jdodson129 's review for:

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This was the first Ursula K. Le Guin book I’ve read and I was absolutely blown away. This foundational work in the SciFi genre centers around a man who can change the past/present with his dreams and a psychiatrist/scientist who seeks to harness this power for himself. As one can predict the result is potentially catastrophic. This is not only a riveting, tragic, and terrifying read, it’s also a commentary on racism, sexism, man made ecological decay, genocide, eugenics, linguistics, existentialism, and a whole lot of philosophical quandaries packed into a concise work of fiction. What a book and I can’t wait to read more Le Guin.