The Man in the High Castle

Content Ratings

Mild Romance

Several characters have romantic relationships including an adulterous affair; relationships are emotionally complex but not physically explicit.

Intense Themes

The novel sustains a profound examination of life under authoritarian occupation, racial hierarchy enforced by state terror, the nature of historical authenticity, and the psychology of complicity.

Moderate Violence

Nazi atrocities against African and Slavic populations are referenced as historical backdrop; the threat of political violence and assassination is sustained throughout; actual violence is selective but impactful.

Synopsis

In an alternate 1962 where the Axis powers won World War II and America is divided between Japanese and Nazi occupation zones, multiple characters navigate daily life under occupation while a controversial novel depicting the Allies' victory circulates underground. Dick's interweaving of parallel realities, the I Ching, and questions of authentic versus counterfeit identity makes this one of his most carefully constructed works. A Hugo Award-winning alternate history of quiet dread.