The Man In The High Castle

 I wanted to read Philip K. Dick's The Man In The High Castle (#948) since we've been streaming the adapted show of the same name on Amazon Prime.  Well, the titles of the book and the TV show are the same, and so are the names of the characters Frank Frink, Ed McCarthy, Robert Childan and Trade Minister Tagomi, although their roles are markedly different in the book.  Juliana has morphed from Juliana Frink to Juliana Crane in the series.  Other than the fact that the USA lost World War II, and that the German Reich controls the Eastern States, and the Japanese the Pacific States, all bets are off.  You can recognize a few of the incidents lifted from Dick's novel, but many of the TV series' main characters are entirely missing from the book.  That being said, I have to say I've enjoyed where the script writers have taken the Amazon production.  We're currently watching the fourth and final season, and now I don't have to worry that there were any spoilers in the book because they've diverged so widely.

Philip K. Dick's book originally was published in the 1960s, and it certainly was a different world then in terms of what was acceptable.  Anti-Semitism and racist language are sprinkled throughout the book, playing into the Nazi views.  The Japanese come off as humane (!) in their treatment of the conquered territories, even admirable.  The Man In The High Castle here is the author of a speculative novel in which the US did, in fact, win the war.  The Grasshopper Lies Heavy is sold openly in the Pacific States and read by anyone who is anyone.  In the Reich-controlled East, possessing a copy is a death sentence; they simply haven't been able to impose that on the Man In The High Castle yet.

Usually I think the book version is far superior to the film or TV adaptation, but this is the rare exception for me.  I think the producers have taken an intriguing germ of an idea and fleshed it out more fully, with interesting twists and turns (and great costumes & sets!).  To be honest, I've enjoyed the TV series far more than I did the pedantic novel.  Still, I'm glad I read the original.