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tiedyedude's review against another edition
3.0
This is a complex novel that will certainly require some deeper thinking on. An alternative history noir, Hitler's rose to power is thwarted, and he is living in 1930s London as a private eye, going by Wolf. The literary equivalent of a Tarantino movie turned up to 11, full of violence, sex, and racial slurs, this book is not for the faint of heart. The pulpy speculative scenes are interspersed with chapters of an author in a Concentration camp. It's a wild tale.
rkaufman13's review against another edition
1.0
I.....
What? Really?
Look, I get it. I get WHY this book was written. I don't get why it's so popular.
I think this would have made a fantastic short story. As a novel, it manages to be both repulsive and redundant at the same time.
The book is also far, far too self-aware. Oh look, it's Primo Levi! Oh look, it's the plot of Casablanca set in an alternate universe! Aren't you so clever, reader, for figuring that out? You're so smart.
So...why do YOU like this book? I'm curious.
What? Really?
Look, I get it. I get WHY this book was written. I don't get why it's so popular.
I think this would have made a fantastic short story. As a novel, it manages to be both repulsive and redundant at the same time.
The book is also far, far too self-aware. Oh look, it's Primo Levi! Oh look, it's the plot of Casablanca set in an alternate universe! Aren't you so clever, reader, for figuring that out? You're so smart.
So...why do YOU like this book? I'm curious.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
In the Auschwitz concentration camp, a former pulp writer named Shomer imagines a world where the Nazis never came to power and a certain dictator is a down and out private investigator named Wolf. Wolf is hired to find a woman named Judith Rubinstein, who may have been smuggled out of communist Germany. Can Wolf find Judith and figure out who is pulling the strings of his former allies?
I stumbled upon this book during my brief alternate history binge during what 2.0 called my Summer of Love. Since I dug [b:The Bookman|6922360|The Bookman (The Bookman Histories, #1)|Lavie Tidhar|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1258686290s/6922360.jpg|7150817] and [b:HebrewPunk|2490860|HebrewPunk|Lavie Tidhar|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1348717949s/2490860.jpg|2498165], I gave it a shot.
Grown from the same literary roots as [b:The Man in the High Castle|216363|The Man in the High Castle|Philip K. Dick|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1448756803s/216363.jpg|2398287], A Man Lies Dreaming is a tale of what might have been, if the communists had risen to power in Germany in the 1930s instead of the Nazis.
Using Shomer as a framing device, Lavie Tidhar shows who Hitler might have become without power, a fearful, hateful, pathetic man with little direction. Parts of the tale are darkly funny, which makes sense since Shomer is dreaming the tale to forget about the horrors of Auschwitz.
I'm not sure why Wolf being a loser private detective in London works so well but it does. Wolf takes a more blows to the head than Lew Archer as he tries to track down Judith Rubinstein, making a lot of enemies in the process. Wolf is a slightly sympathetic lead until you remember how things went in real life. It's pretty satisfying to read the ass-kickings he takes and to see his impotent rage. Not to mention the kinky sex...
The books ends a little differently than I thought it would but it was still satisfying. Tidhar's copius research is apparent in the afterword, which I normally don't read. Thankfully, he doesn't suffer from the "work all research into the book" syndrome a lot of authors suffer from.
Lavie Tidhar has come a long way in the short time I've been aware of his work. A Man Lies Dreaming is both a great alternate history detective tale and a commentary on racism and the way we treat immigrants, something that sadly never goes out of style. Four out of five stars.
I stumbled upon this book during my brief alternate history binge during what 2.0 called my Summer of Love. Since I dug [b:The Bookman|6922360|The Bookman (The Bookman Histories, #1)|Lavie Tidhar|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1258686290s/6922360.jpg|7150817] and [b:HebrewPunk|2490860|HebrewPunk|Lavie Tidhar|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1348717949s/2490860.jpg|2498165], I gave it a shot.
Grown from the same literary roots as [b:The Man in the High Castle|216363|The Man in the High Castle|Philip K. Dick|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1448756803s/216363.jpg|2398287], A Man Lies Dreaming is a tale of what might have been, if the communists had risen to power in Germany in the 1930s instead of the Nazis.
Using Shomer as a framing device, Lavie Tidhar shows who Hitler might have become without power, a fearful, hateful, pathetic man with little direction. Parts of the tale are darkly funny, which makes sense since Shomer is dreaming the tale to forget about the horrors of Auschwitz.
