"Lathe of Heaven" was my introduction to Ursula Le Guin, and it remains one of my favorite SF novels 50 years later. George Orr (or JorJor), in my opinion, is a great hero. He eventually realizes that *all* the realities he dreams up are real, and that the only way to deal with this realization is to "go with the flow." Dr Haber, on the other hand, is destroyed by his attempts to control reality and remake it into his vision of a perfect world. I know LeGuin said she was greatly influenced by Taoism, but I also wonder if she was influenced by the insights of quantum mechanics, since the entire story seems to imply a "double slit experiment" gone very, very wrong.
Always a good day when Darrel uploads. So glad you mentioned the Sirens of Titan, that book was an absolute trip. Those who have read know the absurd purpose of mankind...Spoilers ahead To build a bolt for an immortal robot who unalives himself.
Good video. I read The Lathe of Heaven as a light fun read many years ago but I must re-read after your comments. One of my favourite novels in the farther-out category is Blood Music by Greg Bear. The world is also transformed in it. You have to tell me if it has a deeper meaning.
Great recommendations Darrel. Not sure that it's of a sort with the illustrious five you've selected but the active search for oblivion by the alien and the culture mind in Banks' Look to Windward seem to be a hard study of existentialism.
I loved The Sirens of Titan and More Than Human. Three Stigmata happens to be on my schedule for this month and I’ll have to check out the other two as well!
I've not read any of these but i think i might invest in them soon. Good reviews 👍. My top 3 in this kind of category would probably be Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlien, The Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card and The Truth Machine by James Halperin.
I would recommend Prison Planet as an existential read due the the grappling with with leaving a legacy for future generations that you will never see and having to come to terms with that.
Great video as always.. I strongly recommend short story " The Days of Perky Pat " by Dick. ( about strange game survivoors of WW3 play in underground shelters ) Some elements from the story were used in Palmer Eldriitch novel later. Unforgettable story..
Can I ask what the name of the music is at the beginning and end of the video? Sounds kind of harmonious. I've heard it elsewhere and have tried to find the name. Love this channel, I've gotten so many book recommendations from this, thank you!
I was thinking of checking on your channel earlier today, thought maybe Algorithm had finally got you. Fear not We going strong, PKD in list, what else you want? 😤💪
Philip K. Dick made this theme his signature stamp. "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" is one of the greatest SF novels. Of it, Dick said that it wasn't about insanity because it is insanity. Ursula LeGuin wrote "The Lathe of Heaven" as a tribute to Philip K. Dick, who had greatly influenced her, but I preferred her novels like "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed". It's a personal choice though. "The Sirens of Titan" is a humorous, stylish novel, but I don't think it had much substance or that air of dark mystery that a novel dealing with these themes should have. Other authors who have dabbled within this territory, include Christopher Priest, whose novel "The Affirmation", is about an unreliable narrator who can't distinguish between what parts of his memory are true or fictional. J.G. Ballard wrote about cataclysmic landscapes that seem to merge with the inner mind in dreamlike vistas, such as "The Crystal World", where the natural world is changed into a crystallised, jewelled environment.
@@General_reader Both The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed are part of a series of books set in shared universe called the Hainish Cycle. However, they are standalone novels and only very loosely connected to each other.
How I wish other bookTubers learned from you what a review is. But then again, there are things they can't learn... which is an existential problem, LOL. You be you, and let's hope others consider enhancing their skills
I'm not sure I get the definition of existential here. As I understand it, an existential work must describe the experience of being thrown into a godless, absurd universe, without meaning. Very few of the books here seem very existential to me although they are great books (I have not read 'Light') - especially PKD, who while I love him, was massively theistic. 'Nausea' and 'L'étranger' would be 2 non-SF existential fictional works - some works in SF that bear some relation to those might be 'The Stars My Destination' or 'The Man in the Maze'.
Great Selection : The Hyperion Series meets all the criteria for this video
Blindsight as a bonus track. I think it has become a very influential tale
Great video. Light sounds fascinating, definitely want to read that one at some point. I love a good existential read.
"Lathe of Heaven" was my introduction to Ursula Le Guin, and it remains one of my favorite SF novels 50 years later. George Orr (or JorJor), in my opinion, is a great hero. He eventually realizes that *all* the realities he dreams up are real, and that the only way to deal with this realization is to "go with the flow." Dr Haber, on the other hand, is destroyed by his attempts to control reality and remake it into his vision of a perfect world. I know LeGuin said she was greatly influenced by Taoism, but I also wonder if she was influenced by the insights of quantum mechanics, since the entire story seems to imply a "double slit experiment" gone very, very wrong.
