Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Man In The High Castle

The Man In The High Castle
The Man In The High Castle
Author: Philip K. Dick
A" Seminal work in science fiction--Philip K Dick's best novel, a masterfully detailed alternate world peopled by superbly realized characters." says Harry Harrison. — "Remarkable, fascinating, it's all here, extrapolation, suspense, action, art philosophy, plot, character: really a superior work of fiction." Avram Davidson — "A classic. One that...  more »
ISBN: 76926
Pages: 253
Rating:
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1

3 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Berkley Publishing
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Man In The High Castle on + 52 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I've heard this book is deep and fantastic, but it just didn't do it for me. I apparently missed whatever was deep about it. Written in the early 1960's, this is the story of what the world would be like had Germany and Japan won World War II. The western third of the United States is run by Japan, the eastern third is run by Germany, and the middle is somewhere in between. Things happen, but there is no real plot in this book. Germany is about to undergo a change in leaders. A German agent and a Japanese agent meet in the U.S. to make some sort of plans, using a legitimate businessman in San Francisco as a cover. Meanwhile, other people do stuff. And running through it all is a novel that everyone is reading, written by American, about what would have happened if Germany and Japan had actually lost the war. Is that what was supposed to be deep? It wasn't. And then it ended. Not very interesting.
perryfran avatar reviewed The Man In The High Castle on + 1168 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
A very intriguing read. When reading this book, I kept thinking about 3 separate realities - the world of the novel where Germany and Japan won WWII, the world of the novel "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy" inside the novel where the Allies won the war, and then the world as we know it. Then what was really real inside the novel, how did the use of the "I Ching" influence the writing of "Grasshopper" as well as influence the lives of most of the characters in the novel... This one leaves you with a lot to ponder and probably deserves a second reading. I can definitely see how this is considered one of Dick's best.
Read All 11 Book Reviews of "The Man In The High Castle"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed The Man In The High Castle on + 27 more book reviews
One of Dick's classics, an alternative history that postulates the Axis won WW 2. At some points as beautifully written as anything in it's time period.
reviewed The Man In The High Castle on + 3 more book reviews
Excellent read
edwardb avatar reviewed The Man In The High Castle on + 4 more book reviews
Quite the interesting concept. It's 1962 and Japan and Germany have stomped us in WWII. Germany continued its human experiments on the continent of Africa creating a virtual genecide. Slavery is legal in the US and Jews live in hiding under assumed names and false faces. I have mucho respect for Dick's writing. This is the man who penned stories that became Minority Report and the venerable BladeRunner. I find his delivery an acquired taste at best, however. He's a bit on the dry side.
reviewed The Man In The High Castle on
Alternate history tale that you will enjoy reading again and again over the years. Philip K. Dick was an true visionary.

Book Wiki

Original Publication Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
Awards and Honors

Genres: