Review: United States Of Japan

A spiritual sequel to  The Man In The High Castle , focusing on the New Japanese Empire, from an acclaimed author and essayist.  The Ax...

A spiritual sequel to The Man In The High Castle, focusing on the New Japanese Empire, from an acclaimed author and essayist. 

The Axis won WWII and now, in the late 1980s, the Japanese Empire rules over the western US states, their power assured by technological superiority (giant mecha, etc.) But when a video game emerges that posits a world where the allies won, a game censor and an Imperial Government agent discover truths about the empire that make them question their loyalty.

File Size: 744 KB
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Angry Robot (March 1, 2016)
Publication Date: March 1, 2016
Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services

I want to thank Angry Robot and NetGalley for the free review copy.

My thoughts ... excellent.

"United States of Japan" is about an alternate history in which Japan won World War 2. As most of you know, I love steampunk and retro-scifi. I'm also a big fan of History and detective stories so the author Peter Tieryas managed to hit most of my buttons in one book.

The story begins at the close of World War II and quickly jumps to the 1980s under the grip of the Japanese Empire.  Yes the book has a strong "The Man in The High Castle" vibe to it with a twist of Orwell. I suppose that I should caution people about the violence. The book is dark ... very dark. The torture scenes are enough to upset most readers and I felt that I needed a break at a certain point. Between you and me, that's saying something.

Video games, Stasi-like agents, censorship, I wonder if Tieryas is warning us about our future? At any rate, I give "United States of Japan" 5 stars out of 5.