Anna Begins Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) Title: The Man in the High Castle Author: Phillip K Dick Genre: Dystopian/ Speculative Fiction Age: Adult Pages: 274 Dates: 2/28-3/3 I’ve never read a dystopian that takes place in a city so close to where I live! Phillip K Dick mentions sites and streets in San Francisco such as Geary and The Haight (Ashbury) and the Tenderloin. But that’s pretty much where things stop being similar. WWII has been won by Germany, Japan and Italy. Some fifteen years after WWII, the United States (and beyond) is settled and divided between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. I picked this up in the middle of the read a thon, mostly because the synopsis (Amazon): It's America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco, the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some twenty years earlier the United States lost a war—and is now occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan. made me think it might be another dystopian I could whip through. Then I read what else Amazon had to say: This harrowing, Hugo Award-winning novel is the work that established Philip K. Dick as an innovator in science fiction while breaking the barrier between science fiction and the serious novel of ideas. In it Dick offers a haunting vision of history as a nightmare from which it may just be possible to wake. And that’s when my read a thon pretty much ended because this is the same author who wrote the intricate sounding Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, plus the short stories of Total Recall, and Minority Report and the mystifying Ubik and A Scanner Darkly. Perhaps most disturbingly, this United States is not a Nineteen- Eighty Four type place. That is what is really terrifying- and frankly, also edgy- about The Man in the High Castle, is that it is a functioning world. More Rand than Atwood, more philosophical than dystopian, the more you know about history and politics, the more you will “get” The Man in the High Castle. Despite a rushed and unexplained ending, there is a lot of hidden meanings, underlying subjects and symbolism throughout. I could probably read this book 10 times just to catch everything. My favorite line: Body of yin, soul of yang. Metal and fire united. The outer and inner; microcosmos in my palm. Edited March 4, 2015 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Wow that book sounds really good!! Definitely adding it to the list of books I want to read. This type of fiction intrigues me so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 Have you ever heard of Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore? It was written in the 50's about the Confederacy winning the Civil War? I never have read it, but it randomly comes up now and then for me. Anyway, I was just reading that it inspired The Man in the High Castle. I hope you enjoy it if you get to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Great review, Anna! I'm glad you enjoyed The Man in the High Castle . I'll have to ask Michael when he's back, if he's read it or not (seeing as he has it on his shelf) and what he thought of it. He likes to read 'alternate history' World War II books now and then, both fictional and not-fictional (as in, history experts write about what they think would've happen if X hadn't happened the way it did and such). I hope you enjoy the Howey book you're currently reading . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Have you ever heard of Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore? It was written in the 50's about the Confederacy winning the Civil War? I never have read it, but it randomly comes up now and then for me. Anyway, I was just reading that it inspired The Man in the High Castle. I hope you enjoy it if you get to it I have not read that one. I'm just now getting into that genre, but it really interests me. Both of those will be on my list Great review, Anna! I'm glad you enjoyed The Man in the High Castle . I'll have to ask Michael when he's back, if he's read it or not (seeing as he has it on his shelf) and what he thought of it. He likes to read 'alternate history' World War II books now and then, both fictional and not-fictional (as in, history experts write about what they think would've happen if X hadn't happened the way it did and such). I hope you enjoy the Howey book you're currently reading . I wonder if he has read the book "What if" (I think it's called that). It is a collection of essays by a historian that goes through different events in history and writes what if. . . about the certain event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I wonder if he has read the book "What if" (I think it's called that). It is a collection of essays by a historian that goes through different events in history and writes what if. . . about the certain event. He has: What If More What If What If? America What Might Have Been and If The Allies Had Fallen (not all of these have the same authors obviously). He's read all of these and liked them. He told me he read half of The Man in the High Castle in one sitting but somehow never got around to reading the second half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 He has: What If More What If What If? America What Might Have Been and If The Allies Had Fallen (not all of these have the same authors obviously). He's read all of these and liked them. He told me he read half of The Man in the High Castle in one sitting but somehow never got around to reading the second half. I think the What if and More What if are the ones I'm thinking of, but I'm not 100% sure. I haven't read the whole thing of either one, but my history teacher made us read a couple selections and then we had to write our own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I think the What if and More What if are the ones I'm thinking of, but I'm not 100% sure. I haven't read the whole thing of either one, but my history teacher made us read a couple selections and then we had to write our own Yeah, What If, More What If, and What If? America, are all three in the same What If series. That's interesting, and it sounds like a difficult assignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Brilliant review of The Man in the High Castle Anna. Another onto the wishlist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 Brilliant review of The Man in the High Castle Anna. Another onto the wishlist! When I read it, I had you in mind, I think you'd find it intriguing, especially since you know history and are interested in politics, plus are good at symbolism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Oh go on then, you've persuaded me! Just reserved it at the library Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Oh go on then, you've persuaded me! Just reserved it at the library Right on! I have yet to explore his other works but hope to read Total Recall and Minority Report, if they don't prove to be too far out there for me lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Title: I, Zombie Author: Hugh Howey Genre: