Rating: 
Summary: Two books in one
Review: Daniel Quinn's "After Dachau" is really two very different books in one, divided by a clever "trick." The first half is a suspenseful and exciting mystery story centering on the possible discovery of a truly documentable case of reincarnation. The two main characters find themselves on a journey of self-discovery as they explore what it really means to be an individual. If you're a fan of speculative fiction or psychological mysteries, you'll easily get wrapped up in the first part of "After Dachau."Then comes the "trick." I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't yet read the book, but it's sort of a "Sixth Sense" kind of thing -- a plot trick that shifts the entire course of the novel and changes everything you've read so far. After the trick (sort of after Dachau!), the book becomes a cautionary tale about what the world could become if we continue to live our lives as the selfish, entitled, "takers" we western white-folks really are (if this doesn't make sense, read "Ishmael"). It's not a bad cautionary tale, and even if you're not a DQ fan, you'll easily see the point he's making. But the book would have been stronger had Quinn stuck with a distorted interpretation of ACTUAL history (a new and frightening way to look at the world of the last 60 years), rather than the alternate history he gives us in "After Dachau". The world the two main characters face in part two of this book is NOT our world -- and as such, it's easy to step back and ignore the message. After all, WE didn't do what these people did. The world we live in today is NOT the world of "After Dachau." What bothered me most about "After Dachau" was the short disclaimer Quinn placed at the end of the book, disavowing any interest or belief in reincarnation. Clearly the entire first half of the novel was merely a way of sucking in the type of readers who might be susceptible to his philosophy. Once you get past the mid-point (and the "trick"), you're his and the reincarnation story is dropped. Too bad. A really good novelist (without such an obvious agenda, perhaps) would have known how to integrate the story with the message. It would have made a better novel -- and, in the end, a stronger message. It's a thought-provoking book, however, which is rare -- thus the four stars. Read it. It's worth the time, and you can argue with your friends about it afterward (what's better than that?)!
Rating: 
Summary: Hide the Guns
Review: Once again, Quinn drives a spike into the 'culture' we Americans feed ourselves and choke down while begging for seconds. I pay my taxes not to be reminded of this kind of stuff. The best read around, but not good for your money as you will most likely read it in one or two sittings. Hide the guns.
Rating:
Summary: A New Twist
Review: Daniel Quinn takes a step away from his usual Socratic method of question and answer type dialogue, and with just cause. To reach a wider audience, a new approach was perhaps needed. AFTER DACHAU is a wonderful work of fiction that unfolds suspensefully and is an excellent complement to his other works. There are numerous discourses present in AFTER DACHAU. One that is of particular interest to me is Quinn's portrayal of Civilization gone stagnant. If Civilizational stagnation proves maleficent to humanity as well as the contemporary obsession with progress, then what should people do to maintain a world conducive for the survival of humanity? Quinn might submit that all we have to do is care, and that is the route he takes us on in AFTER DACHAU. Humanity's survival is dependent upon whether or not people recognize the dangers of Civilization as our primary mode of social organization. Humanity has become imperiled because people do not care about the obvious and inherent dangers. Civilization is obviously a primary focus in his other writings, and being familiar with his other works, might make AFTER DACHAU easier to digest and understand.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful idea and some great moments, but no "Ishmael"
Review: I'm a long-time Quinn fan and have repeatedly read all his works, but I agree with the reviewers who say that this book doesn't quite rank with his previous novels. That's not to say it's not worth reading, because it is, but I wasn't moved in the same way I was by Ishmael or Story of B. There are revelations and hard-hitting punches on almost every page of those books, and while After Dachau has its moments and some terrific parallels, on the whole I felt it faltered a great deal. The book is a very quick read and I wanted much more character depth (the character interaction really just repeats what was done in SoB: male main character meets female with one set of goals, she teaches him and gives him new ones, while their antagonism turns to romance), and what depth there was seemed either rushed or out of the blue. While the basic idea of the book is quite ingenious, the merely average execution makes it feel more like a short story than a earth-shaking novel. That said, I still recommend it to Quinn fans, but would point new-comers to Ishmael or Story of B first.
Rating:
Summary: WARNING!!!!!!
Review: Like all of Daniel Quinn's novels, this book may ruin your current perspective of the world. You may be shocked into actually thinking, and the rose colored world in which you helplessly reside might become painfully clear. "After Dachau" twists the conventional thinker's reality with an alternate view of the world's history. Quinn turns the pages of time, while the reader stands helpless to the Blitzkrieg assault on the mind. Quinn's revolutionary thinking from his past novels is secretly hidden within a profound story of epic proportion. One can not "walk away" from this novel without being dramatically altered in some way. If you read this novel and liked it, be sure to read his other works, too.
