Tag: philip k dick

Review: PKD’s Unfinished Sequel to TMITHC

Posted on by in High Castle
PKD's Unfinished Sequel

I finally had a chance to read the two mysterious chapters of a scrubbed sequel to PKD’s The Man in the High Castle. I finished them a few days weeks ago, but their mark has yet to fade from the recesses of my mind. While I understand why he never finished it, I wish there was more. 

The chapters were accompanied by an essay and a fictional blurb about Hawthorn Abendsen.

Table of Contents

Naziism and The High Castle (1964) is an eye opener into the mind of PKD. He asks pointed questions about human nature and discusses Nationalism—no one is immune from falling into it. The essay reminds me of a quote ages ago when Season 2 of High Castle had just aired:

I think we have is to humanize Nazis. If you indulge the fantasy that they were not human, then nothing is learned. This is human beings that did this. It is only humans that are capable of inhumanity.

Rufus Sewell on portraying his character, John Smith (2016). 

Reading it (and the subsequent chapters) made certain aspects of the show much more clear to me. I wish I could properly put into words how it has effected me, but I can’t seem to figure it out. 

The chapters are well worth a read to anyone who is interested and is a fan of TMITHC.

Mild Spoilers Ahead!

Unlike the novel, which focuses on the Pacific States and Neutral Zone, the chapters follow Hermann Göring and Rudolph Wegener (Rudy!). 

Göring’s chapter introduces us to the Die Nebenwelt. He is skeptical of it, disinclined to believe anything—anything can be forged, right? It was interesting to follow it from his perspective, as vile as it may be. He’s not the obsessed psychopath Himmler was in the show; they (and he) took a more cautious approach to everything.  

Rudy’s chapter involves him being taken to Heydrich who sort of strong-arms him to get close to Die Nebenwelt and spy for him (I have no doubt in my mind that the scene where Heydrich sends him to assassinate Hitler came from this chapter). 

As I said before, I wish there were more!

5/5 Stars

Join the Resistance!

Posted on by in Grasshopper Nation, High Castle

It is finally here, and I am thrilled to own one of the Man in the High Castle promo packages from 2017 at long last!

Resistance Radio Promo from 2017
Resistance Radio Promo: Inside the paper record player

I remember when everyone was posting their photos of it on Twitter, and though I knew there was a 0% chance that I’d be surprised by one in the mail, I still checked every single day in hopes of mysteriously finding one inside my mailbox. In my, oh so fan, defense, they had my mailing address already. I won a signed promo poster for Season 2.

I’ve mentioned how much I wanted one before (and let’s just say how much = A. LOT. A hell of a lot.), and I still cannot believe I was able to get my hands on one. Yes, I really have longed for one over the past four years. 

I’m still blown away by the creativity behind it. It was such a clever way to slip Resistance Radio inside a fictitious GNR songbook, immersing you into the world of Philip K. Dick. It honestly feels like a traveler from their universe brought it to ours!

Let’s dive into the closeups
  • Record sleeve: On the surface it looks like it’s GNR propaganda…
  • Back of the record sleeve
  • Promo Package Record: Side A
    The Resistance slipped something inside!
  • Promo Package Record: Side B
    Yes, this is a real, playable 45.
  • The paper record player and needle
  • Back of the paper record player
  • Resistance Radio Promo from 2017
    Resistance Radio Promo: Inside the paper record player

Mine did not come with the fold-able leaflet with the convention details on it or the original box (you’ll see photos of them in the link below). I haven’t used the paper record player (I am terrified of damaging the record with the needle, ha ha!). I am looking at used record players as I write this.

As I poked around the Internet, reminiscing, I stumbled about on great blog post by Christy Dena. She gives a full (and detailed!) account of receiving hers, trying to play the record, and finding references to Resistance Radio in season 2. 

High Castle: FYC Promotional Booklet Review

Posted on by in High Castle
Consider an  Amazon Original: The Man in the High Castle, Season 1 and Season 2

Let me start off by saying that I was thrilled to get these. Ever since glimpses if the promo for Season 1 made their way onto various corners of the Internet, I’ve wanted it. 

What are these things? You might find yourself asking. They’re promotional advertisements sent to award voters (in this case, The Emmy’s) in hopes of garnering their vote. 

When I saw the Season 1 & 2 set for a reasonable price, I couldn’t pass them up. Now let’s dive right into the good stuff!

Season 1

Comprised of quotes from the crew overlaid onto behind the scenes photos and collages, it gives the reader a small peek into the creative process behind the world building. 

I think one of my favorite snapshots was the picture of a costume designer’s notes about Juliana’s blue dress.

