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thewintersouljaboi's review
2.0
I'll start this review by saying that I went into this book having it been highly recommended to me by more than one person. I leave this book gravely disappointed. I consider DNF-ing nearly every time I picked it up, but I kept reading under the impression that at some point it would pick up. It rarely ever did for me and I spent most of this novel bored as a babysitting teen on a Disney channel sitcom filing her nails while she ignores the fighting kids.
Where do my problems arise with this novel? Where to even begin?
I'm kidding, of course, it's the world building, 100%. I understand that this novel was written and published in 1962, so it was originally published for an audience much more familiar with WWII and the horrifying intricacies of the Hitler and Hirohito regimes. However, even with that assumption, it still feels like a large assumption of previous knowledge by the author projected onto the reader. Unless I missed something major, a lot of the acronyms describing positions along with an explanation of how the powers were split in a post war government both on the Japanese and German side were completely glossed over by Dick. It often felt to me that when we dealt with the people in power here, Dick just made up a new generic Japanese or German name with a title or acronym in front of it or picked a relevant historical name and threw it in with no context. Then, even with the fictionalized names, the scene would play out with the character whose point of view we're experiencing feeling threatened with very little justification from the prose of why other than "he's a powerful nazi/japanese imperial officer." Rarely in this novel does a situation that seems dire actually have any immediate consequences on the characters in the narrative. Even the looming anxiety of Frank's persecution for existing as a Jew goes completely unresolved as he gets released from custody almost immediately. I really left this book feeling like nothing happened over the course of the 270 something pages with the exception of Hitler and a few Nazi spies dying.
The only part of this book I found mildly compelling was Juliana's narrative. Which, was still ultimately disappointing. Juliana, the only female POV we receive in the entire novel, has very few character traits and those we do see both blatantly presented to us and expressed through her actions have a tendency to infantilize her and make her seem incredibly naïve for a woman of her age and experience. She is the only named female character in more than a couple of scenes and the only woman given any sense of agency, and yet, she still seems so trapped in her circumstances and bound to always require a man to justify her existence. I feel this reflects less on Juliana's character and more on Dick's inability to comprehend women can have value and understanding beyond finding a man. Juliana was living on her own as a judo instructor for Christ's sake, you really don't think that she could have found inner peace without male validation? Maybe I'm missing something grander as to the point of her character here, but I just found her entire character arc and narrative disappointing. Especially because she simply decides after all she experiences that the answer to all her problems is to return to her ex husband. As if she ever actually needed Frank.
The other women (I can name maybe 2 and then I'm aware that a few more unnamed women speak at some points) seemed to exist solely for set dressing.
Why do people like this book? I was told it would be terrifying, dystopian, and thought provoking, but none of that was delivered on in the slightest.
I'm giving this book two stars because, well, at least Juliana's narrative kind of kept me mildly entertained some of the time. The oracle predictions were also kind of cool.
Philip K. Dick, you have disappointed me beyond my wildest sheep-less dreams, electric or otherwise.
Where do my problems arise with this novel? Where to even begin?
I'm kidding, of course, it's the world building, 100%. I understand that this novel was written and published in 1962, so it was originally published for an audience much more familiar with WWII and the horrifying intricacies of the Hitler and Hirohito regimes. However, even with that assumption, it still feels like a large assumption of previous knowledge by the author projected onto the reader. Unless I missed something major, a lot of the acronyms describing positions along with an explanation of how the powers were split in a post war government both on the Japanese and German side were completely glossed over by Dick. It often felt to me that when we dealt with the people in power here, Dick just made up a new generic Japanese or German name with a title or acronym in front of it or picked a relevant historical name and threw it in with no context. Then, even with the fictionalized names, the scene would play out with the character whose point of view we're experiencing feeling threatened with very little justification from the prose of why other than "he's a powerful nazi/japanese imperial officer." Rarely in this novel does a situation that seems dire actually have any immediate consequences on the characters in the narrative. Even the looming anxiety of Frank's persecution for existing as a Jew goes completely unresolved as he gets released from custody almost immediately. I really left this book feeling like nothing happened over the course of the 270 something pages with the exception of Hitler and a few Nazi spies dying.
The only part of this book I found mildly compelling was Juliana's narrative. Which, was still ultimately disappointing. Juliana, the only female POV we receive in the entire novel, has very few character traits and those we do see both blatantly presented to us and expressed through her actions have a tendency to infantilize her and make her seem incredibly naïve for a woman of her age and experience. She is the only named female character in more than a couple of scenes and the only woman given any sense of agency, and yet, she still seems so trapped in her circumstances and bound to always require a man to justify her existence. I feel this reflects less on Juliana's character and more on Dick's inability to comprehend women can have value and understanding beyond finding a man. Juliana was living on her own as a judo instructor for Christ's sake, you really don't think that she could have found inner peace without male validation? Maybe I'm missing something grander as to the point of her character here, but I just found her entire character arc and narrative disappointing. Especially because she simply decides after all she experiences that the answer to all her problems is to return to her ex husband. As if she ever actually needed Frank.
