Scan barcode
paholau's review against another edition
5.0
Me encantó♥
Vista ucrónica donde Japón, junto con el Eje, ganó la WWII y se quedó con la partse occidental de los EUA, conquistando después México y parte de Latinoamérica.
Reseña completa en mi blog (más por pereza que por otra cosa): https://letrasdelau.wordpress.com/2018/02/25/estados-unidos-de-japon-de-peter-tierya/
Vista ucrónica donde Japón, junto con el Eje, ganó la WWII y se quedó con la partse occidental de los EUA, conquistando después México y parte de Latinoamérica.
Reseña completa en mi blog (más por pereza que por otra cosa): https://letrasdelau.wordpress.com/2018/02/25/estados-unidos-de-japon-de-peter-tierya/
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
In a world where the Axis won World War II and Japan controls the western United States, a censor named Ben Ishimura and a secret police agent named Akiko Tsukino are trying to find the source of a video game called USA, which allows players to play in a world where America never fell...
I initially passed on this when I saw it on Netgalley but Peter Tieryas seems like a pretty cool guy on Goodreads and on Twitter so I gave it a shot when it went on sale for $1.99.
United States of Japan is a spiritual successor to [b:The Man in the High Castle|216363|The Man in the High Castle|Philip K. Dick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448756803s/216363.jpg|2398287], which I really need to read one of these days. The USJ is a paranoid dystopia where the Emperor is everything and to speak against him means death. Skyscraper-sized mecha patrol the cities and everyone carries a portable computer called a portcal.
Ben Ishimura is a censor whose attitude prevents him from going anywhere in his career. Akikio Tsukino is a cop whose career means everything. What happens when these two get forced to work together? A fun tale full of action and gore, that's what!
United States of Japan was a fun read, full of gruesome deaths, gore, cyberpunk awesomeness, and some giant robots roaming around the periphery. The paranoid feel made it pretty gripping at times. I had a feeling who was responsible for the USA game but I was off by a degree or two.
I didn't actually care for Ben that much. He's pretty passive for a lead character and his attitude got on my nerves. Akiko, on the other hand, ran the gauntlet over the course of the book and wound up being my favorite character, far from the mindless duty-bound cop she started the book as.
Aside from Ben, the only complaint I can think of would be that there weren't enough mecha battles. As a child of the 80's, I loved getting home from school in time to watch Voltron or Robotech and as such, can't get enough of giant robots duking it out.
United States of Japan makes dystopian alternate history fun! 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I initially passed on this when I saw it on Netgalley but Peter Tieryas seems like a pretty cool guy on Goodreads and on Twitter so I gave it a shot when it went on sale for $1.99.
United States of Japan is a spiritual successor to [b:The Man in the High Castle|216363|The Man in the High Castle|Philip K. Dick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448756803s/216363.jpg|2398287], which I really need to read one of these days. The USJ is a paranoid dystopia where the Emperor is everything and to speak against him means death. Skyscraper-sized mecha patrol the cities and everyone carries a portable computer called a portcal.
Ben Ishimura is a censor whose attitude prevents him from going anywhere in his career. Akikio Tsukino is a cop whose career means everything. What happens when these two get forced to work together? A fun tale full of action and gore, that's what!
United States of Japan was a fun read, full of gruesome deaths, gore, cyberpunk awesomeness, and some giant robots roaming around the periphery. The paranoid feel made it pretty gripping at times. I had a feeling who was responsible for the USA game but I was off by a degree or two.
I didn't actually care for Ben that much. He's pretty passive for a lead character and his attitude got on my nerves. Akiko, on the other hand, ran the gauntlet over the course of the book and wound up being my favorite character, far from the mindless duty-bound cop she started the book as.
Aside from Ben, the only complaint I can think of would be that there weren't enough mecha battles. As a child of the 80's, I loved getting home from school in time to watch Voltron or Robotech and as such, can't get enough of giant robots duking it out.
United States of Japan makes dystopian alternate history fun! 3.5 out of 5 stars.
peresr's review against another edition
3.0
Un gran thriller ambientat en un món on els Aliats van perdre la Segona Guerra Mundial al més pur estil [b:The Man in the High Castle|216363|The Man in the High Castle|Philip K. Dick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448756803l/216363._SY75_.jpg|2398287].
El rerefons històric és clarament inspirat en l'obra de [a:Philip K. Dick|4764|Philip K. Dick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1633698608p2/4764.jpg], però a tal nivell que a l'inici de la lectura semblaria un plagi i tot. Per sort, de seguida en [a:Peter Tieryas|4608186|Peter Tieryas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1349105860p2/4608186.jpg] comença a desenvolupar una trama policíaca que ens situa quatre dècades després de la capitulació dels EUA i que té les arrels en la guerra contra els grups armats de resistència a l'ocupació nipona.
Com a llibre de ciència-ficció i d'història alternativa he de dir que m'ha decebut força, sobretot perquè a la narrativa d'en Tieryas li manca credibilitat i està massa influenciada per la cultura dominant dels EUA; de manera que sembla que li faci por posar negre sobre blanc una realitat on els Estats Units no són res més que quatre fanàtics religiosos cometent actes terroristes.
La novel·la se situa a la dècada dels anys vuitanta, però uns anys vuitanta extremadament diferent dels que hem viscut, ja que l'Imperi Japonès ha aconseguit fer tots els avenços tècnics inimaginables: desfasar la combustió interna i el combustible fòssil, edició genètica d'un nivell molt superior a l'actual, exterminar la gran majoria de malalties, armes làser i una mecànica que permet construir mega-robots (Mechas) humanoides que deixen en ridícul a l'Asimo d'Honda.
