Rating: 
Summary: Still A Masterwork on Many Levels
Review: One of Philip K. Dick's finest, and certainly his most accessible, novels is the Man in the High Castle. This is alternative history writing at its finest and he creates a plausible scenario of world in which Germany and Japan won the war without going to any weird science fictiony extremes. The story is told brilliantly through the use of several characters representing different aspects of this new, yet somewhat famaliar, world as their lives are touched with many instances of Dicksian (much similar to Dickensian) coincidences. The great variety of characters really allows the reader to see this other world in a natural manner. And, of course, having a alternative history novel feature as an important element of the plot in an alternative history book just makes the whole concoction a little richer. A book to read over and over.
Rating: 
Summary: great premise, but mostly boring
Review: All right, I read the other reviews and I understand
that a lot of people think this is a really great book.
I don't disagree with them if they enjoyed it, but just
for balance I want to say that I didn't love it. I was
mostly bored most of the time, and particularly unmoved
by long passages in which characters interpret the I
Ching. So, you've been warned.
Rating:
Summary: A Mind-Blower, Perhaps Dick's Best?
Review: Unparalleled science fiction of particular interest to those of us who are fond of alternative realities, historical science fiction, World War II lore and Northern California.Dick describes a post WWII US where the Allies have lost and the Japanese and Germans administer different parts of the US under an uneasy truce. This one is probably my favorite PK Dick book and I would include it in a list of my top 50 all-time favorite sci-fi books as well.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I cannot understand why so many readers of this book say the ending "fails to deliver", or is somehow "confusing". The ending is very powerful and really very simple. Juliana discovers that "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy" contains Inner Truth, i.e. Abendsen's fictional account is actually true in the sense that Germany and Japan might have won WW2, but their victory will ultimately fail because it is unbalanced. It is against the Way. The world will return to a state of balance, as it must, and this requires their downfall. This theme is revealed repeatedly. We see it in the actions and experiences of many of the major characters. Each has a small victory over their oppressors: Childan finally breaks out of the Japanese etiquette; "Mr Baynes" and the Abwehr are plotting to defeat Operation Dandelion; Frank and Ed create a new and original 'wu'-filled jewelry which is the yang to the yin-darkness which lies all around; and Juliana murders the would-be assassin and finally realises the truth in "The Grasshopper". Throughout this society, a change is occurring - beneath the surface, the victorious are being undermined. As Dick writes: "The universe will never be extinguished because just when the darkness seems to have smothered all, to be truly transcendent, the new seeds of light are reborn in the very depths. That is the Way. When the seed falls, it falls into earth, into the soil. And beneath, out of sight, it comes to life." (p.106) I think there is one ambiguity in the ending, and far from being a weakness, I think it is one the novel's greatest qualities. I don't think Dick is just saying, "Even if Germany and Japan had won the war, America would have been victorious eventually because Americans are just so great." I think he's saying something more. If, in the parallel present he describes, the victory of the Axis powers is temporary because their new world is unbalanced, as revealed by a book which posits the opposite outcome, then what does Dick's own book say for our world where the Allies won? That THEIR victory is subject to the same argument, and the same threat: if it is not balanced, if it does not respect the Way, it too will fail. I think that is his real case.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, but hardly PKD's best
Review: Years ago I was a huge PKD fan, haven't read any for some time and for some reason way-back when, I never read this, which some people claim to be his best. Well, I bought a copy and wasn't blown away, I'll take PKD's short stories, or maybe _Flow My Tears_ anyday (I need to reread that...). It was nice to see PKD break from the 'sci-fi' mold, albeit a few mere mentions of Mars, but if you want a alternate history book I would read Robert Harris' _Fatherland_ (read _Enigma_ too) for a better story.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant work that is other than what it appears
Review: I am always amazed about how many people who both love and hate this book spend so much time on the alternative history it presents in which the Axis won WW II. Those who hate it complain that the book is short on detail of the how and the why, nor does it go into the exhaustive detail that goes into so many other works that share that tired plot. At the sametime many who love it, also concentrate on this part of the book. The problem is that, the Axis winning WWII provides only the background for this rich, complex, and ultimately tragic novel. Like so much of K. Dick's work, he is not interested in overwhelming us with trivial facts or delving deeply into the speculative history. No, what this author loved were his characters. The struggles they shared, their many failures and little successes are more important than the world in which they lived. K. Dick writes beautifuly. Here, as in so much of the rest of his work, he deals with issues of belief and philosphy and the fundemental questions of why are we here and what makes us human. If you are interested in that topic, read this book. If you want to know about what would happen had Hitler been left handed or slipped in the shower and died, I suggest you read something else.