The other women (I can name maybe 2 and then I'm aware that a few more unnamed women speak at some points) seemed to exist solely for set dressing.
Why do people like this book? I was told it would be terrifying, dystopian, and thought provoking, but none of that was delivered on in the slightest.
I'm giving this book two stars because, well, at least Juliana's narrative kind of kept me mildly entertained some of the time. The oracle predictions were also kind of cool.
Philip K. Dick, you have disappointed me beyond my wildest sheep-less dreams, electric or otherwise.
insertsthwitty's review against another edition
4.0
But we cannot do it all at once; it is a sequence. An unfolding process. We can only control the end by making a choice at each step.
I have read this interesting article exploring Philip K. Dick’s fascination with I Ching, the oracle that is part of an Eastern Asia influence in the Japan-controlled part of America. About how it controlled the plot of The Man in the High Castle, something that should not surprise me since the plot is scattered and he does not deliver one (1) idea in fullness. But there are good things about this book that make it stand out from the crowd.
The thing with Philip K. Dick is, I can usually rely on him to capture people’s internal struggles and ruminations in a cohesive and empathetic way; just like Ursula K. le Guin said that science fiction does not capture future but rather present, The Man in the High Castle is a great commentary on the issues that were so important then. Incidentally, they are incredibly important now too.
The book is more like an assembly of ideas and thoughts about people’s identity in a totalitarian state; what happens to a suppressed culture, how it is fetishised and modified. Philip K. Dick’s America is just a vehicle for him to bring it to people, to confront them with the current (or the 1960s) American identity of freedom. The theme of the oppressed attempting to gain value by oppressing others and internalising the prejudices with the sense of their own unworthiness is not something new - but it was really evocative and reminded me of For Two Thousand Years. It all ties quite well with the recurrent theme of material culture, how it’s only being given meaning by the people who interpret it (and who has the right to interpret it and give it value?).
Coming back to the actual plot, it is a bit incoherent. Philip K. Dick keeps offering plot points and then never mentioning them again, steers in one direction and then the other. Particularly low point is the somewhat pretentious meta discussion between a couple discussing a book of speculative fiction (reimagining WWII ending differently…) and how it can be categorised. It was quite clearly a ham fisted attempt to make us categorise this book a certain way, which made me chuckle but also wonder why those few pages could not be spent at developing a plot. There is also a blink and you’ll miss it glimpse into an alternate dimension by Mr Tagomi. It lasts a page which is a pity.
Regardless of that, the ideas are there and they are alive; it’s not a run of the mill book and it is worth reading. Coming back to the quote I put above, it could be argued that the larger ideas (like the alternate reality) are mentioned only in passing because he wants to show the drudgery of everyday life as opposed to easy showy heroics of most novels. It could be argued quite successfully at that, but still, I missed a larger plot tying the story together.
(NB For people getting confused by the nomenclature and keep saying it’s too science fiction-y - the nomenclature is actually historic… Nazi Germany’s institutions can get confusing but just google them and you’ll be fine.)
I have read this interesting article exploring Philip K. Dick’s fascination with I Ching, the oracle that is part of an Eastern Asia influence in the Japan-controlled part of America. About how it controlled the plot of The Man in the High Castle, something that should not surprise me since the plot is scattered and he does not deliver one (1) idea in fullness. But there are good things about this book that make it stand out from the crowd.
The thing with Philip K. Dick is, I can usually rely on him to capture people’s internal struggles and ruminations in a cohesive and empathetic way; just like Ursula K. le Guin said that science fiction does not capture future but rather present, The Man in the High Castle is a great commentary on the issues that were so important then. Incidentally, they are incredibly important now too.
The book is more like an assembly of ideas and thoughts about people’s identity in a totalitarian state; what happens to a suppressed culture, how it is fetishised and modified. Philip K. Dick’s America is just a vehicle for him to bring it to people, to confront them with the current (or the 1960s) American identity of freedom. The theme of the oppressed attempting to gain value by oppressing others and internalising the prejudices with the sense of their own unworthiness is not something new - but it was really evocative and reminded me of For Two Thousand Years. It all ties quite well with the recurrent theme of material culture, how it’s only being given meaning by the people who interpret it (and who has the right to interpret it and give it value?).
