This book is a bit more focused on it’s parallel of the Vietnam War but I had some idea of what to expect going into this. Her work The Word for World is Forest, part of her Hainish Cycle, involves an indegenous species that can dream in a concious state. Le Guin really said ‘hold my drink’ when she set down to write a book where even dreams can be used and abused to manipulate society didn’t she? This isn’t my first outing with Le Guin and her interest in dream. When he allows ambition to get the better of ethics, George finds himself caught up in a situation of alarming peril. At first sceptical of George’s powers, he comes to astonished belief. Psychiatrist Dr William Haber offers to help. But George dreams dreams which do in fact change reality – and he has no means of controlling this extraordinary power. George Orr is a mild and unremarkable man who finds the world a less than pleasant place to live: seven billion people jostle for living space and food. In a world where personal data has become weaponised and monetised, it’s not hard to imagine if we could touch something as intangible as dreams and use it as data, people would want to manipulate it. Well is there anything more truly frightening than well written science fiction that makes you doubt your own future? There certainly isn’t for me. We just came out of Halloween, the peak of Autumnal vibes. The world is, no matter how we think it ought to be. There is a way but you have to follow it. It just doesn’t work, it goes against life.
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