PBS produced a well done TV version of the Lathe of Heaven in 1980 and it's available on YoutTube.
@@major_west Yes! I remember it well, and I agree. Itis very well done, especially considering that the budget was ridiculously low.
great suggestions, especially the 1st and 3rd one. thank you!
Thanks for this - 1st and last suggestions are now q'd on my kindle for reading.
Thumbs up for Lathe of Heaven. It's a memorable read.
Always a good day when Darrel uploads. So glad you mentioned the Sirens of Titan, that book was an absolute trip. Those who have read know the absurd purpose of mankind...Spoilers ahead
To build a bolt for an immortal robot who unalives himself.
I'd add "three body problem" to this list too. Cixin Liu really forces us into existential crisis
A great list of thought provoking books! I read the first four, but Light was a new book to me. I'll have to add it to my TBR list now. 😁
Now I have to read all of these!
Good video. I read The Lathe of Heaven as a light fun read many years ago but I must re-read after your comments. One of my favourite novels in the farther-out category is Blood Music by Greg Bear. The world is also transformed in it. You have to tell me if it has a deeper meaning.
Blood Music is a fantastic novel!
Great recommendations Darrel. Not sure that it's of a sort with the illustrious five you've selected but the active search for oblivion by the alien and the culture mind in Banks' Look to Windward seem to be a hard study of existentialism.
Four of my favorites, the fifth (Light) is on my TBR.
I loved The Sirens of Titan and More Than Human. Three Stigmata happens to be on my schedule for this month and I’ll have to check out the other two as well!
Great selection
I've not read any of these but i think i might invest in them soon. Good reviews 👍. My top 3 in this kind of category would probably be Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlien, The Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card and The Truth Machine by James Halperin.
I remember The Sirens of Titan being weird, sad and entertaining at the same time.
Great list
I would recommend Prison Planet as an existential read due the the grappling with with leaving a legacy for future generations that you will never see and having to come to terms with that.
Great video as always..
I strongly recommend short story " The Days of Perky Pat " by Dick. ( about strange game survivoors of WW3 play in underground shelters )
Some elements from the story were used in Palmer Eldriitch novel later.
Unforgettable story..
Can I ask what the name of the music is at the beginning and end of the video? Sounds kind of harmonious. I've heard it elsewhere and have tried to find the name.
Love this channel, I've gotten so many book recommendations from this, thank you!
I was thinking of checking on your channel earlier today, thought maybe Algorithm had finally got you.
Fear not We going strong, PKD in list, what else you want? 😤💪
Philip K. Dick made this theme his signature stamp. "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" is one of the greatest SF novels. Of it, Dick said that it wasn't about insanity because it is insanity. Ursula LeGuin wrote "The Lathe of Heaven" as a tribute to Philip K. Dick, who had greatly influenced her, but I preferred her novels like "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed". It's a personal choice though. "The Sirens of Titan" is a humorous, stylish novel, but I don't think it had much substance or that air of dark mystery that a novel dealing with these themes should have.
Other authors who have dabbled within this territory, include Christopher Priest, whose novel "The Affirmation", is about an unreliable narrator who can't distinguish between what parts of his memory are true or fictional. J.G. Ballard wrote about cataclysmic landscapes that seem to merge with the inner mind in dreamlike vistas, such as "The Crystal World", where the natural world is changed into a crystallised, jewelled environment.
I’ve never read anything by Ursula K. Le Guin. First three books I should read?
Can't go wrong with The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven
I’d agree with this 👍
@@bookspin thanks! I’ve heard people mention left-hand of darkness. But isn’t it part of a series?
@@General_reader Both The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed are part of a series of books set in shared universe called the Hainish Cycle. However, they are standalone novels and only very loosely connected to each other.
Also from Hainish Cycle : " Rocannon's World " , " City of Ilusions ", " Word for a World is Forest " , " Solitude" ( novella )
How I wish other bookTubers learned from you what a review is. But then again, there are things they can't learn... which is an existential problem, LOL. You be you, and let's hope others consider enhancing their skills
I'm not sure I get the definition of existential here. As I understand it, an existential work must describe the experience of being thrown into a godless, absurd universe, without meaning. Very few of the books here seem very existential to me although they are great books (I have not read 'Light') - especially PKD, who while I love him, was massively theistic. 'Nausea' and 'L'étranger' would be 2 non-SF existential fictional works - some works in SF that bear some relation to those might be 'The Stars My Destination' or 'The Man in the Maze'.
It sound like More Than Human could have been the basis for the NetFlix series "Sense-8".
Books r too long can’t read 😩
Pls movies 🍿 🎥