lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: War, Drug abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
jericho27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jmullenbach's review against another edition
5.0
So short but so packed with meaning, symbols, emotions. The world is complicated, maybe meaningless, there are no easy solutions, embrace the constraints and learn to live within them. Lovely prose and very stylish language.
Got chills at Dr Haber’s realization: “Was it there an hour ago? I mean, wasn’t that a view of Mount Hood, when I came in—before I dreamed about the horse?
Oh Christ it had been Mount Hood the man was right. It had not been Mount Hood it could not have been Mount Hood it was a horse it was a horse It had been a mountain A horse it was a horse it was—“
Also: “The quality of the will to power is, precisely, growth. Achievement is its cancellation. To be, the will to power must increase with each fulfillment, making the fulfillment only a step to a further one. The vaster the power gained, the vaster the appetite for more. As there was no visible limit to the power Haber wielded through Orr’s dreams, so there was no end to his determination to improve the world.”
Got chills at Dr Haber’s realization: “Was it there an hour ago? I mean, wasn’t that a view of Mount Hood, when I came in—before I dreamed about the horse?
Oh Christ it had been Mount Hood the man was right. It had not been Mount Hood it could not have been Mount Hood it was a horse it was a horse It had been a mountain A horse it was a horse it was—“
Also: “The quality of the will to power is, precisely, growth. Achievement is its cancellation. To be, the will to power must increase with each fulfillment, making the fulfillment only a step to a further one. The vaster the power gained, the vaster the appetite for more. As there was no visible limit to the power Haber wielded through Orr’s dreams, so there was no end to his determination to improve the world.”
ein's review against another edition
5.0
Изумительная история о человеке, сны которого могли менять реальность. Прекрасно написано и отчего-то мало похоже на обычную Урсулу Ле Гуин. Рекомендую.
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.625 stars
Now that rating is oddly specific, but let me elaborate. About 50%-ish into this book, it was looking like a solid 4 star read. Then there was this romance thrown in that I felt was both abrupt and adding nothing of benefit to the overall story (at least at that point). Upon reflection, I feel much the same about the romance in this book to the one in Recursion by Blake Crouch, which I read in 2019. They have a similar ~vibe~ (am I hip and cool yet? Yes of course I am one of the trendy kids what are you talking about
Now that rating is oddly specific, but let me elaborate. About 50%-ish into this book, it was looking like a solid 4 star read. Then there was this romance thrown in that I felt was both abrupt and adding nothing of benefit to the overall story (at least at that point). Upon reflection, I feel much the same about the romance in this book to the one in Recursion by Blake Crouch, which I read in 2019. They have a similar ~vibe~ (am I hip and cool yet? Yes of course I am one of the trendy kids what are you talking about
znnys's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably my favorite book by Le Guin so far. It's a fairly short piece, more novella than novel, but I was completely engrossed from start to finish. Her prose and characters are, as usual, utterly spell-binding, and I was very fascinated by the Taoist themes at play.
In many ways this book felt to me the way a classic horror novel does - like Frankenstein, or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There is something both simplistically Aesopic and deeply moving about the very nature of this story.
Dr. Haber was a genuinely frightening antagonist to me. He is a charming and calculating master manipulator who used his position to mold the submissive character of George into a tool for his own machinations. I cannot say whether Haber genuinely believed he was acting on behalf of the greater good or simply on behalf of himself - he spends most of his interactions with George and Heather obfuscating the truth, to where his word was entirely unreliable. For most of the book he exists as both powerless as anyone else under the influence of George's dreams, yet perhaps the most powerful person in the world as he exerts his will via hypnotism. This dualism, however, is ultimately resolved when Haber believes himself to have unlocked access to George's power.
There is something Sisyphian about the changes Haber makes via George - one problem is "solved" and another appears, which again must be "solved", and again another problem appears. His obsession with creating a perfect world falls quickly into eugenics. It is interesting to see Le Guin take explore a literal version of "color blindness" - Haber's "solution" to racial injustice was to abolish race all together, and in doing this he created a drab and miserable world without diversity. Heather cannot even exist in this world until George dreams her back, and even then the Heather he dreams into existence is entirely different, as being a biracial woman was integral to who she was as a person.
One could argue that George's first "big" dream - his dream that saves the world from nuclear annihilation - is a reasonable argument for the benefits of using George's power, but Le Guin presents a world deeply corrupted by the selfishness of humanity (a world, unfortunately, not unlike our own) and I believe she wants us to understand that this is not a responsibility George should have had in the first place, and not a responsibility that Haber believed he deserved. War, disease, and starvation are rampant even when nuclear annihilation is avoided. The climate has long since been polluted. Again, much like the example where Haber attempts to "solve" racial injustice, this is not a concept that can simply be fixed by erasing one large piece from existence. It is domino effect of long-standing issues that cannot simply be rewritten into perfection.
