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96th out of 51 books
—
277 voters
After Dachau
by
Daniel Quinn
Daniel Quinn, well known for Ishmael – a life-changing book for readers the world over – once again turns the tables and creates an otherworld that is very like our own, yet fascinating beyond words. Imagine that Nazi Germany was the first to develop an atomic bomb and the Allies surrendered. America was never bombed, occupied, or even invaded, but was nonetheless forced t...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
January 3rd 2006
by Zoland Books
(first published March 1st 2001)
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Seeing the word "Dachau" automatically puts into mind certain very specific impressions. I think of World War II, I think of the extermination of the Jews, I think of death and humankind at its worst. When I was lent the book by Daniel Quinn, After Dachau, I was very reluctant to reading it. I immediately told my friend that I really don't read books like these. These kinds of books really hit me hard. Every time I read or watch a movie/story about anything the Jewish people had to go through du...more
This alternative-history raises the question: What if everything you've been taught about history were wrong? (Actually, I fear that young adults today are indeed being sent forth with an unsupportable world-view, but that's a separate rant.) In Quinn's novel, the characters' understanding is so different from our own that the reader's eventual discovery of it is one of the biggest surprises in reading that I can recall. For me, it was jaw-dropping.
UPDATE: I’ve now read it again, four years aft...more
UPDATE: I’ve now read it again, four years aft...more
Two thirds of this dystopic novel are outstanding. Without spoiling anything, you clearly know something is up the deeper you get into it, but you don't fully put it together. It is sort of like a "Twilight Zone" episode where you know a twist is probably coming, and, similarly, it is more enjoyable to just let it happen. I would recommend reading no synopses or reviews, and just go in with the knowledge that this book basically deals with reincarnation.
The first third of the story is, for my ta...more
The first third of the story is, for my ta...more
"After Dachau" was a quick read (read it all in one day!) at a little over 250 pages.
Author Quinn quickly feeds you into the story and within five pages you feel a connection with the main character and most of the sub characters.
The story touches a place in your mind that is rarely explored, reincarnation of souls into others bodies. I related with the story even before opening the first page because I've always felt that I was a Knight in a previous life. (strange, right?!)
Quinn loosely relat...more
Author Quinn quickly feeds you into the story and within five pages you feel a connection with the main character and most of the sub characters.
The story touches a place in your mind that is rarely explored, reincarnation of souls into others bodies. I related with the story even before opening the first page because I've always felt that I was a Knight in a previous life. (strange, right?!)
Quinn loosely relat...more
For a moment, imagine a reality where the Nazis won, and completed their campaign to rid the world of “mongrel races”. Such is the case in After Dachau, a story 2000 years after World War II, where citizens are completely ignorant of previously existing races. Protagonist Jason Tull has no special attributes to live up to the legacy his father left behind. Instead, he has a fascination with the possibility of reincarnation. When he hears the story of Mallory Hastings, he believes he has found hi...more
Reviewed by Jared:
This novel is an extended variation of a parable Quinn utilized in one of his earlier novels, My Ishmael, I believe. The original parable was succint and to the point, and forwarded the overall purpose of the novel. I believe that Quinn is a stronger writer of parables as opposed to book-length parables. Now, lest anyone be confused, I do NOT consider Ishmael, The Story of B, or My Ishmael to be book-length parables. They are excellent novels, and it was because of their excell...more
This novel is an extended variation of a parable Quinn utilized in one of his earlier novels, My Ishmael, I believe. The original parable was succint and to the point, and forwarded the overall purpose of the novel. I believe that Quinn is a stronger writer of parables as opposed to book-length parables. Now, lest anyone be confused, I do NOT consider Ishmael, The Story of B, or My Ishmael to be book-length parables. They are excellent novels, and it was because of their excell...more
This novel is an extended variation of a parable Quinn utilized in one of his earlier novels, My Ishmael, I believe. The original parable was succint and to the point, and forwarded the overall purpose of the novel. I believe that Quinn is a stronger writer of parables as opposed to book-length parables. Now, lest anyone be confused, I do NOT consider Ishmael, The Story of B, or My Ishmael to be book-length parables. They are excellent novels, and it was because of their excellence that I delved...more
In After Dachau, Daniel Quinn paints a horrifying yet all-too-plausible version of history as we know it. It succeeds as an Orwellian cautionary tale and consciousness-raising piece mainly because at first glance it appears to be neither. The beginning of the book recounts the exploits of a bored, blue-blooded aristocrat’s son as he pursues the eccentric hobby of globetrotting in search of individuals who have been ‘reincarnated’ and miraculously recall memories from a previous life. In one of t...more
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This book has an interesting premise, and I was intrigued enough to read this on a friend's recommendation. I was disappointed, however. The writing is simplistic, and the author leaves nothing for the reader to figure out for themselves. The plot was weak, the characters underdeveloped, and the story seemed like it was merely a way for the author to publish his own agenda. The supposed revelation in the story comes as the main character quizzes a room full of school girls on their knowledge of...more
Read this book by the author of Ishmael after reading that book. Interested in the topic of souls, reincarnation, sociology in general, I found the book to be a quick entertaining read. I was expecting more of a treatise against racism and felt like I got more of a statement on carrying torches for causes that matter to us as individuals even if no one else gives a damn.
