The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Allow to begin by saying I love Philip K. Dick as an author. He is responsible for some really thought-provoking works of literary art. He is the author of some true sci-fi classics such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and even some of his lesser known short stories are wonderful. Now before you attack me for only pointing out his famous works, I have read a number of his lesser known stories…
Dick, however, is also a very prolific writer. He seems to have a pretty good number of both AMAZINGLY OUT OF THIS WORLD creations and so-so stories. For me, The Man in the High Castle is one of his more mediocre works.
I first took up The Man in the High Castle because of the upcoming Amazon series based on the work. I loved the pilot, as did many other people across the internet world.
The book does offer the typical otherworldlyness of Dick’s novels. And, he plays on his themes about the nature of reality. In some ways, his themes are more accessible because he grapples with the idea using the backdrop of post-WWII America. Although the Axis Powers have won the war, Dick is not transporting readers to another planet or even to thousands of years in the future. Perhaps that is what falls short for me. I never felt truly captive to the alternate universes Dick creates in many of his stories.
I still love Philip K. Dick and his a Grand-Daddy in Sci-Fi literature. But for me, the book was not on par with some of his other great works.
The Booky Mom 