THE LATHE OF HEAVEN

[E. Magill]

Our book for March/April 2014 is THE LATHE OF HEAVEN by Ursula Le Guin. I am a big fan of Le Guin's work, even though I've only read two or three of her books so far, and The Lathe of Heaven is often cited as one of her two best (the other being THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS, of course). The Amazon description:

"A classic science fiction novel by one of the greatest writers of the genre, set in a future world where one man’s dreams control the fate of humanity.

"In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George’s dreams for his own purposes.

"The Lathe of Heaven is an eerily prescient novel from award-winning author Ursula K. Le Guin that masterfully addresses the dangers of power and humanity’s self-destructiveness, questioning the nature of reality itself. It is a classic of the science fiction genre."

[E. Magill]

I was a little surprised when I read this, because the writing is pretty uneven, not as stellar as the other Le Guin books I've read. I really hate all the descriptions of the doctor's machine--it's a lot of gobbledegook and repetition. Still, the story blew me away, as I predicted it would. I just love the crazy implications, metaphysical ideas, and imagination.

On the other hand, I do feel like the ending is a little weak. I still don't quite get Orr's solution, and the ending I was hoping she was leading towards was one in which everyone becomes an active dreamer and reality has to take the shape of what all people can imagine together. I also thought the love story subplot was pretty poorly developed.

But as an idea, this story is like a trippy fairy tale, and I appreciate why it's considered such a landmark work. Though the nitpicky writer in me would classify this book specifically as "magical realism," I think it still qualifies as sci-fi. I mean, it has aliens in it, for crying out loud.

[kwirk]

This was interesting but i agree, the ending was a little lacking. I didn't really like how Orr kept going back to Haber despite feeling used, his passivity was a little aggravating. I liked that Haber got what he deserved in the end. Aliens were a wierd twist but okay. I also agree that the love story was a little lacking. Overall an interesting book but not one I would read again or really recommend to others.