Reviews with content warning for Racism - La svastica sul sole

It's 1962 in America. Slavery is once legal again. The few remaining Jews remain secretive and go by fictitious aliases. The I Ching is as prevalent as the Yellow Pages in San Francisco. All because the United States lost a war some 20 years prior, and is now occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan.

This novel exemplifies the phrase "great plot, terrible execution" well. The pace was so sluggish, and the manner the sentences were spoken was so monotonous. I had such high expectations for this book, and I am sorely let down.

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baney's review against another edition

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dark hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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halftimelord's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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moopish's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I found the book to be fascinating and strange. I really enjoyed the take on a Axis victory. I found the very end to be a little unclear on first glance but a little bit of thinking helped as well as see what others have said about the ending.

The point on the authenticity is discussed throughout the book and is central to understanding the ending.

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wrackcity's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

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michaelcoleallen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This was my introduction to PKD and it certainly has me hooked. The multiple narrators/split narrative allowed an experience of a high-power individual down to someone barely making it by with an alias to flesh out the world. Although, I felt that the cast of main characters might have benefited from paring down (I'm voting Reiss off, personally). And while worldbuilding was no doubt the strength of the novel, don't expect too many specifics on how the Axis powers won the war. What details there are about the government somewhat hinder the pacing of the plot. Also, keep a search engine handy for the references to Nazi figures and the occasional Japanese term.

The Man in the High Castle is more about how the realities of others come to influence and convince the individual of their own. That may be through history, government, media, social interactions, or even horoscopes. The scenes that explore this are doubtlessly where the novel has the most to say. This one is worth your time.

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