You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Hello? Ursula?
Spoiler
Gaslight, Manifest, Philosophize.
The Lathe of Heaven is only my second LeGuin book (the first was The Left Hand of Darkness) and it was a very different experience. I loved them both, but this was so much more easily readable. I had a lot of trouble with LHoD even though the prose was beautiful and the ideas were amazing. Well, the prose is great here too, but in a... more minimalistic way. And that helps the pacing too, tremendously. I'd still rank LHoD above this (as you could probably tell by me rambling on about it in what is supposed to be a review of The Lathe of Heaven) but that's mainly because it was so damn good! The world she builds here is really good and there were a few mind-blowing moments where I was shocked even though I knew what was coming.
What I have really enjoyed in LeGuin's works are the characters. She is one of the best observers I've ever had the pleasure to read - she conveys so much about the characters in just a few lines or paragraphs and makes the readers feel as though they're good at observing and understanding the characters too. That is not a very easy thing to do - there are entire books that I've read where I won't be able to tell what a character truly feels and thinks beyond some high level obvious stuff even after everything.
4/5 stars
What I have really enjoyed in LeGuin's works are the characters. She is one of the best observers I've ever had the pleasure to read - she conveys so much about the characters in just a few lines or paragraphs and makes the readers feel as though they're good at observing and understanding the characters too. That is not a very easy thing to do - there are entire books that I've read where I won't be able to tell what a character truly feels and thinks beyond some high level obvious stuff even after everything.
4/5 stars
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
This was like reading an acid trip.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ending felt rushed, and it was a choice.
But I enjoyed the story.
But I enjoyed the story.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
reflective
If I had to describe this book in a word, it would be 'understated'. It explores utopia and dystopia, supernatural abilities in humans, aliens, and alternate realities, while somehow remaining very realistic and not at all far-fetched.
It doesnt have a massive adventure of a plot, it takes you on more of an emotional and existential journey rather than anything you'll see at the movies. It's so hard to articulate what I feel about this book, but I definitely agree that Ursula Le Guin writes damn perceptive novels.
I really empathised with and loved George Orr - he has this immense power that he can't control, and everytime he makes a change for the betterment of humanity, something else goes wrong instead. He truly is blessed and cursed at the same time, and I totally felt his helplessness under Dr Haber.
*sigh* Dr Haber. He's evil in the most subtle way - he's very utilitarian in nature, wanting to help the world but exploiting poor George in the process. He's also hella creepy. Again, I can't really articulate what I feel about this book, but Dr Haber is an interesting character.
*SPOILERS*
My only gripe with this book was the description of "The Break", the abyss, and how Haber was seeing the world after April 1998. I can understand the break itself, but am confused about the actual abyss and the mist that George was walking through. Heather fell into nothing, and George was walking through nothingness, but somehow there were still buildings melting?
And well, I'm just not quite sure what happened with Dr Haber, and how he was able to tap into that horrific post-apocalyptic world.
It doesnt have a massive adventure of a plot, it takes you on more of an emotional and existential journey rather than anything you'll see at the movies. It's so hard to articulate what I feel about this book, but I definitely agree that Ursula Le Guin writes damn perceptive novels.
I really empathised with and loved George Orr - he has this immense power that he can't control, and everytime he makes a change for the betterment of humanity, something else goes wrong instead. He truly is blessed and cursed at the same time, and I totally felt his helplessness under Dr Haber.
*sigh* Dr Haber. He's evil in the most subtle way - he's very utilitarian in nature, wanting to help the world but exploiting poor George in the process. He's also hella creepy. Again, I can't really articulate what I feel about this book, but Dr Haber is an interesting character.
*SPOILERS*
My only gripe with this book was the description of "The Break", the abyss, and how Haber was seeing the world after April 1998. I can understand the break itself, but am confused about the actual abyss and the mist that George was walking through. Heather fell into nothing, and George was walking through nothingness, but somehow there were still buildings melting?
And well, I'm just not quite sure what happened with Dr Haber, and how he was able to tap into that horrific post-apocalyptic world.