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The Grasshopper Lies Heavy
1966 -- a century after the Confederate States of America won the Civil War -- the Cold War rages.
The Soviets control the west coast. The British have The Colonies. The Confederacy is a powder keg in the middle.
A terrorist attack in dystopian Atlanta lights the fuse.
A Captain in the KKK grows disillusioned with his country. A widow who won’t grieve grows disillusioned with herself. A slave working at a weapons factory reaches his limits. A British invasion of Black Panthers. A Russian spy hides in plain sight. A President cashes in his chips.
The Grasshopper Lies Heavy tells the story of an America on the brink- of war, of identity, of starting over.
From the Author:
I recently did a full edit and polish of my novel and am republishing it on Amazon as of 2/22/16. Based on reader feedback and reviews, I hired a professional editor to address any issues of syntax, grammar and other small typos/mistakes. So if you have any complaints, at least it will be because you hated the story and not the grammar. Thanks for reading!
The Soviets control the west coast. The British have The Colonies. The Confederacy is a powder keg in the middle.
A terrorist attack in dystopian Atlanta lights the fuse.
A Captain in the KKK grows disillusioned with his country. A widow who won’t grieve grows disillusioned with herself. A slave working at a weapons factory reaches his limits. A British invasion of Black Panthers. A Russian spy hides in plain sight. A President cashes in his chips.
The Grasshopper Lies Heavy tells the story of an America on the brink- of war, of identity, of starting over.
From the Author:
I recently did a full edit and polish of my novel and am republishing it on Amazon as of 2/22/16. Based on reader feedback and reviews, I hired a professional editor to address any issues of syntax, grammar and other small typos/mistakes. So if you have any complaints, at least it will be because you hated the story and not the grammar. Thanks for reading!
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2015
202 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
About the author
Chandler Duke
1 book8 followersChandler Duke is a young writer living in Los Angeles. He is a recent graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Screenwriting. This is his first novel. He is currently working on a second novel, Native, expected toward the end of 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 12, 2018
This book is a quick read. Once you get past some repetition and some fantastic grammatical errors, it's a very entertaining story.
While reading "The Man in the High Castle," there was mention of "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy," which I believe differs greatly from the novel by Chandler Duke. That is what drew me to the novel.
There is a good enough plot without going overboard. The story is straightforward such that introduction of any additional material would have done the book harm. I can't see the book as-is being made-for-movie material, which is how most writers deliver their literary work. The heroes would be very unlikely in real life but definitely characters we all could possibly learn something from.
While reading "The Man in the High Castle," there was mention of "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy," which I believe differs greatly from the novel by Chandler Duke. That is what drew me to the novel.
There is a good enough plot without going overboard. The story is straightforward such that introduction of any additional material would have done the book harm. I can't see the book as-is being made-for-movie material, which is how most writers deliver their literary work. The heroes would be very unlikely in real life but definitely characters we all could possibly learn something from.
February 27, 2019
The premise of this book is a fascinating one: what if the South had won the Civil War? What would the Confederate States of America (CSA) look like one hundred years later? What would like in them be like? How would the CSA relate to the rest of the world? What would the world look like? The "what ifs" of alternative histories like this one are what make them so fascinating to read. Unfortunately, this is not such a book for those hoping for such a story. It's badly handicapped by being written in an irritating "stream of consciousness" narrative centered around 3 characters, and by an incoherent back story timeline around which to form a structure on which to build such a book.
The main characters are Roy, a KKK captain; Marshall, a slave and weapons plant supervisor; and Maria, the widow of a KKK veteran killed during a terrorist attack. All of their stories are written in stream of consciousness, giving the reader a endless monologue of their thoughts and angst. Unfortunately, in addition to becoming increasingly grating and annoying as the plot continues, it also has the effect of making them all seem overly introspective, vacillating, and weak throughout the book.
The other fundamental flaw in this book is the lack of a coherent timeline. We're given a Confederacy in 1966, a century after its victory over the North in the Civil War. It's a repressive slave state, evidently having 1960s technology, yet retaining slavery even a century later.