I'm not sure why Wolf being a loser private detective in London works so well but it does. Wolf takes a more blows to the head than Lew Archer as he tries to track down Judith Rubinstein, making a lot of enemies in the process. Wolf is a slightly sympathetic lead until you remember how things went in real life. It's pretty satisfying to read the ass-kickings he takes and to see his impotent rage. Not to mention the kinky sex...
The books ends a little differently than I thought it would but it was still satisfying. Tidhar's copius research is apparent in the afterword, which I normally don't read. Thankfully, he doesn't suffer from the "work all research into the book" syndrome a lot of authors suffer from.
Lavie Tidhar has come a long way in the short time I've been aware of his work. A Man Lies Dreaming is both a great alternate history detective tale and a commentary on racism and the way we treat immigrants, something that sadly never goes out of style. Four out of five stars.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
Initially I found this to be pretty insane. But as I have thought about it all day, I think I can now see the genius in Tidhar's novel.
We get an alternate history in which Hitler is a detective in London named Wolf. The year is 1939 and Hitler's rise to power is thwarted. Now, to make ends meet, he is stuck being a proctor investigator (much to his own embarrassment).
We also hear from Shomer. He is a prisoner in Auschwitz. And his reality is a stark contrast to Wolf's.
As the story unfolds, you get a sense that Wolf is going to get his comeuppance and Shomer may have a hand in it all.
Tidhar gives notes in the back for historical references which I found quite helpful.
We get an alternate history in which Hitler is a detective in London named Wolf. The year is 1939 and Hitler's rise to power is thwarted. Now, to make ends meet, he is stuck being a proctor investigator (much to his own embarrassment).
We also hear from Shomer. He is a prisoner in Auschwitz. And his reality is a stark contrast to Wolf's.
As the story unfolds, you get a sense that Wolf is going to get his comeuppance and Shomer may have a hand in it all.
Tidhar gives notes in the back for historical references which I found quite helpful.
sophiedavenport's review against another edition
4.0
A truely interesting take on the holocaust. It described the beginnibg where people made jokes to cheer each other up, which it a view I'd never thought of, but of course friendships must have blossomed, despite the horrific surroundings. There was a sense of punishment being spared for 'wolf', he was put through a great deal of unpleasant things but the fact he was goven an uncertain ending didnt exactly fit right. I wanted to see him suffer the way Shomer did. I really enjoyed reading this, mainly due to its uniqueness. Some parts made me feel what I admit to be aympathy for Wolf, and thats what makes it a great read, I was constantly stopping myself from feeling certain things, and the hatred for him wasnt really shown, I think Shomer pittied him to some extent also. An unexpexted take on the holocaust. ****
whitmc's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This is not for the faint of heart. But so creative, with a unique concept executed in such a way that I am spending more time thinking about it now that its over than I did while reading it.
I can't say much about the book without giving away the essence of it, although other reviewers come right out and say what's going on, so if you want more details, read other reviews.
It's a holocaust and pre-WWII alt-history book, and not being much of a history buff, I spent some time on Wikipedia to understand the references in order to understand the alternative nature of the reference. Greusome, twisted, gory. I couldn't read it before going to bed, but I also couldn't stop thinking about it. I spent a lot of time confused as to what was happening, and if you are OK with that in a book, just go with it. The concept comes together over time and becomes more clear at the end.
I can't say much about the book without giving away the essence of it, although other reviewers come right out and say what's going on, so if you want more details, read other reviews.
It's a holocaust and pre-WWII alt-history book, and not being much of a history buff, I spent some time on Wikipedia to understand the references in order to understand the alternative nature of the reference. Greusome, twisted, gory. I couldn't read it before going to bed, but I also couldn't stop thinking about it. I spent a lot of time confused as to what was happening, and if you are OK with that in a book, just go with it. The concept comes together over time and becomes more clear at the end.
tonythep's review against another edition
5.0
In what can only be described as alternative history/pulp noir/Holocaust fantasy/Fascist porn, we meet seedy private detective Wolf roaming the streets of London in 1939. Wolf is part of a flood of refugees to England following the Communist takeover of Germany. Many Nazis have found safe haven in a Fascist friendly Britain on the verge of electing Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts to power. Over the course of the novel we meet Rudolph Hess, Klaus Barbie, Joseph Goebbels, Leni Riefenstahl, and others. They all are acquainted with our protagonist Wolf because he was once, of course, their Fuehrer. Ironies abound as Wolf/Hitler takes on a case for a Jewish heiress that leads him to swanky book parties, Zionist liberation groups, and Nazi S & M clubs. Of course, this all could be going on inside the head of a Jewish pulp fiction writer in Auschwitz. The result of all this is one of the most imaginative and disturbing books I've ever read.