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A review by sydsnot71
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
2.0
George Orr dreams. But his dreams are effective. They warp and change the world. When the novel starts he has overdosed on pills trying to suppress his dreaming. The world Orr lives in is an overcrowded and environmentally exhausted one. Le Guin talks about the impact of CO2 and global warming in a book written in 1971.
"In fact it was, the endless warm drizzle of spring—the ice of Antarctica, falling softly on the heads of the children of those responsible for melting it." (p160)
It is a fine book but perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind for it. The central idea is pretty solid. Indeed, I think you could argue Le Guin is a writer of ideas. But I found the first part of it something of a slog. Lots of SF info-dumping.
If I was a DNF type I might have DNFed it at that point I'm glad I didn't. Once things get going there's much to enjoy here as he starts sessions with Dr William Haber. Haber's realisation that George has a real power he starts to exploit it. Or tries to. But Orr's dreams seem to work like the wishes of genies or agreements with the devil where your desire is not answered quite as straightforwardly as you want.
Hamer wants to change the world for the better. But at what cost?
I might come back to this at a later date. I think there's more to be found in it than perhaps I found in it on this read.
"In fact it was, the endless warm drizzle of spring—the ice of Antarctica, falling softly on the heads of the children of those responsible for melting it." (p160)
It is a fine book but perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind for it. The central idea is pretty solid. Indeed, I think you could argue Le Guin is a writer of ideas. But I found the first part of it something of a slog. Lots of SF info-dumping.
If I was a DNF type I might have DNFed it at that point I'm glad I didn't. Once things get going there's much to enjoy here as he starts sessions with Dr William Haber. Haber's realisation that George has a real power he starts to exploit it. Or tries to. But Orr's dreams seem to work like the wishes of genies or agreements with the devil where your desire is not answered quite as straightforwardly as you want.
Hamer wants to change the world for the better. But at what cost?
I might come back to this at a later date. I think there's more to be found in it than perhaps I found in it on this read.