The Man in the High Castle: Paperback

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More than the story I thought that one of the most intriguing elements of this book was the atmosphere of the country in this alternate reality. As the judges, incredulous, asked him to prove his claim, he requested that a canvas and some painting be brought to his cell. Wait a moment, one of my inner voices just told me that I did yet delete them for the sake of my peace of mind and mental sanity. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, including the Hugo and John W.

One of the characters, Robert Childan, is an antiques dealer specialising in pre-war Americana, catering to the occupying Japanese who’ve developed a taste for “authentic” American antiques. Dick (1928-1982) wrote 121 short stories and 45 novels, establishing himself as one of the most visionary authors of the twentieth century.Her husband Frank Frink is a craftsman who makes cheap imitations of old American artifacts in a Japanese occupied California that demand high market value.

Recently fired from his job at a Wyndam-Matson factory, Frank Frink (formerly Fink) is a secret Jew and war veteran who agrees to join a former co-worker to start a business making and selling jewelry. Dick (1928-1982) published 36 science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. The cultural alienation of the Japanese occupation is a topic ideally suited to his interests, as is the psychosis of the Nazi mind.

The tone of Dick’s writing and the gloomy mood he creates serve to place the characters in settings which are uncanny and ghostly realistic. The bloodthirsty biographies of the world’s most infamous pirates are reproduced in this Folio edition of Captain Charles Johnson’s renowned work, including original woodcut illustrations and a fascinating introduction by Margarette Lincoln.

Dick's celebrated novel of an alternate America, in which the Axis powers triumphed in World War II. Dick and science fiction might be underwhelmed by The Man in the High Castle since, other than passing mention of cross continental rocket ship travel and a German exploration of Mars, there really isn’t any science fiction or signature PKD craziness or large-scale action; rather, Dick’s 1962 book is alternative history, the aftermath in the United States after Germany and Japan win World War II and a novel of ideas.

Through Childan we see whites are at the bottom of society with the Asians at the top, as well as English as a language slowly being eroded as it merges with the dominant Japanese. I went on say that I DIDN'T think this made him a Nazi, just a politician who is trying to please the ignorant racist demographic. The “native” American characters talk with Japanese accents (and now things like American comic books are considered native culture) and an Asian sense of social place is part of life. Perhaps there was simply too much “other stuff” besides the plot (like the Zen and Eastern mysticism) in it to make it a worthwhile read for me.