Reviews on Ishmael border on evangelical and it feels like After Dachau explores some of the same issues but through a filter o...more
Reviews on Ishmael border on evangelical and it feels like After Dachau explores some of the same issues but through a filter o...more
NOTE: DO NOT READ THE BACK JACKET OF THIS BOOK!!!!! SOME EFFING IDIOT WROTE A SPOILER ON THE BACK JACKET OF ONE OF THE SOFTCOVER EDITIONS. READ IT ON RECOMMENDATION ALONE IF YOU HAVE TO, BUT DON'T SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF!!!!
This is another truly excellent book. It has tremedous heart and one of the most cleverly concealed "twist" endings I've ever come across. It also holds the distiction of being a book that is totally untranslatable to film or theater. It cannot, ever, under any circumstances be...more
This is another truly excellent book. It has tremedous heart and one of the most cleverly concealed "twist" endings I've ever come across. It also holds the distiction of being a book that is totally untranslatable to film or theater. It cannot, ever, under any circumstances be...more
Another mind jarring book by the Ishmael author. This is a sci fi fictional book that takes you to the future to a time when everything is perfect and pristine. Where have all the outcasts gone (such as minorities, bums in the street, the poor...etc?). I won't spoil it for you but our society has done some drastic and horrible things to certain groups and it's up to one woman to figure out just what...this book stayed with me for years and I can see from where we're headed in our Austerity drive...more
I am continually challenged by Quinn's worldview and assumptions about reality. This story is a parable that reflects his unique worldview about humanity's "agreed upon fiction" (history) and challenges my own assumptions about what I've been taught by the culture-at-large. Though Quinn would perhaps not like the comparison, the effect of his stories and worldview are much like Jesus' parables: they shock me into thinking even more deeply about my faith, values, assumptions, beliefs and lifestyl...more
Aug 04, 2011
David Grieve
added it
Very disappointing and too self indulgent. Purports to show an alternative future for mankind which in itself is interesting but then it just doesn't deliver. The world of 2000 years hence shows no signs of development, other than the central principle of Aryan supremacy. I suppose one could argue that this is why there has been no developement but this doesn't really wash. According to the cover quotes, critics have compared it to "1984" - in my opinion, any resemblence is purely accidental.
I added this book to my To Read list over a year ago and couldn't remember why, other than the fact that it was written by Daniel Quinn, author of Ishmael, one of my favorite books.
The book was a surprise since the description on the jacket of my edition is different from that given in Goodreads, which I never read. I thought the plot was going to revolve around reincarnation, which doesn't much interest me. But hey, it was written by Daniel Quinn. I thought the title of the book would be someh...more
The book was a surprise since the description on the jacket of my edition is different from that given in Goodreads, which I never read. I thought the plot was going to revolve around reincarnation, which doesn't much interest me. But hey, it was written by Daniel Quinn. I thought the title of the book would be someh...more
Jan 01, 2011
Jeremiah
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommended to Jeremiah by:
impulse buy whilst Christmas shopping
This is a quick and often clever amusement. I really liked it on that level. But it is not something that should be taken seriously. The book is billed as "Orwellian," but it doesn't come close. It lacks the mechanisms of control, the urgency, and the sense of inescapability that made 1984 so good. If this book says anything, it is that if we're patient, sooner or later things will get fixed. Not "Orwellian."
