jae@wyrms.de reviewed The Lathe Of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Superb!
4 stars
Mom said it was my turn on the lathe of heaven!
eBook, 194 pages
English language
Published July 30, 2015 by Orion.
The Lathe of Heaven
4 stars
(163 reviews)
“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.
Weirdest thing I've read by Le Guin
4 stars
It's funny how of all the books I've read by Le Guin, the one that's set on a baseline plausible Earth-in-my-lifetime would turn out to be the weirdest. Also funny how in what starts as a pretty reasonable extrapolation from 1971 to ~2000 has one repeated glaring error: multiple references to the perfect cone of Mount St. Helen's.
Against that background, we get a story of a man running away from his dreams because they give him a power he doesn't understand and can't control. And another man who wants to channel that power, setting up a modern Daoist fable about the hubris of trying to control too much.
Lily reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The Lathe of Heaven' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Not really as good as the other titles I've read by this author for a few reasons. It could maybe have used another 50 pages to flesh some things out. Nevertheless this book has a lot of fun details that makes it a satisfying read.
Stephen Hayes reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
None
4 stars
I read this book 35 years ago, and could not remember much of it, so when I saw a GoodReads friend was rereading it, I decided to reread it too, and compare our reviews when done.
George Orr, a draughtsman in Portland, Oregon, has disturbing dreams which he believes change reality. In an effort to stop dreaming he takes drugs, which get him into trouble with the police. Have psychiatric treatment or go to jail is the choice he is offered. The psychiatrist, Dr Brian Haber, after ascertaining that George Orr is not deluded, and his dreams really do change reality, tries to use them to change the world and improve it by suggesting to George Orr what he should dream about.
Instead of being freed from his dreams, George Orr finds that he is being manipulated by Dr Haber, and with each dream, and each change of the world …
I read this book 35 years ago, and could not remember much of it, so when I saw a GoodReads friend was rereading it, I decided to reread it too, and compare our reviews when done.
George Orr, a draughtsman in Portland, Oregon, has disturbing dreams which he believes change reality. In an effort to stop dreaming he takes drugs, which get him into trouble with the police. Have psychiatric treatment or go to jail is the choice he is offered. The psychiatrist, Dr Brian Haber, after ascertaining that George Orr is not deluded, and his dreams really do change reality, tries to use them to change the world and improve it by suggesting to George Orr what he should dream about.
Instead of being freed from his dreams, George Orr finds that he is being manipulated by Dr Haber, and with each dream, and each change of the world and its history that comes about, Dr Haber becomes more powerful and influential, until Portland becomes the capital of the world, with Brian Haber controlling much of it from his office. With each change of the world, Haber claims the credit for any improvements, but blames Orr for any defects, saying that Orr had failed to carry out his instructions in hypnotic suggestions before dreaming.
In each changed state, some people who were alive in one of the former states end up dead, or it is as if they had never been born. Only Orr. Haber, and a lawyer Orr consults (and falls in love with) realise what is happening. But their relationship is not smooth. A lunch appointment made in one world is broken in the next, as the restaurant is no longer there.
Though it is a short book, only 156 pages in the edition I read, I found it rather slow-paced in places, and thought that perhaps it would have been better as a short story. I would have given it three stars, and probably would have taken a lot longer reading it, a chapter a day at bedtime, but for some strange incidents that made me feel as though I were in a similar story, and that it wasn't just happening in a book. But that has to do with the reader rather than the book, so I tell that story in my blog here: The Lathe of Heaven and the Mandela Effect.
bookafnd reviewed The Lathe Of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
pretty good, very 70s
4 stars
it's definitely soft SF that's From Its Time. kind of reminiscent of Phillip K. Dick's stuff, except the main character was actually likeable. Love how the continuum-shifts were treated narratively.
mut reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The lathe of heaven' on 'GoodReads'
5 stars
De novo a Ursula Le Guin faz uma ficção cientifica muito maneira, divertida e ilustradora de ideias filosóficas. O tipo de livro que dá vontade que todos os livros de filosofia fossem ficções bem escritas.
Esse livro é meio que um Inception ao contrário, o personagem principal tem sonhos que afetam a realidade de volta, e um médico que trata ele quer usar esses poder para resolver os problemas do mundo. É muito legal, por que mostra como certos problemas fazem parte do que nos faz humanos, e que talvez certas utopias (sonhos) não necessariamente fossem boas soluções.
Mas o mais legal é a forma como a realidade e os sonhos do personagem principal se misturam, e como com mudanças graduais, o mundo cada vez mais absurdo do livro é facilmente aceitável.
