On the nature of reality (The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick)

Name: MykReeve

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Product:	The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick
Date:	23/07/00 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting story, well-told

Disadvantages: Tough going in places

This is amongst author Philip K Dick's finest work, detailing an alternate history in which the Allies lost the Second World War. The Nazis have occupied the East Coast of the United States, and the Japanese control California. In the neutral area between the two states, an underground author writes his own vision of reality, "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy", an alternate world in which the Allies won the Second World War…

In the Japanese zone, the characters' lives are heavily guided by the I-Ching, and it's said that Philip K Dick himself consulted the I-Ching to guide the book's plotline.

There's a strong feeling throughout the novel that the characters realise that they're living in a reality that is somehow "wrong", and this is implied by ambiguous passages from the I-Ching throughout the story. It is really this, rather than the alternate history described in the book, which is the subject – what is the nature of reality?

As ever, Dick's characterisation is very good, and this is an extremely strong story, obviously deserving of its Hugo award. The struggles of the individual characters are well explained, without the need to overdo descriptions, so the story is well expressed from a personal perspective.

The book is currently available in Penguin Books' "Essential Penguin" series.

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