Tots aquests aspectes no sonarien falsos si la trama passés en un futur immediat, però crec que l'autor volia tant si com no vincular el present de la trama amb la guerra i els camps de concentració d'asiàtics nord-americans i s'ha passat de voltes. També, les escasses explicacions sobre com l'Imperi Japonès guanya la guerra s'aguanten amb pinces per a qualsevol que sàpiga una mica d'història de l'època.
Això sí, un cop assoleixes passar per alt aquestes debilitats i submergir-te en el món descrit, el llibre és interessant i sorprenent, una barreja de Cyberpunk clàssic, policíaca i pinzellades de trama política.
És un bon thriller amb el que he passat una bona estona.
El rerefons històric és clarament inspirat en l'obra de [a:Philip K. Dick|4764|Philip K. Dick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1633698608p2/4764.jpg], però a tal nivell que a l'inici de la lectura semblaria un plagi i tot. Per sort, de seguida en [a:Peter Tieryas|4608186|Peter Tieryas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1349105860p2/4608186.jpg] comença a desenvolupar una trama policíaca que ens situa quatre dècades després de la capitulació dels EUA i que té les arrels en la guerra contra els grups armats de resistència a l'ocupació nipona.
Com a llibre de ciència-ficció i d'història alternativa he de dir que m'ha decebut força, sobretot perquè a la narrativa d'en Tieryas li manca credibilitat i està massa influenciada per la cultura dominant dels EUA; de manera que sembla que li faci por posar negre sobre blanc una realitat on els Estats Units no són res més que quatre fanàtics religiosos cometent actes terroristes.
La novel·la se situa a la dècada dels anys vuitanta, però uns anys vuitanta extremadament diferent dels que hem viscut, ja que l'Imperi Japonès ha aconseguit fer tots els avenços tècnics inimaginables: desfasar la combustió interna i el combustible fòssil, edició genètica d'un nivell molt superior a l'actual, exterminar la gran majoria de malalties, armes làser i una mecànica que permet construir mega-robots (Mechas) humanoides que deixen en ridícul a l'Asimo d'Honda.
Tots aquests aspectes no sonarien falsos si la trama passés en un futur immediat, però crec que l'autor volia tant si com no vincular el present de la trama amb la guerra i els camps de concentració d'asiàtics nord-americans i s'ha passat de voltes. També, les escasses explicacions sobre com l'Imperi Japonès guanya la guerra s'aguanten amb pinces per a qualsevol que sàpiga una mica d'història de l'època.
Això sí, un cop assoleixes passar per alt aquestes debilitats i submergir-te en el món descrit, el llibre és interessant i sorprenent, una barreja de Cyberpunk clàssic, policíaca i pinzellades de trama política.
És un bon thriller amb el que he passat una bona estona.
shack70's review against another edition
2.0
I don't rate or review many books here on Goodreads, but I was so excited to read this book. Man in The High Castle is one of my favorite books and this sounded like it was going to be similar but also with giant mechs. Just look at the covers to all the books in the series, it's got be full of action with lots of mech fights. Don't let this cover fool you, if you are looking for books with mechs as the center, this isn't it. I enjoyed the book because yes, it's like Man in The High Castle but I was distracted as I awaited the mech fights. There are a few mech fights in the books, but those parts are very lack-luster and boring compared to what I expected or what this could have been. I don't plan on reading the next two books simply because I felt misled with this one. If you are going to read this book, ignore the idea of mechs all together and enjoy the story.
philibin's review
3.0
(2.5 Stars)
The comparison to PKDick is undeniable, but underserved. I thought this book was just okay. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't great either. The main protagonist's motivation isn't explained till the very end of the book, and this made the book seem to be without logical direction or purpose.
Most of the characters seemed like two-dimensional cookie-cutter versions of videogame characters, which could have been intentional, but was (for me) slightly boring and to be honest, made it difficult to keep track of characters and why they were doing what they did.
The world building was good, and the concept, while not original, had some fresh elements added into it. This is the first of a three-book series. I honestly don't know if I'll continue.
The comparison to PKDick is undeniable, but underserved. I thought this book was just okay. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't great either. The main protagonist's motivation isn't explained till the very end of the book, and this made the book seem to be without logical direction or purpose.
Most of the characters seemed like two-dimensional cookie-cutter versions of videogame characters, which could have been intentional, but was (for me) slightly boring and to be honest, made it difficult to keep track of characters and why they were doing what they did.
The world building was good, and the concept, while not original, had some fresh elements added into it. This is the first of a three-book series. I honestly don't know if I'll continue.
jamiemonster's review against another edition
5.0
A great book that while having similarities to Man in the High Castle, updates it and stands out on its own.
maria_pulver's review against another edition
4.0
Though the plot is developing between different decorations, it resembles [b:The Man in the High Castle|216363|The Man in the High Castle|Philip K. Dick|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1448756803s/216363.jpg|2398287] very much. Not only there are similar settings of Japan occupying parts of the USA as a result of WWII, but the real world of Japaneese rule and the imaginary world of Allied Victory are present as well.
The protagonist, Beniko Ishimura, is not a likable person and neither are any of the other characters. However, some of them are redeemed by the end of the book. The plot movements are uneven, but are logically expected. The description of the atrocities of the totalitarian regine, the life under secret police, the conformity of the majority and non-conformity of some is very precicely shown throu examples.
I liked the book, but it won't be a one to return to.
The protagonist, Beniko Ishimura, is not a likable person and neither are any of the other characters. However, some of them are redeemed by the end of the book. The plot movements are uneven, but are logically expected. The description of the atrocities of the totalitarian regine, the life under secret police, the conformity of the majority and non-conformity of some is very precicely shown throu examples.
I liked the book, but it won't be a one to return to.