Rating: 
Summary: No Plot, No Characters, A Twist?, and a Hugo?!
Review: I heard of PDK's reputation as a man who challenged reality, and he challenges it beyond anything I expected. This book won a Hugo, and it is about precisely - nothing! How is that possible? It even takes a shot at itself by a "twist" which told me what I knew when I began the book - that this is a work of fiction. Even the scenario he half-paints where the Axis won WWII is literally impossible. This says nothing about the non-existent plot or characters. Did PDK throw the sticks of the I Ching to write this book?
Rating:
Summary: Alternate history sci-fi...
Review: The outcome of World War II results in Germany and Japan wining the war and dividing America down the middle. Persecution of the Jews by the Nazis is still prevalent, while the Japanese are more interested in authentic American novelty items as collectors pieces. The world is not stable and everyone seems to have things to hide and fear. A book, "Grasshopper Lies Heavy", has been written that tells the story that Germany and Japan lost the war and Hitler suicided. This underground and banned book has cult following and gives hope to those that have read it, while the Nazis want it and its author removed permanantly. People determine their fate and make decisions with a toss of the "I Ching", while the world has not advanced too greatly and both the Nazis and Japanese distrust each other; staunchly enforcing their law in their territory. Dick and his excellent imagination allow you to feel how the world is run in a post war alternate history masterpiece, showing us the kind of life he imagined if the War had not been won by the allies. A brilliant idea for a novel that is filled with life searching questions, immoral acts and paranoia. The only down side is the ending, that leaves you slightly confused, asking yourself what next? A highly recommended read for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy the Journey
Review: The premise for the book is fascinating; simply put, the Allies lost WWII. The set up is marvelous: a Japanese controlled West Coast and continual in-fighting among the grand poo-bahs of the Third Reich. The details and insight into characters, as always with PKD, wonderful and inventive. But the ending . . . well. Prepare yourself for disappointment. The novel spins out of control the last forty pages or so. While PKD readers generally expect a sardonic ending, they don't expect one that was pulled off a matchbook cover.
Rating:
Summary: elaborate joke, more fun in retrospect
Review: 'I see you're reading The Grasshopper Lies Heavy,' he said. 'I hear it on many lips, but pressure of business prevents my attention.' Rising, he went to pick it up, carefully consulting their expressions; they seemed to acknowledge this gesture of socialty, and so he proceeded. 'A mystery? Excuse my abysmal ignorance.' He turned the pages. 'Not a mystery,' Paul said. 'On the contrary, interesting form of fiction possibly within genre of science fiction.' 'Oh no,' Betty disagreed. 'No science in it. Nor set in future. Scienmce fiction deals with future, in particular future where science has advanced over now. Book fits neither premise.' -The Man in the High Castle The central concern of all of Phillip K. Dick's speculative fiction seems to be our perception of reality and whether we can trust it, probably not surprising obsessions for an author who reportedly had his own problems coping with reality. So it's natural for him to have been one of the earlier writers to try out the alternate history genre. In this novel, Japan and Germany, having won WWII, have divvied up the globe. It's 1962 there too, but the Japanese administer California, while the Eastern United States is subservient to Germany. The story, such as it is, follows a variety of characters, American, German and Japanese, at a time when Germany has been plunged into crisis by the death of the fuhrer, Martin Bormann. Along with this backdrop of the succession struggle, and rumors of Germany's intent to nuke her long time ally Japan, the American population has become captivated by a novel called The Grasshopper Lies Heavy by Hawthorne Abendsen, a reclusive author who lives in a secluded castle. The novel speculates about an alternate history where America wins WWII. The Germans have tried suppressing the book, but now Japanese too have begun reading it and one of the women in the book determines to try and track Abendsen down. As an additional subplot, the I Ching has become a dominant force in people's lives, with Americans following the Japanese lead in allowing it to chart their future actions. It is speculated that Abendsen may actually have written his novel according to the directions of the I Ching. That's all there really is to the story. The plot is pretty much nonexistent, action minimal, and the book ends almost at random. As far as one can tell, the whole thing is just an elaborate joke, with the book being a kind of doppelganger for reality. Puzzled readers and Dick fanatics have conjectured that the author himself may have let the I Ching make plot decisions and simply stopped writing when it told him to stop. Whatever the case, it's easier to enjoy the ironies in retrospect than it is to enjoy the essentially directionless novel while you're reading it. GRADE : C
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