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A review by adamgolden
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
3.0
(3/5★)
Straying away from the typical science-fiction genre that Philip K. Dick is usually known for, The Man in the High Castle instead focuses on an alternate history in which the Japanese and the Germans win World War II. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of history that pertains to the world wars, but I do like speculative fiction that has dystopian elements, so this book seemed to be right up my alley. However, the concept of the book sounded better on paper, as the story at times fell flat depending on which characters were being focused on. The best bits were from the book-within-the-book, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, in which the author writes about how the Axis Powers actually lost WWII. The characters reactions to reading the book while in this alternate timeline are fascinating, and make for a thought-provoking read. Other than that, I'd have to say I enjoy Dick's science fiction work much more, at least on a personal level.
Straying away from the typical science-fiction genre that Philip K. Dick is usually known for, The Man in the High Castle instead focuses on an alternate history in which the Japanese and the Germans win World War II. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of history that pertains to the world wars, but I do like speculative fiction that has dystopian elements, so this book seemed to be right up my alley. However, the concept of the book sounded better on paper, as the story at times fell flat depending on which characters were being focused on. The best bits were from the book-within-the-book, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, in which the author writes about how the Axis Powers actually lost WWII. The characters reactions to reading the book while in this alternate timeline are fascinating, and make for a thought-provoking read. Other than that, I'd have to say I enjoy Dick's science fiction work much more, at least on a personal level.