The Lathe of Heaven (Perennial Classics) (Panther science fiction)

by Ursula K. Le Guin

'Her worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend' THE TIMES

'Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power' OBSERVER

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.

• ISBN10: 0575013850
• ISBN13: 9780575013858
• Publish Date: 1 January 1979 (first published 21 February 1974)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 12 July 2000
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Gollancz
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 192
• Language: English

Reviews

[nannah]

The quote on the cover of the edition I'm borrowing reads, “When I read The Lathe of Heaven as a young man, my mind was boggled; now when I read it, more than twenty-five years later, it breaks my heart” (Michael Chabon). I somehow feel younger and older at the same time, feeling my mind boggled and my heart broken at the same time. Since this book deals with multiple realities and multiple selves, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised by that, but I am surprised by how much it affected me. I think I stayed up past 3am to finish it.

Content warnings:
- ableism & eugenics (in-book)
- some uncomfortable gay (mlm) stereotypes (probably in-book only, knowing Le Guin)

Representation:
- one of the three PoV characters is biracial (black)
- one of the three PoV characters is bisexual or a (closeted?) gay man

George Orr, an average man by all accounts, discovers his dreams are affecting reality and that he’s the only one who knows it’s happening. He goes to dream psychiatrist William Haber for help but soon finds himself manipulated by Haber and his desire to play god.

As always with Le Guin, the prose is gorgeous. I love the way she distinguishes her characters, both through the prose and the characters’ voices. Heather Lelache, the love interest, especially. She's described in almost a menacing way with how her brass bracelets and buckles snap and clack when she moves. It fits her character wonderfully, too. As sort of an armor plating.

Though the story ends up being a little frustrating, because George technically could have ended the story halfway through and saved everyone a whole lot of trouble, it’s also fun to understand that it’s exactly his nature that prevents him from doing it. Just like it’s Haber’s nature that ultimately makes him the antagonist of the story, even though his desire is to do good. You have to love (or at least appreciate) stories like that.

I hear there was a film made of this in the 80s ... I know what I'll be doing this coming weekend. In the meantime, on to the next Le Guin novel(la)!
(4.5)

[jamiereadthis]

I can’t remember the last time I read a book with a truly passive protagonist, where his qualities are not his weakness, but his strength. He doesn’t change who he is. There is no lesson needed. He is the virtue, not the flaw. Le Guin stacks George Orr up against the passionate Huber who wants to save the world, and carefully and thoroughly makes the case for the former. It’s a profound mental shift, one that makes me realize just how much our culture— even in books where quiet people can get their due— is geared toward the opposite. I don’t think I’d even want the world where everyone is so even-keeled, but I like the thought experiment; I want to think about why.

The book does tend to raise more questions than answers, and I like it that way. I don’t want a sermon; I want food for thought. I think George Orr might stick in my mind for a while.

He was the strongest person she had ever known because he could not be moved away from the center.

[celinenyx]

George is a regular, average man, except for one thing: his dreams shape the world around him. Afraid of dreaming, he seeks out the help of a psychotherapist, who sees a potential in George's peculiarity.

Despite being written almost fifty years ago, The Lathe of Heaven has not lost its bite. Some of its character relationships seem old-fashioned by today's standards (particularly George's love interest was rather crudely drawn), but the fascinating topic still holds up. Le Guin is a skillful writer, effortlessly stringing together a story which could easily end up confusing, as the world changes while George dreams. The Lathe of Heaven is a short sci-fi novel well worth your time.

[Beth C.]

Bizarre to read about areas I know, and a lot of food for thought in this short book. I think it will make for interesting conversation as the first book club pick.