Visionary basic idea. The implementation, however, is unconvincing

What if Roosevelt would have been 1933 not shot? If the Second World War then ended before 1947 and might have the Axis powers and not Germany and Japan won the war and divided the world among themselves? That question was raised of the author Hawthorne Abendsen in his novel 'The Grasshopper Lies heay', which is of course forbidden in Fortress Europe, in the Japanese occupied territories and in the neutral, small, American buffer zone between the German and Japanese occupation area but is a best seller ,

Much of this novel by Philip K. Dick is a classic alternate history novel, of course, treated still hot topic especially Nazi Germany in the 1960s. Here, unfortunately, all the then dominant prejudices and stereotypes about German served: cynic, perfectionists, soulless, arrogant, blond ...

"'[' ...] They're Cynics with utter faith. It's a sort of brain defect, like a lobotomy'that maiming Those German psychiatrists do as a poor substitute for psychotherapy. '"
"'They're all committing incest, [...'] That's Why They, Those elite SS fairies, have that angelic simper, That blond baby like innocence;. They're saving for Mama Themselves Or for Each Other '.."
. "'They identify with God's power and believe They are godlike That is Their basic madness They are overcome by some archetype;. Their egos have expanded psychotically so thatthey can not tell Where They begin and the godhead leaves off It is not hubris. not pride; it is inflation of the ego to its ultimate'confusion between him who worships and That Which is worshiped. '"

By the way Philip K. Dick seems to have been a fan of James Joyce and desperately trying to imitate his Ulysses. He describes a few days in this world from different angles at different locations. Your actions affect each other, even if they never meet. The actions are in part simply trivial.
-Mr. Frink, Jew, divorced, loses his job and makes with a former colleague a Schmuckatelier on.
-Frinks Ex-wife Juliana Frink, judo teacher in the buffer zone, meets an attractive Italians and goes with him on trips
-Rudolf Wegener, a German agent, makes contact with the Japanese side.
-Robert Childan, 38 years old, an art dealer genuine American war art, discovered in his assortment fakes.
-Mr. Tagomi and his wife, clients of Robert Childan.

In return, the author has used the more of interior monologue and writes for the most part also the text in this abrupt, choppy manner:
'' Only Way is this, he DECIDED. He felt grim, even desperate. Go to Ray Calvin. Confront him. Insist did he pursue matter back to source. Maybe he is innocent, too. Maybe not. '"
The protagonists seem all rather broken altogether to speak English.

On top of that Philpp K. Dick repeatedly scatters German sentences. It was at that time but well beneath the dignity of the author to have a native speaker check the grammar and spelling. The Germans passages are almost all flawed in one way or another, whether it be grammatically distorting (as the good, instead of the good), formulations that would so never use and umlauts are already a matter of luck.

Why, then, this book is a visionary classics of science fiction? There is a simple explanation: The basic idea of ​​this novel: The I Ching.
It's not just about an alternate history. The point is that Philip K. Dick in this novel the principle, the idea of ​​parallel worlds designs long before quantum physicist should come up with this idea and they would scientifically substantiate. By means of the I Ching, the prophet from Mount Hawthorne Abendsen information out of this parallel universe and publish it as a novel, this world exists somewhere. Philip K. Dick himself wrote this novel with the help of the I Ching and also leaves its protagonists regularly consult the oracle, Philip K. Dick So even the Abendsen Hawthorne, our world.
The creators of Matrix translated therefore Philip K. Dick with the figure of her oracle in the Matrix trilogy, a monument, because they also give the Oracle between the two realities, the world out there and the matrix.

Seen lays down the basic idea of ​​the novel is an important science fiction foundation, creates a visionary basic idea. The implementation, however, is unconvincing.

Note to Cover: Usually I find it ridiculous when someone leaves out on the cover of a book. Here I have to point out that one should read the book in any case to air travel. The swastika is illegal in Germany against the law and an acquaintance has therefore already once an American novel because of the title picture at customs confiscated (Harris: Vatherland).