And yet, I still came away with the impression that, like many dystopian novels, this wa...more
And yet, I still came away with the impression that, like many dystopian novels, this wa...more
I really enjoy reading alternative history books because of the causal relationships between particular events and how those events shape and reform the future. After Dachau lived up to this premise very well. Something that happened in our reality as we know it failed to happen in the book (I won't give any spoilers, but I am sure the word 'Dachau' gives away the Holocaust aspect). Quinn then threads through the timeline extremely well, creating a world that is thoroughly touched in every way b...more
Weird, but compelling enough to finish. I was smitten with Ishmael when I read it nine years ago. This is no where near as good. It's basic premise, which comes as a complete surprise halfway through, is "If the Germans had won WWII, where would we be 2000 years later?" It's an interesting idea - rewriting the future to criticize the present. But the main character is boring, the plot is confusing and the philisophical angle is kind of like a cardboard cutout of something that should be really j...more
Probably my least favorite Quinn novel but still an interesting read. Like The Holy, Quinn's philosophy on food production and a degenerating culture are only a backdrop to the main story. Not much to say other than I like the premise of portraying the world far in the future, and seeing what life would be like if Hitler won World War II. Nobody really thinks about that but that's the wonder of Daniel Quinn; he writes about what one would hardly ever think of.
It's a chilling tale of what happens when a woman wakes up after an accident. She regains the memory of a past life (a black woman), and unfortunately realizes that the world has drastically changed.
Hitler won the war, and there are no other races left on earth but the Aryan race.
She feels completely horrified and as a reader I felt that level of horror and sickness inside.
I'm not sure what else the author might have wished to achieve.
Hitler won the war, and there are no other races left on earth but the Aryan race.
She feels completely horrified and as a reader I felt that level of horror and sickness inside.
I'm not sure what else the author might have wished to achieve.
I read this book in high school. I picked it randomly off a list of dystopian novels and couldn't put it down. The premise of the book is if Hitler had won the war and all that was wrong in the world has been remedied because there are no Jews. This might offend some people, but if you put that aside, it's an interesting story. I'd recommend this book because it's a good book and not because I agree with the premise.
I really liked the first 3/4 of the book but found the end unsatisfying. My son recommended it, so I'm eager to talk to him about it. I think I might have liked the book better if I had read it in longer blocks of time instead of for 10 minutes before I fell asleep. It's a thought-provoking book, and I may have lost some of that due to my reading style.
This started out a little slow, interesting but nothing to push me to continue in the first two chapters, and then it took hold of me. I read the rest of the book in one morning. Couldn't put it down. Gripping and fascinating. The whole time I was entranced and couldn't wait to see what came next.
Mar 06, 2013
Sherry schwabacher
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi,
spiritual-fiction
I hate to say anything about the plot of this wonderful novel. I picked it up simply because it was by Ishmael author, Daniel Quinn. I didn't read the blurbs and I don't remember if I read any reviews. My mind was completely open. And this book blew my mind! From the beginning it was intriguing. Then Quinn really shook things up, creating a whole other universe. READ THIS BOOK!
A very thought-provoking book. I knew that it was supposed to have some unexpected twists; however, as it turned out, the twists were so unlike anything that I ever could have imagined, that my own expectations about "unexpected twists" were part of what led me astray.
I did enjoy this book, but maybe not as much as some of the hype that I received before I read it said that I should. Don't you hate when that happens. It is an interesting perspective on what could've happened if things had gone differently at the end of WWII. Great plot twist, but got a bit weird for my taste at the end. Slightly too philosophical anyway.
Apr 15, 2009
Debbie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Debbie by:
Needed a Q for the book challenge and remembered liking Ishmael
What a kicker. i will record my findings in private view so as not to spoil. i would like to give this book a nine since its between a 4 and a 5. it reminds me of Samedi the Deafness another weird and unputdownable book.
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this without having any even the remotest idea what it was about.
The mid section actually caused me physical pain in that I felt my brain was folding in on itself.
Absolutely interesting.
The mid section actually caused me physical pain in that I felt my brain was folding in on itself.
Absolutely interesting.
A very unique look into an alternate future. Even knowing the basic storyline, Quinn was able to spring some surprises in the story. As with anything else he writes, Daniel Quinn makes you think.
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Daniel Quinn (born 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a U.S. writer.
He studied at St. Louis University, the University of Vienna, and Loyola University of Chicago, receiving a bachelor's degree in English, cum laude, in 1957.
He is best known for his book Ishmael (1992), which won the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award in 1991.
More about Daniel Quinn...
He studied at St. Louis University, the University of Vienna, and Loyola University of Chicago, receiving a bachelor's degree in English, cum laude, in 1957.
He is best known for his book Ishmael (1992), which won the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award in 1991.
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“People think I am being modest when I tell them I know absolutely nothing about art. But if they show me a piece of student work, I won't have the slightest idea whether it's art or even "good". What I do know is whether such things hang or stand in the houses of the rich - or in the museums where the rich allow their treasures to be seen. And when people understand this, they'll instantly agree with what I said in the first place, that I know absolutely nothing about art. - pg. 76”
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