The Man in the High Castle in Around the World in 80 Books

Jun 24, 2011 Juliana Philippa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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I have loved Philip K. Dick ever since reading his book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? for my high school science fiction class and have wanted to read more of his work, but just never got around to it (so many books, so little time!).

Science fiction is - can be - such an incredible genre, because it can so powerfully and deliberately comment on and make us think about issues, topics, and themes that relate to our present reality and our everyday lives. It can do this in a way that non I have loved Philip K. Dick ever since reading his book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? for my high school science fiction class and have wanted to read more of his work, but just never got around to it (so many books, so little time!).

Science fiction is - can be - such an incredible genre, because it can so powerfully and deliberately comment on and make us think about issues, topics, and themes that relate to our present reality and our everyday lives. It can do this in a way that nonfiction and regular fiction cannot. If done well, by a skilled author and artist, it can seem to inspire answers within us to so many questions, while at the same time causing us to ask a million more.

Like most books, there are always some obvious themes and clear interpretations, but there is also a tremendous amount of subtlety that can arise in this genre. Sometimes, I think the author leaves things unclear because they are not clear to him/her either; it is open for interpretation by one and all, because it can mean whatever you want it to mean.

Now, on a less abstract note: I found the book very engaging and would definitely recommend it. I read it in one day, which is something I've done many times before, yes, but is still noteworthy. The story is not what I would call fast-paced, but the plot does move steadily along and didn't (for me) drag at all.

I found the characters very compelling - there are several different main ones, each one well-written and very individual. They are well thought out people that Dick really brings to life, faults and flaws included. They are very accessible because they are recognizable, and they are recognizable because they are made very human; there is something within each of them that you can understand. (And I won't lie, I loved that one of the main pivotal characters is named Juliana (that's right - spelled with ONE "n"!!!).

Bottom Line: Really enjoyed it! Loved the characters, contains the best aspects that I love about the science fiction genre, and the story sucked me in so much that I read it in one afternoon. Definitely recommend and I'm looking forward to moving on to some of Dick's other books, and hopefully enjoying those just as much. ...more

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