The Man in the High Castle
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dickby Philip K. Dick
Shares rank 63 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as a dark, compelling alternate-history read, though some readers find its premise far-fetched and its ending lacking.
Recommended as a dark, compelling alternate-history read, though some readers find its premise far-fetched and its ending lacking.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Premise feels far-fetched
“an interesting, but ultimately far-fetched bit of sci-fi drama”
Comment from 6 Jan 2026 in “Stephen Miller Says US Has Right to Take over Any Country for Its Resources” Well written but lacking something
“I found it well written, but ultimately lacking in something”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Man in the High Castleby Philip K. DickThis page | 7 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I found it well written, but ultimately lacking in something”
“Seems like quite the compelling read.”
“an interesting, but ultimately far-fetched bit of sci-fi drama”
“It is very dark, but not a flat caricature of pointless evil for its own sake.”
“I really enjoyed his work in Man in the High Castle, in his alternate universe portrayal.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.