The Lathe of Heaven

George Orr discovers that his dreams have the power to literally alter reality, changing the past, present, and future for everyone except himself. Terrified of accidentally destroying the world, he uses drugs to prevent himself from dreaming. This draws him to the attention of a sleep researcher who wants to exploit his power.

The primary antagonist is Dr. William Haber, a sleep researcher who realizes George's dreams are real and begins manipulating them to 'improve' the world. Haber uses a device called the Augmentor to control and direct George's sleeping mind. However, Haber's attempts to create utopias result in horrific unintended consequences.

No, unlike many of Le Guin's famous works like The Left Hand of Darkness, this 1971 novel is a standalone story set in a near-future Portland, Oregon. It does not feature the Ansible or the broader Hainish intergalactic alliance. It relies entirely on Earth-based science fiction and psychology.

The PBS film adaptation ran into severe legal trouble because the producers included Beatles music without securing the necessary licensing rights. Due to this expensive copyright infringement, the film was pulled from circulation for nearly 20 years. It was finally restored and released on DVD in 2000 after the music rights were cleared.