Philip K. Dick’s acclaimed alternate history novel tells of a world where the Axis powers won the Second World War and have divided America between them. The book deserves the acclaim, being such a superb read that I finished it within a day and was told off by my wife for ignoring her to read the book! Certainly, it is a much better book than Androids.
So why was it so good? I don’t really quite know as there is no overall story, although it is ostensibly about a book that outlines an alternate world where the Allies had won the war and the book links the characters as they all at some point encounter or read it. Beyond this, the book plays little part in what goes on and the narrative focuses on the development of the characters. Trying to decide the best term to describe the book I came up with a quest type novel. The characters are seeking something, although they are not sure what and often don’t get what they expect. I have been told that this is a sign of a literary work and reading this type of book is a departure from my usual story driven reading. Judging by how gripping it was, perhaps I need to allow myself to be challenged more in my reading material.
Overall, The Man in the High Castle is an incredibly good read.
No comments:
Post a Comment