The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

Title: The Man in the High Castle

Author: Philip K. Dick

Publisher: 1962

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 259

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer Reading Challenge

It’s America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In this world, we meet characters like Frank Frink, a dealer of counterfeit Americana who is himself hiding his Jewish ancestry; Nobusuke Tagomi, the Japanese trade minister in San Francisco, unsure of his standing within the bureaucracy and Japan's with Germany; and Juliana Frink, Frank's ex-wife, who may be more important than she realizes.

These seemingly disparate characters gradually realize their connections to each other just as they realize that something is not quite right about their world. And it seems as though the answers might lie with Hawthorne Abendsen, a mysterious and reclusive author, whose best-selling novel describes a world in which the US won the War... The Man in the High Castle is Dick at his best, giving readers a harrowing vision of the world that almost was.

I had some expectations going into this book and I was very very disappointed. I wanted an adventure filled look at an alternate history. I wanted some social commentary on the real world in 1962. Instead, I got a very boring look at very boring characters that shifted focus too many times. The big mystery of the author wasn’t really anything interesting. And the book lacked an imagination. I am intrigued by what the television series did to change the story and make it more engaging. Maybe I just need to go watch that instead.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick / Blade Runnner

Title: Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?

Author: Philip K. Dick

Publisher: Del Ray Books 1968

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 190

Rating:  5/5 stars  Movie:  5/5

Reading Challenges: Science Fiction; Book 2 Movie: Mount TBR; Fall into Reading; My Years -- 1982 (for the movie)

How I Got It: Own it

By 2021, the World War had killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature, and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacrae: horses, birds, cats, sheep. . . They even built humans.

Emigrées to Mars received androids so sophisticated it was impossible to tell them from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans could wreak, the government banned them from Earth. But when androids didn't want to be identified, they just blended in.

Rick Deckard was an officially sanctioned bounty hunter whose job was to find rogue androids, and to retire them. But cornered, androids tended to fight back, with deadly results.

Book

Another science fiction book that tempted me but with trepidations.  I haven't had the best luck with previous science fiction, but this one exceeded my expectations.  I immediately connected with the character of Rick and his struggles to be a success in this destroyed world.  This book was very character driven.  I loved the complexity involved.  Plus we get an interesting discussion on humanity and ethics.  The two Rachaels were a nice touch.  Definitely a must read for me.

Favorite quote:

“Empathy, he once had decided, must be limited to herbivores or anyhow omnivores who could depart from a meat diet. Because, ultimatley, the emphatic gift blurred the boundaries between hunter and victim, between the successful and the defeated. As in the fusion with Mercer, everyone ascended together or, when the cycle had come to an end, fell together into the trough of the tomb world. Oddly, it resembled a sort of biological insurance, but double-edged. As long as some creature experienced joy, then the condition for all other creatures included a fragment of joy. However, if any living being suffered, then for all the rest the shadow could not be entirely cast off. A herd animal such as man would acquire a higher survival factor through this; an owl or a cobra would be destroyed.” Page 27

Movie

I love the world building in this movie.  Everything is fantastical, but very lived in and run down.  The look just gets me.  And the special effects are still amazing even 30 years after.  While liberties are taken with the story, it makes sense in the world that Dick created.  The actors are all amazing and just perfect for their roles.  I especially love Sean Young's Rachael.  She was my favorite character from the book and she's my favorite character in the movie.  Overall, I just really enjoy this one.  And they got rid of Deckard's wife, which definitely livened up the pacing.