Muito legal.
The Gnome King reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin (Millennium SF Masterworks S)
Review of 'The Lathe of Heaven' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
The first book I’ve read by Ursula Le Guin and what an impressive book this was. There was no reason to start with this one, I wanted to read one of her books and this was the only one at the library. If there is one thing guaranteed to give me a headache it is books about time-travel and trying to figure out how timelines can be affected, this book was just as bad. George Orr’s dreams can change reality, people can be wiped out in the blink of an eye and nobody would realise, it’s crazy, who’s to say this doesn’t happen in real life…have I always existed or have I just been created whilst reading this book? Have the 4 people who will read this review only have existed because I dreamed they’d read it? And why didn’t that dream about an endless supply of Whiskey not come …
The first book I’ve read by Ursula Le Guin and what an impressive book this was. There was no reason to start with this one, I wanted to read one of her books and this was the only one at the library. If there is one thing guaranteed to give me a headache it is books about time-travel and trying to figure out how timelines can be affected, this book was just as bad. George Orr’s dreams can change reality, people can be wiped out in the blink of an eye and nobody would realise, it’s crazy, who’s to say this doesn’t happen in real life…have I always existed or have I just been created whilst reading this book? Have the 4 people who will read this review only have existed because I dreamed they’d read it? And why didn’t that dream about an endless supply of Whiskey not come true?
George Orr isn’t the best of characters he is very dull, maybe due to being sleep deprived, I found it very hard to care about him, it is obvious that he has been damaged by the stress of living with the repercussions of his dreams but I still found him too annoying to care about. His doctor is far more interesting, reading as he comes to believe in George’s ability and him throwing ethics out the window to start controlling the world was much more fun. I did find some outcomes predictable and I’m guessing that was on purpose seeing as we are relying on George’s imagination.
Overall I did enjoy the story, a few weaknesses but an original idea for a sci-fi novel, I’ll definitely be looking to reading more by Ursula and am open to recommendations.
Blog review: felcherman.wordpress.com/2021/02/24/the-lathe-of-heaven-by-ursula-k-le-guin/
V171 reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The Lathe of Heaven' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
There's something about Le Guin's writing that feels like home. Despite her being one of The Greats of sci fi in the 60s and 70s, I find her works to be distinct and timeless. This book follows that pattern. It was a short, but poignant read that I enjoyed throughout. There were times when I felt the commentary overshadowed the plot, but I didn't mind.
Fait reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
UKL writes PKD fanfic
3 stars
I found this profoundly unsatisfying, and unsettling off-style for UKL. It read like someone had just binged all of PKD's novels, and decided to replicate his style, but without the requisite psychosis or drug-induced distance from reality that made PKD's novels so compelling
Jonathan Zacsh reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The lathe of heaven' on 'GoodReads'
5 stars
Awkwardly shows its age in gender and race, but despite that this comes through really well. I'm really surprised this was written in 1971. Quite impressive sci-fi and a really good story over all.
protomattr reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The Lathe of Heaven' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This brilliant, beautiful little novel imaginatively explores the subjective nature of reality, its interdependence on perception. Le Guin masterfully constructs a narrative with only a few characters, settings, and pages whose number belies the philosophical and emotional heft conveyed therein.
Joe G. reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The lathe of heaven' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
One of my all-time classics.
haagen_daz reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The lathe of heaven' on 'GoodReads'
5 stars
There's a lot to like here. The language is great - some of the imagery is really fantastic, and there are some spots of cute wordplay. The plot is interesting and zips along, but it doesn't dominate the book. I found it easy to identify with both George and Dr. Haber, which is a nice trick that helps me think about the central conflict between them. I thought the contrast between "use this power for good!" and "don't use this power at all!" was fresh and very relevant to me as a tech worker.
There's a lot more to think about, but I haven't thought it yet! This is definitely one to reread.
annewalk reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The Lathe of Heaven' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Reminiscent of H.G. Wells’ Time Machine in its form and language. Felt, to me, like a short story lengthened into a slim novel.
Best part for me in terms of writing is in chapter ten where the writing gets poetic:
“In bed, they made love. Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” P. 159
And on p.165, Le Guin describes leather as “the intermediate surface between a cow and the universe.” Nice.
As for the story itself, it’s an interesting premise. I think about my own dreams and how entirely disjointed reality would be with them as a blueprint.
ManyRoads reviewed The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Review of 'The Lathe of Heaven' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I hate to say I found an Ursula Le Guin novel boring... but I did.
Subjects
- Fiction, science fiction, general