The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
onofreshoots's review against another edition
2.0
I could not get past the countless pages spent on inner monologues. Initially, the writing style didn't bother me, but halfway through, I couldn't stand it. I didn't particularly care about the characters, and the payoff felt like a complete cop-out. Maybe the show is better.
scottpm's review against another edition
3.0
I just didn't get the book. There was a lot of story with very little plot or conflict.
jstilts's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
For a "what if Hitler won" sci-fi novel this completely confounded all my expectations of what the book would be about, where it would be set, who it would feature and what their attitudes would be. More a reflection on the nature of the ancient Chinese divination text the "I Ching" the World War 2, more an exploration of Japanese Inner Culture and Class than Fascism, more a road trip to the nature of reality than an struggle against oppression - this book spends serious time on jewellery and antiques and the search for honour and integrity.
Once you have read this book, I highly recommend you seek out an interview with the author "Vertex Interview with Philip K. Dick" which will give you further insights into the nature of this books relationship to the I Ching. Also, look up "Atlantropa" on Wikipedia, it's in relation to a minor and what seemed to be a somewhat fantastical note in the book, but was actually something genuinely planned by the Nazis.
Once you have read this book, I highly recommend you seek out an interview with the author "Vertex Interview with Philip K. Dick" which will give you further insights into the nature of this books relationship to the I Ching. Also, look up "Atlantropa" on Wikipedia, it's in relation to a minor and what seemed to be a somewhat fantastical note in the book, but was actually something genuinely planned by the Nazis.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Antisemitism, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Colonisation
Minor: Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Police brutality
eininthebird's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
sandevon's review against another edition
5.0
Quite short, but not easy, and rather different.
Superb, though.
Superb, though.
fesd5's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wonder if I would've given this book 5 stars if I'd finished it in one go, rather than leaving the last 15 pages until several months later. I thought it was interesting, but had a tendency to drag at times.Â
kumipaul's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting concept that the author chose to turn into a mostly boring story of backroom politics. I did enjoy the various areas where something actually happened, but the general flow was from boring to interesting and back to boring, and then repeat. Exploration of cultural changes certainly got me thinking, and exploration of Nazi racism was completely in-your-face. The title about the man in the high castle was actually a rather minor theme, but pretty fascinating that this "man", in a world where Japan & Germany & Italy won WWII, would write convincingly about what the world would have looked like had the Allies won instead.
lalulorlor's review against another edition
3.0
A rare instance where I liked the tv show significantly more than the book.