Rating:
Summary: Readable but disappointing
Review: I am surprised at the number of 4/5 stars. Maybe this is due to the guru status Quinn has obtained? I have read all of Quinn's books and enjoyed them but this book doesn't seem to have the eloquence and craftsmanship that Ishmael and "B" had. I too finished this book in a very short time but was left flat. No "a-ha" moments, no "wows", no deep insights. Maybe I'll read it again and see if I missed something or, better yet, reread the Story of B.
Rating:
Summary: Fine wine with big time resonance
Review: I thought of wine when I read Daniel Quinn's latest book, "After Dachau." Wine writers desperate for metaphors might refer to a fine vintage as having a hint of vanilla, a whiff of blackberry, a character of oak, a color of blood ruby. These help to describe a wine, perhaps, but they do not replace the experience of actually enjoying the vino. Whenever I read one of Dan's books, and particularly with "After Dachau", I feel descriptive comparisons with great minds. At times his writing resonates with the touch and smells of Socrates and Joseph Campbell, Kurt Vonnegut and Kafka, Jung and Tom Robbins. But just as that fine burgundy is more than a whiff of vanilla, Dan Quinn is more than big time-comparisons. Dan is Dan, and more power to him. He's an influencer. He writes books that change people's lives, force them to rethink their cozy assumptions. In this book Dan creates a parallel reality that is stunning in its simplicity, chilling in its implications. When I teach people to write fiction, one of the most powerful triggers to jump-start a project is to ask "what if?" In "After Dachau", Dan has used this device to write a high concept novel. I really want to tell you what this concept is, the big idea that forms the heart of the book. But I won't. Yes I will. Think about the title and ask, "what if?" Paul Sochaczewski, author of Redheads
Rating:
Summary: Delicious
Review: Quinn doesn't pull his punches here. If the significance of his earlier books should in any way seem hazy or less than immediately relevant, the metaphor underlying this book ought to drive it home a little more emotionally. I can certainly see, on the other hand, why other reviewers found parts of the book to be a little rushed or uneven... Overall, I found this book delicious for its deliberate, almost sadistic, clarity of vision. My favorite moments were the ones where Jason's world is compared, subtly and ironically, with our own. There was one point when he remarked that it wasn't just his *own* people's history that was a popular fiction. And when he tried to explain an incredible revelation about the world he lived in, he was met with the reply, "So, you've come up with an alternative interpretation of history?" It reminded me of how so-called "alternative interpretations of history" are treated today. This book is richer in meaning if you've read Quinn's other books, particularly _Ishmael_, but can be read independently as simply an original and unusual novel.
Rating:
Summary: fascinating read
Review: i actaully never read a daniel quinn book so i just picked this one up because i thought it looked good. this book has the power to change lives & minds. his story leads you believe in reincarnation (or not) but has a better underlying suggestion fior humanity. i think it should be in all readxing lists. don't pass this one by! it ewas the best book i've read so far in awhile!
Rating:
Summary: This ain't no 1984 or "cautionary tale"
Review: After Dachau has been described as Orwellian by more than one review. I think this is a sad testament to just plain bad critical thinking. The book is no more Orwellian than Laura Ingalls Wilder's, Little House on the Prairie. If other reviews have convinced you, please allow me to offer a counter argument. The book begins rather uneventfully with some interesting case studies of reincarnation events and progresses to a particularly interesting case where one might suppose that the truth of reincarnation was finally unquestioned. This, of course, is only the tip of the iceburg, so to speak, and it would do harm to the reader to reveal all there is about the particular sequence of events after this discovery. Suffice to say, the two main characters, Jason, and the reincarnated _______ of Gloria (who was known before as Mallory), progress through a series of rather uneventful, but none-the-less interesting, and sometimes confusing, hide and seek games with the truth of just what the real situation is. Eventually, however, Jason has the idea that Mallory, AKA Gloria, needs some history lessons via a day spent at a private school, which is where all the real fun, and the real message can be found. The last part of the book gives some interesting history and an even better understanding of the lessons Mallory learned (and teaches) and how they relate to her, to Jason, and to the current world-culture. The rest I leave to the discovery of the reader. Principally, the reason this book is in no way Orwellian, is that 1984 is about a culture we could imagine, but one in which we weren't yet living. It was something to be feared and to guard against. After Dachau is about our culture, nothing less, nothing more. There are different historical antagonists and enemies presented, but the message is quite clear: that our history, and cultural myths should not be considered any less frightening or horrifying. The best advice I can offer the reader is to remember you're reading about the culture you live in, even though the fictional elements indicate otherwise. And to those who believe this book to be Orwellian or a "cautionary tale", you simply exemplify that, "The easiest secret to keep is the one no one wants to hear."
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