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3.4 AVERAGE

sad slow-paced
dark mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Puntuación: 2 estrellas

Con este libro me ha ocurrido lo mismo que con la mayoría de los clásicos que he ido leyendo a lo largo de los años: la idea me parece rompedora y muy original, tanto para su época como para la nuestra, pero la trama (o tramas, en este caso) no ha terminado de engancharme. En este caso, el libro gira en torno a una realidad alternativa en la que Alemania y Japón ganaron la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y describe las tensiones entre los dos países vencedores. El hombre en el castillo al que se refiere el título es un escritor que, en dicha ucronía, ha escrito una novela presentando otra realidad: Alemania y Japón perdieron. Suena prometedor, ¿verdad? Sí, eso pensaba yo. Y, como ya he dicho, como idea me parece fascinante. Sin embargo, me ha fallado la ejecución.

He de admitir que me ha costado demasiado leerlo, a pesar de que no es para nada largo, porque cada vez que me sentaba con él y leía tres páginas mi mente empezaba a divagar. La narración se hace pesada en varios puntos y es plana por lo general. Los personajes son simples nombres que tardan en coger forma, y ni siquiera todos terminan de alcanzar, a mi parecer, tridimensionalidad. A lo largo del libro transcurren varias tramas paralelas, pero he acabado con la sensación de que varias de ellas no llevaban a ningún sitio más allá de mostrar el mundo u ofrecer alguna reflexión.

I love the Amazon series so much - normally I read the book first and then see the movie or TV show but this is the reverse! I'm amazed by what the show's creators have done with the material - the most engrossing storyline and characters, taking place in New York where the Nazis have control, do not exist in the original novel. In fact, I would say the series is very loosely based on the book, which takes place mainly in San Francisco, with occasional chapters in Colorado with the Juliana character.

So - taken on its own merits, I like the book. It's an alternative history in which Germany and Japan won World War II and split the world in half. The Japanese control the West Coast of America, and worry about Germany's intentions. The Nazis have destroyed most of the world's Jewish people, and exterminated many others as well. I love alternative history and in this case, the concept is certainly chilling (and relevant given today's often terrifying political situation in the United States).

Entertaining alternate history in the vein of Roth's "the plot against America".
medium-paced

kyriross's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH

If you want to read a book that should have been amazing, but is bogged down by pages and pages of the MMC just ruminating and thinking aboit Society and his Woman, you'll enjoy this. Just couldn't get past the interminable internal monologues.

2.5 The story was not terrible, but I think I am too dumb to understand it. It seemed like a very pointless story. Not poorly written, but just pointless
mysterious tense medium-paced
dark fast-paced