#44. THE LATHE OF HEAVEN By Ursula Le Guin

Published : 1971
Pages : 184
Overall Mark : 7/10

George Orr is in most respects a mild and unremarkable man, but he has an ability with which he can transform the world around him, for George's dreams alter reality. His psychiatrist, William Haber, at first sceptical, cannot resist using George's powers once he sees their effects - initially just to advance his own career, but then, gaining confidence, to try to change their overcrowded world into a more attractive place.

URSULA LE GUIN (1929-)
Born in 1929, daughter of a famous anthropologist, Le Guin published her first novel in 1966. Her reputation as one of the world's leading SF and fantasy writers was established with the publication of A Wizard Of Earthsea (1968) followed by The Left Hand Of Darkness (1969) and The Dispossessed, both of which won both the Hugo and Nebula awards.

VERDICT
This is an interesting story - taking the idea of a man whose dreams come true, and using the theory of the genie's wishes that always go wrong no matter how philanthropic the intent might be - and showing how even the simplest wish can make matters worse. Sadly it becomes too far fetched, with an opening sequence that creates an idea that you start to belive in until the dream worlds become increasingly unrealistic.