The KKK functions as the ideological guardian and internal security for the CSA regime, having a role akin to that of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in that regime. Evidently, the North collapsed after losing the War, being absorbed into the British Empire, and redesignated the "Reformed Colonies". To the West is the part of North America absorbed into an expansionist Soviet Union. Instead of a Cold War between the US and USSR, we have a Cold War between a USSR and the British Empire --- but we're never really told how these present day circumstances have led to this. There simply is no back story which to a history buff like me only raises only unanswered more questions. In this book, there still were a Soviet Union and a Nazi Germany --- which would lead one to believe that World War 1 ended pretty much the same way as it did in reality ---- with Germany losing that war, and the Soviet Union arising from Germany's defeat of the Russian Empire in that war. But, wait a minute, how could that be? Only with the arrival of fresh American troops in the Western Front was the Allies able to turn the tide on Germany in 1918 --- except in this alternate reality, the US no longer exists. Which means that Germany would have probably won World War 1 in this alternate reality --- and then there would have been no Nazi Germany which the Allies still fight and defeat in this book's alternate history.
It would have been best if the author had gotten some help from some experts in the Civil War and in modern European history, and come up with a realistic alternative timeline based upon how the existence of a CSA might have changed the rest of world events.
Even overlooking all this, the dialogue between the characters is contrived and banal, and their behavior even during the action scenes is silly --- like crying like emotional girls in the middle of fire fight where they're fighting for their lives. Just doesn't seem very realistic --- you act and fight first to survive, then the navel gazing and introspection comes later for most people.
So, overall, the premise of this novel is really fascinating, but that's about as far as it goes. It really falls short in terms of what it could have been if it had just been written with a better back story and not had this awful stream of consciousness format in the narrative.
The main characters are Roy, a KKK captain; Marshall, a slave and weapons plant supervisor; and Maria, the widow of a KKK veteran killed during a terrorist attack. All of their stories are written in stream of consciousness, giving the reader a endless monologue of their thoughts and angst. Unfortunately, in addition to becoming increasingly grating and annoying as the plot continues, it also has the effect of making them all seem overly introspective, vacillating, and weak throughout the book.
The other fundamental flaw in this book is the lack of a coherent timeline. We're given a Confederacy in 1966, a century after its victory over the North in the Civil War. It's a repressive slave state, evidently having 1960s technology, yet retaining slavery even a century later.
The KKK functions as the ideological guardian and internal security for the CSA regime, having a role akin to that of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in that regime. Evidently, the North collapsed after losing the War, being absorbed into the British Empire, and redesignated the "Reformed Colonies". To the West is the part of North America absorbed into an expansionist Soviet Union. Instead of a Cold War between the US and USSR, we have a Cold War between a USSR and the British Empire --- but we're never really told how these present day circumstances have led to this. There simply is no back story which to a history buff like me only raises only unanswered more questions. In this book, there still were a Soviet Union and a Nazi Germany --- which would lead one to believe that World War 1 ended pretty much the same way as it did in reality ---- with Germany losing that war, and the Soviet Union arising from Germany's defeat of the Russian Empire in that war. But, wait a minute, how could that be? Only with the arrival of fresh American troops in the Western Front was the Allies able to turn the tide on Germany in 1918 --- except in this alternate reality, the US no longer exists. Which means that Germany would have probably won World War 1 in this alternate reality --- and then there would have been no Nazi Germany which the Allies still fight and defeat in this book's alternate history.
It would have been best if the author had gotten some help from some experts in the Civil War and in modern European history, and come up with a realistic alternative timeline based upon how the existence of a CSA might have changed the rest of world events.
Even overlooking all this, the dialogue between the characters is contrived and banal, and their behavior even during the action scenes is silly --- like crying like emotional girls in the middle of fire fight where they're fighting for their lives. Just doesn't seem very realistic --- you act and fight first to survive, then the navel gazing and introspection comes later for most people.
So, overall, the premise of this novel is really fascinating, but that's about as far as it goes. It really falls short in terms of what it could have been if it had just been written with a better back story and not had this awful stream of consciousness format in the narrative.
November 23, 2017
Read this book in reaction to having read The Man in the High Castle and it was a book being read surreptitiously by characters in the story.
It is revisionist history and it is the 1950's and the South won the Civil War. Found it easier to follow and more compelling than the Man in the High Castle, but the ending was a letdown.
It is revisionist history and it is the 1950's and the South won the Civil War. Found it easier to follow and more compelling than the Man in the High Castle, but the ending was a letdown.
March 20, 2020
The concept of this was interesting... What if the Confederates had won the Civil War? The CSA is still in existence 100 years later, with the North having been reabsorbed into the UK, and the USSR in control of the West Coast.
