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The Lathe of Heaven

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The Lathe of Heaven

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: Adam Sims
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About this listen

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.

©2020 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Fiction Dream
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I enjoyed the performance and the characters were well represented. I feel like the book taught me something about acting in the world.

Careful, but quite bold in its vision. a bit frightening at times, and a little too pertinent to today.

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Many of the novels of Ursula Le Guin feature far-flung settings removed both in space and time from the context she was writing in. This allows Le Guin to fictionalise the themes she was taking from the real world and place into her fictional settings. This had the effect of both intensifying and concealing the social issues she wish to discuss. The lathe of Heaven, does not conform to this traditions. It’s set in the year 2002, humans have not conquered the galaxy. They haven’t even conquered issues of climate change, food, shortages, and over population. Le Guin uses fear of contemporary and relevant issues (more relevant, now than when she was writing) to ground, her fantastical premise of a man who when dreaming is able to to shape the world and it’s history. This convergence of the fantastical and grounded makes for a short, highly imaginative narrative, that is part morality play, part thought experiment and altogether a compelling read.

Le Guin worlds are usually as a rule, so sprawling and complex as to really exist. this novel is no exception. It is not uncommon for the characters of Le Guin to play second fiddle to the world she creates. However the characters of this novel are three-dimensional and realistically motivated. This compelling characterisation is necessitated buy a narrative premised on change as a result of the realisation of dreams. The reader needs an anchor point at the heart of the storm.
Despite all the grandeur and change that frames the narrative, the core question of the novel are conveyed through a series of deeply philosophical conversations.

Le Guin interrogates the kind of domineering personalities that are so often drawn to power in the real world. She asks is good intentions, truly enough? Do we have the right to change the world like gods? Is there such a thing as a moral absolute? And what is lost when we take the easy road to resolving a problem? The novel goes to great lengths to physically depict these abstract idea in the world. Reality is not objective, just like dreams. The novel takes this often repeated concept, and turns reality into the realm of dreams, malleable and changeable.

The novel interrogates our understanding of dream. To Le Guin dreams are the realm of the possible we’re all is shifting like a great ocean of possibility. The waking world then is the realm of hard, fixed realities, the shore that borders on the ocean. Where these two realities, intersecting great and terrible changes occur. Reality becomes as illusory as a drug addled mind. Much of the perverse enjoyment of reading the novel comes from the vivid and creative versions of our reality rort with subtle or vast changes born of idealistic Dogma.

The lathe of heavens charters are similar as ambitious. George ore is a breath of fresh air as a male protagonist. He’s not hyper confident or overly intelligent or domineering. He slow to act, nervous and easy undercut. He often assumes the best in people which makes him easily to manipulated and is often overawed by the consequences of his decisions. What makes this character original is that these ideals are view as natural and normal. He’s a good person. And his journey of self growth and empowerment is one of the most compelling components of the novel. As he doesn’t radical change as mush as he find security an safe in his own from of positive divergent masculinity. This is a powerful message for manly not traditional masculinity men.

In closing the novel agues we are interconnected with nature, not separate from it. To change the world is to change ourselves, in so doing breaking the bounds of the unwritten game we all play. Reality can seem random and pointless perhaps there is a greater goal but we cannot step beyond your comprehension or else we risk bing lost on the sea of possibility. We must know when to stop a pursuit of understanding. If we can’t, we will be destroyed on the lathe of Heaven.

Adrift in the world

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With so many layers, this story will keep you peeling for more. A true classic.

Depth

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very interesting story, it took me a while to get into it but once in I was hooked. considering it was written 50 years ago a lot of philosophical issues are thought provoking. Worth considering what kind of dream is worth dreaming into existence.

dreaming life how it could be

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Changing the world with dreams is an interesting notion and explored with LeGuin's typically deft touch, although the narration detracted for me. While George is a passive and anxious character, he is performed as such a meek and pathetic figure that I varied between apathy to actively resenting his presence- neither of which I suspect was the intention. Might be just me, but but it interfered with my engagement.

I'll certainly revisit the story at some point, but might go with the print version.

Interesting story, less so the performance

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No world making or wizardry in this one, just the endless possibilities that can come from notion of dreams becoming reality. This is one of her mid 70s purple patch books. Well worth the read.

Another Ursula gem

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I think I can spend eternity decoding the infinite meanings of this book. This is truly a high concept masterpiece and a better reflection of reality than anything I've ever read.

the most incredible book I've ever read

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Thought provoking piece by Ursula Le Guin. Depressing that even in the 70s they had enough foresight to imagine a dystopian future of climate change impacts, some of which are scarily similar to what we are seeing now. Pretty quick read and the plot moves along, neither the antagonist or protagonist are particular likeable, but the concept of effective dreaming is very fun.

Solid sci-fi novella

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