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The Man in the High Castle

Philip K. Dick

Start date: July 1, 2020

Finish date: July 31, 2020

Discussion: Science Fiction and Fantasy

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May 11, 2019 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, adventure, american-lit, read-in-2019, war, science-fiction, dystopian

Philip K Dick wrote a book of speculative fiction with an alternate history of the USA during and after WW2. He asks: If Franklin Delano Roosevelt had been assassinated in 1934 what would the world look like? Would I, a woman born in 1962 America, be the same person I am today? Does the early loss of one man’s life (even a man as important as FDR) change the entire course of all our lives? What if the New Deal didn’t happen? If a different man — perhaps a weaker man — were POTUS during the criti Philip K Dick wrote a book of speculative fiction with an alternate history of the USA during and after WW2. He asks: If Franklin Delano Roosevelt had been assassinated in 1934 what would the world look like? Would I, a woman born in 1962 America, be the same person I am today? Does the early loss of one man’s life (even a man as important as FDR) change the entire course of all our lives? What if the New Deal didn’t happen? If a different man — perhaps a weaker man — were POTUS during the critical war years in the 1940s what would have happened?

PKD tells us. We lose the war and our country (as well as much of Europe, I presume) is divided up between the Nazis and the Japanese. The western states are formed into a new country called The Pacific States of America and are controlled by Imperial Japan. A Rocky Mountain States is formed as a buffer between The Reich Controlled East Coast of America and the PSA. Europe is under the management of the Reich. The Soviets were completely destroyed by the Reich, and most were exterminated. The cold war (between the Japanese and the Reich) is in full swing. As a child of the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union I can picture myself now having the same silly bomb drills in my classroom but over the worry that the Japanese and the Nazis would start pushing their respective red buttons.

This book was a bit shocking, somewhat harrowing, and thoroughly gripping. I read it in two sittings because I had to know what was going to happen. Ironically, the book is open-ended and the author originally intended to write a sequel. I will never know what happened. As an American the hardest part of this book was the absence of a rebel faction. The Americans are completely beaten and are now basically slaves of the Nazi’s and the Japanese who have split the country in half during reconstruction. North America was mostly untouched by the war… so reading this was tough to take. It was personal to me. I pictured this as reality, not fiction.

And, although I generally try to avoid a discussion of politics in my reviews this book makes that nearly impossible. Are we better in 2019 than we were in 1962? The prejudices of that day are visible in the pages of this book where the races are portrayed with a bit of caricature and the female gender is nearly absent. But are the prejudices of today any better? I am not sure.

This book made me think.

***
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May 16, 2015 Jenny rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-group-list

The alternate history presented in this book was interesting as was the exploration of the book within a book. Not all themes were well developed -- the possibility of travel between two alternate universes -- one where the Japanese won the war and one where they did not is an example. Even for 1962, some of the technology was not well researched because travel for short distances by rocket was not realistic, although faster airplanes were.

Philip Dick describes his characters sparingly and uses ...more

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Feb 06, 2025 Natalie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, science-fiction

This classic is clearly written by a skilled author: the characters are multidimensional, the various points of view add to the world building, and the tone is consistent. However, I expected this to be about how the Germans rule after their WWII victory when it is really about mostly ordinary citizens within an alternative reality. I could draw conclusions about the larger world from the tone and some character introspection but we are left to guess a lot.
What we do know about the world after a This classic is clearly written by a skilled author: the characters are multidimensional, the various points of view add to the world building, and the tone is consistent. However, I expected this to be about how the Germans rule after their WWII victory when it is really about mostly ordinary citizens within an alternative reality. I could draw conclusions about the larger world from the tone and some character introspection but we are left to guess a lot.
What we do know about the world after a Nazi victory is Japan and Germany are at odds, the US is divided into two territories, and various parts of the German government do not work smoothly together. During the novel, the leader of Germany, Bormann, passes away so a new leader is selected. Also, racism, especially against Jews, is rampant. Much about the government we learn in conversation, and that does not provide a clear overview how it is structured or how it functions.
Instead, characters revere American antiques (with one company producing fakes) and rely heavily on oracles to foretell the future. Most characters seem lost and hopeless, wishing for direction and prosperity. An important underlying element is the writer Hawthorne Abendsen has written a book, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, that tells the story of what if the Nazi's had lost to the British. Many people find the book fascinating, though it is banned. The writer is referred to a man living in a high castle (which turns out to be untrue).
We follow Robert Childan, who runs a shop that sells American antiques. He worries about the authenticity of his merchandise, as well as pleasing Japanese collectors. Frank Frink, who is Jewish, hides his identity and is fired from his company early on. He decides to make jewelry, with partner Ed McCarthy. But after heavy investment in tools and supplies, they find little market for their products. Frink's former wife, Julianna, meets a trucker, Joe Cinnadella, who offers to take her for a short trip to Denver, which then turns into plans to see author Abendsen. Julianna becomes suspicious of Joe and attacks him in their Denver hotel room. She then drives to Cheyenne, confronts Abendsen, and forces him to admit his reliance on oracles.
We also follow Mr. Baynes, who poses as Swedish but is actually German. He is distrustful of others. There is also Nobusuke Tagomi, who often feels lost and confused, seeking guidance from the oracles and relief from uncertainty.
Because many of the characters seek both direction and a more hopeful future, I had the impression the world was restrictive in more ways than is explained and the future quite grim. Most characters have the freedom to make job choices, travel, and interact rather freely (unless they are Jewish). And occasionally characters say the world would be worse if Germany had lost. But I wonder if the threat of punishment hangs over them.
The tone is rather somber and happiness fleeting. This makes the novel, while rather well paced, to feel pessimistic. The prose is carefully crafted. ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Jenn Cavanaugh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Masterful model and manifesto of alt-alt history. A rare case in which the paragraphs and ideas outshone the story to such a degree that I barely missed it.

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