The Man in the High Castle is an alternate history.
Alternate history or alternative history ( British English ) , sometimes abbreviated as AH , is a genre of fiction consisting of stories in which one or more historical events occur differently . The Man in the High Castle ( 1962 ) is an alternative history novel by American writer Philip K. Dick . The novel features a `` novel within the novel '' comprising an alternate history within this alternate history wherein the Allies defeat the Axis ( though in a manner distinct from the actual historical outcome ) .