Each of the characters in THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE struggles with how to do the right thing in his or her own way. It’s difficult to hold onto humanity if you’re forced to live under inhumane circumstances

Frank Spotnitz , writer/executive producer
Season 2

It was thinner than Season 1, but it was not without it’s own unique twist. It featured two flip pages where the base design was printed on a thin sheet (a faint outline of shapes on the next page is visible). Once flipped, the viewer sees how base design flourished into a detailed, finished set.

It ended with a clever promotion for Resistance Radio. Remember that? It felt like ages ago. Oh, the fun that was! Good memories! If I ever find the promotional record they sent out (top right), I am snatching that up. If anyone knows where I can get one, please contact me on Twitter @MishiWan

TMITHC – I want an animated film

Posted on by in #FanCastleSunday, Grasshopper Nation, High Castle

Earlier this week I was thinking about all things High Castle (no surprises there!). I know I touched on the finality of the series end last time, so I’ll keep this intro short. With the props and costumes gone, I felt my hopes dashed…and then I started drawing.

The Man in the High Castle – An Animated Film

DISCLAIMER
I am not affiliated with Amazon Prime. As far as I know, an animated film is not in the works. This is purely an idea from a dedicated fan.

My ideas for the film’s opening sequences

Main Plot – Matthew Müller

1961 – Air Force captain Matthew Müller unknowingly travels. He finds himself on the streets of a very different NYC. In disbelief, he stops dead in his tracts. He gazes up at the giant, crimson banner hanging from an unfamiliar building.

He is ambushed and thrown to the ground by the Schutzstaffel

“What’s with the uniform?” a calm voice drawls. The man standing over him lights a cigarette and begins pacing, his movements casual as though he hadn’t a care in the world.

Matthew remains silent as the man carries on like this for what feels like an eternity. The man stops, flicks ash from his cigarette, and nods to someone in the shadows.

Another imposing man in SS black appears and drops a manila folder in front of him.

“It looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way,” the first man says and walks away.

Secondary Plot

Chief Inspector Kido holds a photograph in his hand, his gaze stern as he looks at the blurry image.

The resistance has been growing bolder, and rumors of a film with dangerous ideas are circulating, but now he has a name.

Trudy Walker

Inspiration for Matthew Müller

I was originally drawing him as a character study for my Alice novel (I will write at least one full paragraph this month, so help me multiverse!). I’ve been discouraged for the past two years, and I want to break past it, but that is a story for another day.

It’s all in the Details.

Posted on by in High Castle

As I am reading through Mike Avila’s The Man in the High Castle, Creating the Alt World, I am reminded why I was drawn to the show in the first place: It’s all in the details. I’m going to focus on Season 4 and the things that stood out the most (if I were to write about every little background prop, this would be a door stopper that I’d never finish!).

Battle of Denver

Accurate street names – when they mentioned Colfax ave., I was ecstatic at the attention to detail and taking the extra time to get it right.

On the left is a map from my trip to Denver back in February. Colfax Ave. is circled in red.

Winter Solstice

I was amazed at how much thought and research went into creating the alt worlds of High Castle, especially when they had to figure out how societies would evolve and what kind of holidays would they celebrate.

Himmler (the real Himmler) was big into paganism and incorporated it into the SS [1][2]. I wondered what a Reich Christmas would look like, and the creative team at High Castle did their homework. Circled on the lower left is a cutout of Odin, a prominent deity in Norse Mythology [3]. It appears as though he is a replacement for Santa Claus.

Circled in the upper left is a banner that reads, “Winter Solstice,” commonly referred to as Yule. For brevity’s sake, I’m going to quote Wikipedia on this:

Yule or Yuletide (“Yule time” or “Yule season”) is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.

The Twilight Zone

Whoever came up with this alternate spin on one of my favorite childhood TV shows deserves a fucking medal. It was pure genius, and I loved every second of it. The writers have stated time and time again that there are parallels between worlds, and this was one of them. Everything was true to the original show in our universe, right down to the music and narrator. It was such a creative twist using Abendsen as the host as a way to turn it into propaganda.

Realistic Technology

During the scene pictured below, the children are being eavesdropped on. When the camera pans to the device on the right, we can hear crackling and static. My immediate thought was there are at least two different factions listening in on them. When you have two different groups using radio to transmit or receive at the same time within close proximity to each other, there will be static and interference on both sides.

I was delighted when we later saw that the children were, in fact, being watched by the Resistance and Hoover and that the static wasn’t just there as a LOOK THEY ARE BEING SPIED ON attention grabber.

And can we just appreciate the alt world maps for a second? 

If anyone from @HighCastleTV is reading this, please reproduce this map and sell it! I would love to own one! I still want one of those promo radio sets they sent to random people a few years back…

What was your favorite little detail?

Resources

[1] Ideology of the SS: Attitude Toward Religion
[2] Further reading: Heinrich Himmler
[3] Further reading: Odin