#73 in Classics
The Lathe of Heaven
- 184
- Pages
- about 3.5 h
- Reading time
- Locus Award for Best Novel
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Our view
“The Lathe of Heaven” packs more unsettling ideas into under two hundred pages than most science fiction manages at three times the length. Some readers find it a heavy book that follows its premise into uncomfortable places, and what it shows about consent in mental health care can leave a reader angry at one of its characters. Others call it Le Guin’s most approachable book. For some, the ending is sad and comforting at once.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Lathe of Heaven is a 1971 science fiction novel by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, first serialized in the American science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. It won the 1972 Locus Award for Best Novel and was a finalist for the 1971 Nebula Award for Best Novel and 1972 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Two television film adaptations were released: the PBS production, The Lathe of Heaven (1980), and Lathe of Heaven (2002), a remake produced by the A&E Network.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.1 across 629 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 81% of the weight and the score stays at 8.0 — the Classics average of 7.7 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 52 | 8% |
| Hardcover | 8.1 | 577 | 92% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Lathe of Heaven?
It has 184 pages — shorter than 95% of the ranked books in Classics.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Classics — with scores between 8.0 and 8.1, closest to this book.
