The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick

[Anthony G Williams]

Philip K. Dick (1928-82) was not one of the widely famous, best-selling SF authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke or Frank Herbert. Despite this, he earned a high reputation as an innovative and thoughtful writer, with a probably unmatched record for the genre in having nine of his stories being used as the basis for Hollywood films, most notably for Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly and Minority Report.

I have to admit that although I read many of his stories in the 1960s (along with all the other SF I could get my hands on), I was not a particular Dick fan, and the only one I still have is The Man in the High Castle, which won the Hugo award for best SF novel in 1963. I read it so long ago that I could not recall what it was about, so I was pleased when it was selected as the monthly read for the Classic Science Fictiondiscussion group.

The setting is a contemporary 1960s America – but one in which the Axis powers won World War 2. Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany subsequently divided up the world between them, including the USA of which the western zone fell into the Japanese sphere and the eastern to Germany. There isn't much explanation of how this came about, just a few odd comments such as the defeat of the RAF by the Luftwaffe which took the UK out of the war, thereby denying the USA any possibility of involvement in the European theatre. This isn't a military alternative WW2 (like my own novel The Foresight War, for instance), the focus is instead on the lives of a disparate group of loosely connected people (Americans, Japanese and Germans) living in both zones of America. There are some nice details about the implications of such a change in history: long-distance travel is by rocket-powered exo-atmospheric planes and manned trips are launched to Mars, but TV is still in its infancy and only available in Germany.

Dick is particularly good at portraying what it would be like for Americans living in the Japanese sphere, especially the anxiety to understand and conform to the Japanese mentality and thereby avoid giving offence, on the part of those who wish to be successful in business. Even the thoughts of the Americans doing business with the Japanese are represented in a clipped Japanese fashion. The author's treatment of the Japanese overlords is surprisingly sympathetic, even rather admiring, in stark contrast to his portrayal of the Nazis.

Two central motifs of the story are the extensive use of divination using the I Ching (I remember that one from my student days in the 1960s!) and the controversial popularity of an alternative history novel ('The Grasshopper Lies Heavy') which portrays a world in which the Axis powers were defeated. Interestingly, this is not the world we know; Churchill remains in power for twenty years, for instance, and the UK retains a dominant world position. There is no real explanation for these differences. The meaning of this novel within a novel gradually comes to dominate the story until the enigmatic climax.

All in all, this is an unusual, intelligent, thoughtful and well-written tale which is worth reading even if you are not a fan of alternative histories.

(An extract from my SFF blog)

[Diggler]

This was one of the first PKD novels that I read and honestly I just didn't get it? Maybe it was not a good choice for my first foray into the world of PKD as his novels do have a tendency to get quite odd.

[Anthony G Williams]

I think that's fair comment - definitely not the easiest stories to understand, and probably something of an acquired taste.

[ubik]

I've read a fair few novels by Philip K. Dick and whilst I did enjoy The Man in the High Castle I wouldn't say it's his best. I felt the novel was quite sloppily put together, and the point of view shifted way too much for my liking. Whilst the story is actually pretty good, it's not a hugely enjoyable read, and one I wouldn't say is near on a par with Ubik, A Scanner Darkly or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I still find it confusing how this book is often hailed as Dick's finest, but whatever.

[Connavar]

Thats because people overrate the popular vote which is in this case is awards like Hugo,Nebula.

I dont have high expectations of this book just because of the award, i trust the fact that i have read what 100s of other Dick fans say and none of them say its his finest. Its always the same other 5-8 books mentioned.


It is shame though he didnt write other books with Alternate history,themes like that.

[ubik]

True, I would have loved to see another alternative reality novel by Dick. It's a shame really, as the premise of The Man in the High Castle is really good, but it's just not that well written... Dick wasn't the best in terms of writing skill but at least his very best books are somewhat legible.

[Connavar]

Prose wise you might call him workmanlike but his rambling style fit his themes,ideas,characters. Thats why i rate him as high as the cover blurbs that call him a visionarry writer. few writers i pick over him when i want thoughtproving story.

Not many of us read SF for singing prose anyway.

[ubik]

I do appreciate his rambling style, and I adore his stories to bits, but I must admit that his style in The Man in the High Castle is just too bizarre for my liking. I don't think Dick even establishes who the main protagonist is or anything. It just doesn't hold the concepts what makes a story a story. But I guess a lot of people will like this novel for those very reasons.

[Connavar]

Have you read The Maze of Death ? I feel the same way about that book.
A weak PKD, interesting idea but not much else,specially the characters was off for him. That broke his perfect record with me. Not that a few weaker books matter here and there when he has so many good ones.

[ubik]

I have yet to read The Maze of Death, but I will check it out just to get a wider perspective of Dick's work. I think the fact he has written so many novels/short stories is slightly detrimental to him, it seems as though there are just as many great novels/short stories as there are weak ones. Though fittingly, this also matches his own prose style.

I always imagine Dick to be sat at a typewriter frantically knocking out story after story in an amphetamine haze without even glancing at the paper and giving a thought about what he'd written!

[Diggler]

Which novels of his have you read ubik? I have read a few (and quite a number of his short stories). I found "Man In the High Castle" to be disjointed and rather tedious.

My personal favourites of his have been...

The World Jones Made
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
The Penultimate Truth
Eye in the Sky
Solar Lottery
Ubik (judging by your name, I'd say you've read this)

Looking back on the ones I've read. His books are kind of pulpy. Though his writing always resonates intelligence. I can see how he really wanted to write "conventional" fiction, as he really did have a flair for creating believable and realistically flawed characters.

[ubik]

Haha, you would be right in assuming that I've read Ubik. That's my favourite Dick novel, and in my opinion the most accessible of his novels.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep certainly has a very pulp feel to it in my opinion, that's the first I've read.

Altogether, I've read: (novel wise)

A Scanner Darkly
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb
Galactic Pot-Healer
The Man in the High Castle
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Ubik
VALIS

[jojajihisc]

I am one of the few who enjoyed A Maze of Death apparently. It didn't bother me to not have a main character. I enjoyed the many and varied deaths of the characters and in this way it reminded me of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Not feeling even the slightest connection with any of the characters made it easier for them to be disposed of.

Count me as one of those that didn't really get The Man in the High Castle. I think my mind wandered for large sections of this and I should probably read it over some day. Mostly I was just bored by it.

[Diggler]

Originally Posted by ubik

Haha, you would be right in assuming that I've read Ubik. That's my favourite Dick novel, and in my opinion the most accessible of his novels.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep certainly has a very pulp feel to it in my opinion, that's the first I've read.

Altogether, I've read: (novel wise)

A Scanner Darkly
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb
Galactic Pot-Healer
The Man in the High Castle
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Ubik
VALIS

I have to admit Ubik was a great novel. I'd highly recommend "Flow My Tears the Policeman Said" it is also very accessible and a damn fine yarn.

I have read all of those novels minus Dr. Bloodmoney, A Scanner Darkly and Galactic Pot Healer. Though I do have those three in my collection. I've just been reading other things lately

[Connavar]

Guys you have to read Now Wait For Last Year, its one of his strongest imo. It has typical PKD themes but also its time travel premise is so well done.