Coming back to the actual plot, it is a bit incoherent. Philip K. Dick keeps offering plot points and then never mentioning them again, steers in one direction and then the other. Particularly low point is the somewhat pretentious meta discussion between a couple discussing a book of speculative fiction (reimagining WWII ending differently…) and how it can be categorised. It was quite clearly a ham fisted attempt to make us categorise this book a certain way, which made me chuckle but also wonder why those few pages could not be spent at developing a plot. There is also a blink and you’ll miss it glimpse into an alternate dimension by Mr Tagomi. It lasts a page which is a pity.
Regardless of that, the ideas are there and they are alive; it’s not a run of the mill book and it is worth reading. Coming back to the quote I put above, it could be argued that the larger ideas (like the alternate reality) are mentioned only in passing because he wants to show the drudgery of everyday life as opposed to easy showy heroics of most novels. It could be argued quite successfully at that, but still, I missed a larger plot tying the story together.
(NB For people getting confused by the nomenclature and keep saying it’s too science fiction-y - the nomenclature is actually historic… Nazi Germany’s institutions can get confusing but just google them and you’ll be fine.)
shokoshik's review against another edition
I'm so confused regarding the way I feel about this book.
First of all, it's so very different from the show.
Te world of the show is so much more detailed in a way that I guess a visual medium can focus on.
And all the characters that are interesting on the show are not interesting here and vice verse.
The conclusion of the book isn't very conclusive, and so I finished reading it thinking "mmm."
Which is interesting because I started reading it wanting to know what was gonna happen on the show. Yeah, that didn't help.
Anywho, the mythology behind the Oracle makes it worth it, I think.
First of all, it's so very different from the show.
Te world of the show is so much more detailed in a way that I guess a visual medium can focus on.
And all the characters that are interesting on the show are not interesting here and vice verse.
The conclusion of the book isn't very conclusive, and so I finished reading it thinking "mmm."
Which is interesting because I started reading it wanting to know what was gonna happen on the show. Yeah, that didn't help.
Anywho, the mythology behind the Oracle makes it worth it, I think.
murungu's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Quick read. A bit misogynistic and a bit creepy. Better than the show, which isn’t saying much.
hannahgrace18's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
caffeine_books's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
"We are all insects groping toward something terrible or something divine" (page 104). A reimagining of history where the US and England lost WWII, and America becomes split in two with Japan controlling the west and Germany controlling the east. The author does a masterful job of writing what could have been, a book rich in political and philosophical detail. A commentary on governments, race relations and how why books matter -- especially those that question. Do not go into this novel expecting to become attached to characters - there is not enough time spent with them to gain any sort of love or hate for them. Highly recommended read and this novel proves why Philip K Dick is such a popular author decades after his death.
dukegregory's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Actually mind-bending. Written with such speed and lack of literary decor, yet Dick creates a peculiar, rich tapestry so effusively paranoid. He leaps between perspectives and created a triple-plot narrative that starts and ends in a state of insanity. The alternative history is brilliantly fascinating as is, but the notion of Americanness is so crisp. What is America if the United States dissolves, and democracy crumbles, and freedom fighters don't particularly succeed or seem to exist? What makes Americans American, if anything? The ending doesn't do much for me, and some if it doesn't coalesce entirely. But this felt like a brilliant gut punch of a novel that takes really challenging routes down its larger conceptual cityscape. Totally unlike what I was expecting. I need more Philip K. Dick (that really is an unfortunate name for such a sentiment)!
Actually mind-bending. Written with such speed and lack of literary decor, yet Dick creates a peculiar, rich tapestry so effusively paranoid. He leaps between perspectives and created a triple-plot narrative that starts and ends in a state of insanity. The alternative history is brilliantly fascinating as is, but the notion of Americanness is so crisp. What is America if the United States dissolves, and democracy crumbles, and freedom fighters don't particularly succeed or seem to exist? What makes Americans American, if anything? The ending doesn't do much for me, and some if it doesn't coalesce entirely. But this felt like a brilliant gut punch of a novel that takes really challenging routes down its larger conceptual cityscape. Totally unlike what I was expecting. I need more Philip K. Dick (that really is an unfortunate name for such a sentiment)!
johnfkinnedy's review
4.0
a fascinating exploration of history, philosophy, politics, and what could've been. it took me a second to wrap my head around everything, and the first 3/4 of the book felt like exposition, but the setup paid off in exciting ways I didn't expect in the slightest. there was a lot going on with all the character povs happening at different times but piecing it together at the end was amazing. it all really did connect
jazose's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0