The Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick

It’s another alternative history and probably the most famous of them all, in which Germany and Japan won the war and occupy the USA. There are all the usual Dick caveats, primarily the fact that he doesn’t write very interesting sentences, but the world he has imagined in this novel is so superbly realised that I would say that it is his finest work.

The plot follows various individuals of various backgrounds and philosophies, and it’s notable that the American characters are just as likely to be venal or selfish as the Japanese or German characters.

There is also some convincing detail. A passing reference to “the Final Solution to the African Problem” gave me a real chill.