One of the essential works of alternate history written to date. Dick describes a world were the Second World War was won by the Nazis. "The Man in the High Castle" deals with the political, cultural and social impact of this event on the lives of everyday people. The story contains no real heroes, nor villains (apart from the fascist totalitarian regime, of course), which is a good thing in this case. Dick wouldn't be Dick if there weren't also any characteristic philosophical themes in this novel. Wholeheartedly recommended. ( )

I have enjoyed novels of ideas immensely over the years and The Man in the High Castle is one of the best I have read in a long time.
In his novel the author, Philip K. Dick, has created an alternative world and then tops that by having his title character author a book within the novel that imagines the world as it really is. What if the allies had lost World War II? That is the premise, and Dick's ability to build a believable alternative reality based on that premise is the foundation of this exciting, suspenseful and enjoyable book. The characters, German spy, Jewish businessman, Japanese trade representative, Italian war veteran, and others, are each given individual fates that, woven together through a plot that creates suspense and wonder, inhabit a world that is scarily believable. Beyond them all lives "the man in the high castle" -- the author of the book about an alternative reality, a book that is banned throughout most of the world, inspiring even greater readership and fear. Philip K. Dick has written a novel that truly makes you think about the nature of fate (the I Ching is also an important element in the plot) and the small changes that could change history. An award-winning work of fiction, it is a book that recreates the universe. ( )

This book was good, but not as good at Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. It runs the typical Dick story of "what is the nature of reality."

I like the idea that there is a "true" reality that lies in some kind of competition with other realities, but I don't think it gets enough fleshing out in the book. I also like that the concept of "true" is called into question. Ultimately, though, this is subdued underneath political machinations that go nowhere.

I leave the novel feeling pretty underwhelmed, especially being aware of what Dick can do if he just lets go a little bit more. On the whole a fine book, but nothing that I'm going to read again for a while. ( )

Possibly my favourite PKD book, this alternate history has a ring of authenticity about it, rare perhaps for PKD - Messerschmitt sub-orbital rockets; power struggles between the Gestapo and the Abwehr; tensions between Germany and Japan, once allies but now rivals; Nazi Mars missions and jokes circulating about whether this is a good place to build a concentration camp. At the same time, there are Dickian touches enough to keep fans of the seriously wierd happy: the I Ching and a reclusive sf author writing an alternate-universe novel about a world where the Nazis did not win the war - but not depicting our world; oh no, that'd be too easy. Recommended even to those who aren't too keen on PKD. ( )

Wow. I've read a lot of Dick's work, and this is probably my favourite (though I'll have to sleep on it before I can decide). It's the most measured, most thought-provoking book I've read in a long while (and I've read a lot!).

At first, the style seemed all wrong - dropped articles, missing subject words in the sentences, and then I realised what he was doing - by showing the way people would have thought in an area so strongly influenced by Japanese culture, it was necessary to show the pidgin English that would probably have developed. The refinements of thought and expression are clearer when the characters we follow are out of Japanese territory; in short, the stylistic device works because the story is stronger because of it.

Speaking of the story, I won't go into details, because the bumpf does enough to make you want to read the book, and I don't want to spoil any of the surprises. This is, of course, typical Dick in many ways - a complete mind-**** - but you won't mind as long as you let the story carry you away. ( )