The Man in the High Castle is one of the best books written by Philip K. Dick (the same author of Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report). Some even consider it his masterpiece. Regardless of one’s opinion, this book is one of the most impressive science fiction books ever written. Although it has become somewhat dated with the technological advances in the last decades — a common problem in older science fiction books — no one would be able to say the book lost its strength and ability to surprise.
The book is set in a parallel universe where the United States lost World War II, and the world was then split between the Japanese and German, with the latter getting most of the territories. In an America divided in two regions by the conquerors, a forbidden book — written by the man in the High Castle — takes people’s imagination describing another reality where the war was not lost, and everything went differently. In this context, the lives of a group of persons will intertwine in a patchwork of events sewn together by the I Ching, the immemorial Chinese oracle, whose accurate readings of reality seem to defy natural order. Those events lead to a startling ending that shows Dick’s genius.
I’m a fan of Dick’s writing ever since I saw and afterward read Blade Runner, and none of his books has disappointed me so far. Even his older books, in which the technological vision has become dated, his mastery of the narrative is more than sufficient to suspend my disbelief. Also, his characterizations of the human nature are always impressive. In short, another recommended reading.