Horror, Science Fiction Age: Adult Pages: 306 Dates: 3/3- 3/8 Despite a usual PG rating, Hugh Howey switches to horror in I, Zombie. And it is messy, sticky and gross. But you find yourself sympathizing with the humanistic part of the zombie. For example, when Michael finds survivors and longs to be one of the living, not the monster he has become. Or when Gloria inwardly prays, believing she is paying for her past sins by becoming one of the living dead. This humanistic element is classic Howey and I am sorry to say that I doubted him on this one. It took a while to get into the rhythm of it, but once the brilliance was shown (see Michael and Gloria moment above), I could see the simmering Howey underneath. Unfortunately, it took 20% of the book to find, but alas, this isn’t the usual instant gratification of normal Howey, it isn’t a 5,000 word short story. It is however, told in short chapters or short stories. By 30%, I was completely sucked in. By 65%, it had taken over my other read of Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive. Just know, it is horror and is pretty graphic. The graphicness highlights the point Howey is trying to make about humanity, so in the end, it is artistic . Synopsis, From Amazon: ***WARNING: NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION***This book contains foul language and fouler descriptions of life as a zombie. It will offend most anyone, so proceed with caution or not at all.And be forewarned: This is not a zombie book. This is a different sort of tale. It is a story about the unfortunate, about those who did not get away. It is a human story at its rotten heart. It is the reason we can't stop obsessing about these creatures, in whom we see all too much of ourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Great review, I'm glad you enjoyed the Howey book in the end (seeing as you love a lot of his short stories) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Ya this was only my second full length novel of his, but I have read SO many of his short stories. I think The Shell Collector was better written than I, Zombie but I, Zombie seemed to be written early in his career. I can see a lot of growth in his writing just between TSC and IZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Great Review! But now I have that annoying song "Zombie" stuck in my head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Ya this was only my second full length novel of his, but I have read SO many of his short stories. I think The Shell Collector was better written than I, Zombie but I, Zombie seemed to be written early in his career. I can see a lot of growth in his writing just between TSC and IZ. That's pretty interesting, that you can see his writing evolve . Great Review! But now I have that annoying song "Zombie" stuck in my head The one by The Cranberries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 That's pretty interesting, that you can see his writing evolve . The one by The Cranberries? It was interesting because I know so much of his work- with other authors that I know a large part of their work (Hemingway, Pearl S. Buck, T. Williams, etc) it isn't that prominent. I guess because their work wasn't self published like a lot of Howey's were at first. It looks like Wool Part 1 and I, Zombie were some of his first published material. God I hate that song! Now I will probably have it in my head today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 It was interesting because I know so much of his work- with other authors that I know a large part of their work (Hemingway, Pearl S. Buck, T. Williams, etc) it isn't that prominent. I guess because their work wasn't self published like a lot of Howey's were at first. It looks like Wool Part 1 and I, Zombie were some of his first published material. God I hate that song! Now I will probably have it in my head today! That makes sense. I guess an author does grow in his / her writing by writing more and more. I don't mind the song, personally. But I don't like to have songs stuck in my head, most of the time, regardless of how much I like them (though the less I like it, the more annoying it is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I love the song Zombie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) I love the song Zombie, though it's an odd one being that its inspired by the violent political history between England and Ireland - I don't think a lot of people realise that. I love the Cranberries in general. They've a lot of great songs. I've also had I, Zombie on my wishlist for ages, it's good to read a positive review of it. Reminds me why it got on the wishlist in the first place, even if I haven't gotten around to getting it yet! Edited March 11, 2015 by Nollaig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Honestly I didn't really dislike the song until watching the episode of The Office when Andy sings it over and over because he's annoying And it is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head forever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) Title: Reasons to Stay Alive Author: Matt Haig Genre: Non- fiction Age: Adult Pages: 272 Dates: 3/5- 3/12 Synopsis (From Amazon): WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL TRULY ALIVE?Aged 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again.A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons to Stay Alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth.'I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven't been able to see it . . . Words, just sometimes, really can set you free.' My thoughts: Well, I should have known by his line in the synopsis about clichés that I would not get along with this book, as they don’t ever fit me. I highly anticipated this book, I really enjoy Matt Haig’s writing style, was curious about how he would do with nonfiction and was also anxious to read what he had to say on the topics of depression and suicide. But I had a lot of problems with this book, the first starting out way early in it, with a personal conclusion he makes about antidepressants. The “did he just write that??” kind of moments continued for me. I understand what Haig is trying to do in this book, I just felt it wasn’t the right book for me and it took an approach I was adverse to. By the end of this book, my forehead was bloody from beating it against the wall. Edited March 12, 2015 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Oh wow. Sorry you didn't like it! Others on here have liked it, and a lot of us loved The Humans, so I'm not sure what to make of this one now. The topic is something that is quite close to me, so I was intrigued for that reason but... yeah I'm not sure now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Goodness Anna, that's the first negative review I've seen of Reasons To Stay Alive, but you have to be honest and say what you feel. I have to admit, I don't think it's a book for me anyway, but I've seen plenty of praise for it elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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