I started April off with a bit of an Ursula K. Le Guin marathon: The Lathe of Heaven, which is a sci-fi, and Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea, which is the fourth book in the Earthsea Cycle. Both of these novels were hard to put down for I find Ms. Le Guin's writing to flow quite well, so that 3 hours would go by and I would not even notice. They are great examples of how an author can diversify their writing. The Lathe of Heaven takes on political and ethical questions through a journey into the not too distant future while Tehanu is written for a much younger audience in a fantastical world full of wizards and dragons.
I found The Lathe of Heaven kept me on my toes. What if you could change the past with effective dreams? This is what George Orr finds is happening to him. When he changes the past, the present changes also so that he cannot keep what is real and what is real straight. In an attempt to stop these dreams from happening, George tries to suppress his dreaming abilities with drugs which ends up with him being placed in "voluntary therapeutic treatment". Now things start to get interesting; George's therapist, Dr. Haber, envisions a perfect world without war, crime, hunger, discrimination, etc. Power-hungry, Dr. Haber uses hypnosis to try to bring about his ideal utopia through George's effective dreams. Taking a look at what ethics are involved in patient-doctor relations and the betterment of the world, Ursula Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven is an amazing tale.
Being a lover of books leads to many a used book buying adventures. Recently, I took a trip around downtown Ottawa to several spots including Argosy Books where I was able to find a copy of Tehanu. I was excited because I love the Earthsea world and have been looking for a copy of Tehanu for a while. It was worth the wait to say the least. If you have not read the first three books in the series I suggest that you find yourselves a copy and get reading!
In Tehanu we revisit Tenar twenty some odd years after her escape from the Tombs of Atuan with Sparrowhawk. She is living a peaceful life on Gont, although widowed she still finds joy in the simplicity of farm life. One day a terrible tragedy occurs in which a young girl has been left burned and badly beaten by her family. Tenar takes this girl in, nursing her back to health and naming her Therru. Together they end up on a journey which sees the death of Tenar's father figure Ogion, a most powerful mage; Tenar being reunited with Sparrowhawk; the crowning of a king in Havnor, restoring peace to the lands of Earthsea; and a fight against dark powers, those which Sparrowhawk had vanquished in The Farthest Shore. Overall a fantastic tale of adventure and fantasy with a few dragons to add to the mayhem.
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