George exists in direct opposition to Haber: he simultaneously possesses godlike powers, but has absolutely no desire for them. This is not a responsibility he wants and not one he believes any person should have, and he is correct.
There is probably a lot more I could say but ultimately The Lathe of Heaven is your standard "It's bad to play God!"/Monkey's Paw sort of morality tale, but I still cannot help but feel as though it is among the very best of them.
In many ways this book felt to me the way a classic horror novel does - like Frankenstein, or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There is something both simplistically Aesopic and deeply moving about the very nature of this story.
Spoiler
Dr. Haber was a genuinely frightening antagonist to me. He is a charming and calculating master manipulator who used his position to mold the submissive character of George into a tool for his own machinations. I cannot say whether Haber genuinely believed he was acting on behalf of the greater good or simply on behalf of himself - he spends most of his interactions with George and Heather obfuscating the truth, to where his word was entirely unreliable. For most of the book he exists as both powerless as anyone else under the influence of George's dreams, yet perhaps the most powerful person in the world as he exerts his will via hypnotism. This dualism, however, is ultimately resolved when Haber believes himself to have unlocked access to George's power.
There is something Sisyphian about the changes Haber makes via George - one problem is "solved" and another appears, which again must be "solved", and again another problem appears. His obsession with creating a perfect world falls quickly into eugenics. It is interesting to see Le Guin take explore a literal version of "color blindness" - Haber's "solution" to racial injustice was to abolish race all together, and in doing this he created a drab and miserable world without diversity. Heather cannot even exist in this world until George dreams her back, and even then the Heather he dreams into existence is entirely different, as being a biracial woman was integral to who she was as a person.
One could argue that George's first "big" dream - his dream that saves the world from nuclear annihilation - is a reasonable argument for the benefits of using George's power, but Le Guin presents a world deeply corrupted by the selfishness of humanity (a world, unfortunately, not unlike our own) and I believe she wants us to understand that this is not a responsibility George should have had in the first place, and not a responsibility that Haber believed he deserved. War, disease, and starvation are rampant even when nuclear annihilation is avoided. The climate has long since been polluted. Again, much like the example where Haber attempts to "solve" racial injustice, this is not a concept that can simply be fixed by erasing one large piece from existence. It is domino effect of long-standing issues that cannot simply be rewritten into perfection.
George exists in direct opposition to Haber: he simultaneously possesses godlike powers, but has absolutely no desire for them. This is not a responsibility he wants and not one he believes any person should have, and he is correct.
There is probably a lot more I could say but ultimately The Lathe of Heaven is your standard "It's bad to play God!"/Monkey's Paw sort of morality tale, but I still cannot help but feel as though it is among the very best of them.
freshcinnamon's review against another edition
3.0
I was very intrigued by premise, a man whose dreams change reality. It was enough to get me to the end. I also love reading speculative fiction of the past, and how seeing how they thought our world would've changed by the new millennium. However, I had quite a few hang-ups with this one. For the majority of the time reading, I had to keep pausing to keep reminding myself to accept that the book was published in 1971, and that's why so much of the dream science was focused on hypnosis and the unconscious. (I like this review
as it explains a bit about the history of psychology.) This dilemma was something that was present for me in [b:The Left Hand of Darkness|18423|The Left Hand of Darkness|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488213612l/18423._SY75_.jpg|817527] as well, but there's a few reasons why it was more distracting in Lathe.
Dr. Haber was so methodical and descriptive of his research. It is integral to the story and couldn't be ignored. George Orr was (intentionally) not an interesting guy. He wasn't this or that (either/or as Heather Lelache calls him). So, when trying to distract myself from the above, I couldn't look to the main character for any help. If I revisit this, I will try to focus more on the philosophical element of the book, which was a more important part of the story, but I just couldn't focus on it due to my own personal hang-ups.
as it explains a bit about the history of psychology.) This dilemma was something that was present for me in [b:The Left Hand of Darkness|18423|The Left Hand of Darkness|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488213612l/18423._SY75_.jpg|817527] as well, but there's a few reasons why it was more distracting in Lathe.
Dr. Haber was so methodical and descriptive of his research. It is integral to the story and couldn't be ignored. George Orr was (intentionally) not an interesting guy. He wasn't this or that (either/or as Heather Lelache calls him). So, when trying to distract myself from the above, I couldn't look to the main character for any help. If I revisit this, I will try to focus more on the philosophical element of the book, which was a more important part of the story, but I just couldn't focus on it due to my own personal hang-ups.
lukests's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes