Rating: 
Summary: Another Quinn Masterpiece
Review: Daniel Quinn once again shows us how easy it is to be lied to in his new book, After Dachau. I am a die hard fan of Ishmael, but I was a little bored with the more recent books: My Ishmael, Beyond Civilization. They seemed to be more of the same (although that may be a good thing). I thought that Ishmael and The Story of B were going to be the only truly thought provoking books that Daniel Quinn was going to write, but he's done it again. After Dachau can be read by both Ishmael fans and non Ishmael fans alike. I recommend it to anyone who has the slightest hint of intelligence. This book is incredible. Buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Novel
Review: Having read Ishmael and other Quinn novels years ago, and recently having read The Holy, I was expecting something a bit more along those lines... A bit of entertaining fiction with some interesting ideas behind it. But After Dachau was a brilliant book. I was a hundred pages in, lulled into the idea of a book "about" reincarnation, when it gut-punched me with an historical twist that ends up tying into a number of themes from Ishmael, My Ishmael, The Story of B, and others. It presents Quinn's ideas in an altogether new format, and while I'd certainly continue to recommend Ishmael to others, After Dachau is a great primer to have friends and family who refuse to read books that have "ideas preached" at them... a common objection I get. It's a rather incisive historical lesson wrapped in an enjoyable tale. A thoughtful, insightful and well written book.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't read the jacket or the editor's review!
Review: It is a great plot, but only if you avoid reading the spoilers. Very intriguing story line. I wish it had been longer.
Rating:
Summary: Don't read the book jacket
Review: While I might have expected more in the way of content and length from Quinn, I still heartily enjoyed the book. However, I think most of my enjoyment from the book is that I knew nothing about it going in. I didn't read the book jacket, no one told me about it or anything. Because of this, it was incredibly enjoyable because the twists and turns of the plot weren't obvious to me at first and it made the book far better. I definitely don't want to describe anything from the book...knowing anything about it going in will spoil it. The book's excitement and interest is based on plot twists (severe plot twists) and it's far more fun to go in with zero knowledge.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected, and very short
Review: I have read most, if not all of Daniel Quinn's published work, this was definitely the most disappointing, but if ur a fan of novels, go for it, definitely not his most impacting or thought provoking piece of work, i highly reccomend The Holy and anything else he's written, I wish I'd rented this out formthe library instea dof payed whatever i payed for it, it's also vey short u can finish it in a day or 2 if u wanted to like i did, not the greatest thing he's written, doesn't stick with u, interesting concept but not anywhere near the the ideas he explores in Ishmael, Beyond Civilization, or even the Holy, very unlike any of his other work, very story driven, not for people like me whose goals have always been to save the world and be happy. I migh change my opinion at a later date, but if u really want to expereince what Daniel Quinn is saying start with Ishmael.
Rating:
Summary: A Wild Ride
Review: This is a great book. It offers mind bending twists and valuable lessons. It is different from his other books in that the lessons are woven in the story rather than the lessons being
offered to you directly. If you want to jumpstart your brain, this is an excellent choice. It is also an engaging novel in a recreational sense. The best of both worlds. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: A strange Journey into an odd future
Review: This book is like a shot to the head when you least expect it. Despite the name the book has very little to do with the horrific images the name implies. It puts a new spin on the afterlife and was very hard to put down. The only thing that doesn't make it a five star is because the timeline is a little confusing...
Rating:
Summary: Dark and Twisted
Review: As a reviewer, I prefer not to discuss plot details as that is one of the main reasons people read novels in the first place. That said, I would like to caution potential readers. I almost put this book down halfway through, as it didn't seem to be leading anywhere, and the lack of character depth was irksome. I'm glad I didn't, though, because about half way through, like fragments of a jigsaw, all the disparate parts of the story came together in one seamless twist of events that will give you a new perspective on history, self, and place. Although The Holy is now experiencing similar reactions from Quinn fans, this older novel also received mixed reviews when it came out. Some said it was his best, while others said it was his worst. Without a doubt, this book is fundamentally different from Quinn's priors, like Ishmael and Story of B. Unlike them, After Dachau's message (presuming Quinn had a message in mind) is muddled and opaque, the tone dark and mysterious, leaving it the possiblity of being read on many levels. In other words, this book makes you think - which makes it worth reading in my book.
Rating:
Summary: Not on par with Story of B or Ishmael
Review: After Dachau serves to illustrate Daniel Quinn's argument that history is socially constructed (which is a backbone of his argument about how we think about "totalitarian agriculture" and modern society). It accomplishes this by setting itself in a fictional society in which Germany won World War II and nobody thinks of the Holocaust as a Holocaust. It's not bad, but Quinn still has a lot of trouble writing realistic dialogue--the dialogue isn't as stilted as it was in Ishmael or My Ishmael, but the ideas are much less provocative and new. And he resorts to a cliched "boy-and-girl lead characters fall in love" plot. I enjoyed the book but it's not on par with his other works.
Rating:
Summary: An entire story outside the box
Review: This is a great book, the Matrix meets The Stranger meets Ishmael meets etc.... Too many reviewers compare it to Ishmael. In my opinion, this is like saying Michaelangelo's David is a travesty because the Sistine Chapel has more texture. No, this book is not as mind blowing as Ishmael. It is a work of fiction designed to make you think and do your own mind blowing. While it is a complete story, when you put it down your mind should be spinning. The story gives you a dot in the distance. This book will be the best for the ones who are dedicated to connecting the dots for themselves.
| 
