Staff Pick
Lathe of Heaven pulls at your perception of reality and on your heartstrings in a way I can't begin to explain. An intense world where literally life-altering dreams happen to a seemingly ordinary man who believes there is nothing special about himself. For this reason, he becomes the most important. Recommended By Rin S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A classic science fiction novel by one of the greatest writers of the genre, set in a future world where one mans dreams control the fate of humanity.
In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating Georges dreams for his own purposes.
The Lathe of Heaven is an eerily prescient novel from award-winning author Ursula K. Le Guin that masterfully addresses the dangers of power and humanitys self-destructiveness, questioning the nature of reality itself. It is a classic of the science fiction genre.
Review
"A rare and powerful synthesis of poetry and science, reason and emotion." The New York Times
Review
"Profound. Beautifully wrought... [Le Guin's] perceptions of such matters as geopolitics, race, socialized medicine, and the patient-shrink relationship are razor sharp and more than a little cutting." National Review
Review
"When I read The Lathe of Heaven as a young man, my mind was boggled; now when I read it, more than twenty-five years later, it breaks my heart. Only a great work of literature can bridge - so thrillingly - that impossible span." Michael Chabon
Review
"Gracefully developed...extremely inventive.... What science fiction is supposed to do." Newsweek
Review
"A very good book... A writer's writer, Ursula Le Guin brings reality itself to the proving ground." Theodore Sturgeon
About the Author
Ursula K. Le Guin is one of the most distinguished fantasy and science fiction writers of all time. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Nebula Award, the Hugo Award, the National Book Award, and the Newbery Honor. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Visit her online at UrsulaKLeGuin.com.