and the Aliens, who seem to understand his unique gift. Ultimately Haber decides to impose Orr's brain patterns on his own, so that he can bring about world-wide changes. Orr and Heather feel the chaos and a sense of a void as Haber dreams. Orr rushes back to Haber's office and turns off the Augmentor. The world returns to April 1998.
I hate to say I found an Ursula Le Guin novel boring... but I did.
L'idée de départ de ce court roman est excellente : un homme consulte un thérapeute car ses rêves deviennent réalité, au sens littérale puisque la réalité se transforme véritablement en fonction des rêves qu'il fait. Dommage que l'exécution ne soit pas tout à fait à la hauteur, avec un récit brouillon qui ne m'a pas totalement convaincu.
L'idée de départ de ce court roman est excellente : un homme consulte un thérapeute car ses rêves deviennent réalité, au sens littérale puisque la réalité se transforme véritablement en fonction des rêves qu'il fait. Dommage que l'exécution ne soit pas tout à fait à la hauteur, avec un récit brouillon qui ne m'a pas totalement convaincu.
Really makes me think about the whole idea of progress.
Mostly satisfying novella about self and self-made reality, power and relationships.
I feel wretched about rating only three stars; but I just can’t bring myself to say I “really liked” Lathe of Heaven. It felt kind of clumsy; preachy, too. Not the voice I know as Le Guin. But it's Le Guin, dammit, so the fault is clearly mine.
I feel wretched about rating only three stars; but I just can’t bring myself to say I “really liked” Lathe of Heaven. It felt kind of clumsy; preachy, too. Not the voice I know as Le Guin. But it's Le Guin, dammit, so the fault is clearly mine.
Just bloody fantastic. That is all.
Just bloody fantastic. That is all.
My favorite sci-fi book!
A man has the ability to change the world through his dreams, and he has no control over them. Ursula LeGuin is just so damn fabulous and thought provoking. This is a great book to read with a thoughtful friend. Are benign idealists really so benign? Is there any solution to the worlds problems that would not result in catastrophic other problems? How do we execute our dreams morally? These are just a few of the intriguing questions proposed in The Lathe of Heaven. While I did not like it as much as Left Hand of Darkness or my favorite, The Dispossessed, it is still a great piece of speculative fiction.
Brilliant and amazing. This book kept me enthralled through a long, tense night. Recommended to anyone who enjoys a well written speculative story.