The book itself was eh. As a reader, I had to put everything together from piecemeal storytelling... The CSA had allied with Nazi Germany in WWII and lost... And now the CSA is run by the KKK and incredibly well automated but also has a huge number of slaves in their massive land army under the influence of a "Serum"... And now the characters are dealing with new threats as a cold war persists between the CSA and the northern British "Colonies".
The book is told from the view of three main characters in a stream of consciousness format. This is okay at best, but there were times that it got quite redundant and annoying. Everyone kept repeating every thought they had. "It would be fine, yes. It'll be fine, just be a man. Be a man." ... That type of thing. Also, sometimes other characters were thrown into the mix of perspectives, which made the plot a bit clunky.
I wish there had been more background put into what made the world the way it was, and that there had been some sort of editing to make it flow more smoothly. It was a quick read and an interesting idea, but I found the execution lacking.
The book itself was eh. As a reader, I had to put everything together from piecemeal storytelling... The CSA had allied with Nazi Germany in WWII and lost... And now the CSA is run by the KKK and incredibly well automated but also has a huge number of slaves in their massive land army under the influence of a "Serum"... And now the characters are dealing with new threats as a cold war persists between the CSA and the northern British "Colonies".
The book is told from the view of three main characters in a stream of consciousness format. This is okay at best, but there were times that it got quite redundant and annoying. Everyone kept repeating every thought they had. "It would be fine, yes. It'll be fine, just be a man. Be a man." ... That type of thing. Also, sometimes other characters were thrown into the mix of perspectives, which made the plot a bit clunky.
I wish there had been more background put into what made the world the way it was, and that there had been some sort of editing to make it flow more smoothly. It was a quick read and an interesting idea, but I found the execution lacking.
September 12, 2021
I initially heard about this book from the TV series The Man in the High Castle. It was a plot device in the original Phillip K Dick novel Man in the High Castle. I bought this because I thought how bad can an alternate history be. I recall reading bring on the Jubilee in the summer after 6th grade, This is one of the worst books I have ever read. I mean wow just wow that is some statement. Despite the South having won the Civil war LBJ is born and many of the black Pathers from our era are also born. The ending is totally unbelievable.
January 10, 2016
Up side: good character development, you really begin to feel for the characters: one, a slave in the modern-day Confederacy, and another, a member of the KKK (which is a branch of the CSA military). The author spends a fair amount of time developing these two characters, but at the end, he throws in a plot twist that I feel is a bit too much too soon...it makes you go "what?" It probably would have been better to focus on the characters a bit more & break it out into 2 books, moving the big events in the end of the book into the second book (and expanding a bit, perhaps). But that's just my 2 cents.
January 9, 2017
First draught?
I seem to be stuck in a bit of a dilemma on this one, to be honest. I actually thought that the story was quite good, the problem is that it reads like a first draught in need of a good edit. Bit of a shame really, it has all of the makings of a great book if it had been knocked and polished up. I think the writer published it much too soon.
I seem to be stuck in a bit of a dilemma on this one, to be honest. I actually thought that the story was quite good, the problem is that it reads like a first draught in need of a good edit. Bit of a shame really, it has all of the makings of a great book if it had been knocked and polished up. I think the writer published it much too soon.
March 25, 2017
Such a cool alternate historical meets dystopian society. The multiple perspectives can make the story line disjointed at times, but Duke does use the POVs to his advantage throughout. Creative plot construction a satisfying ending.
August 23, 2018
I loved this book! I read it after reading the man in the high castle. It’s obvious after the first paragraph that it is not related in any fashion. It is a great read with a very interesting plot. I love the ending. Five stars
June 15, 2017
The Grasshopper lies Heavy is one of those 'what if' novels. The war is over and the old south, the Confederate States of America, runs its own show behind a massive wall! North of the said wall the British seem to be in charge. Elsewhere Berlin lies in ruins, the victim of a nuclear attack by the USSR. The now officially sanctioned KKK runs things south of the wall. The black slaves have been neutralised by drugs.
All this is very well but its never quite clear what is actually going on. The main characters, an intelligent black man and a KKK Captain with a conscience are fairly interesting but the rest are cardboard cut-outs. The book is well-written enough and does contain one very exciting rescue section towards the end but otherwise it trails a long way behind such similar tales as The Man in the High Castle.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen and Two Families at war, all published by Sacristy Press.
All this is very well but its never quite clear what is actually going on. The main characters, an intelligent black man and a KKK Captain with a conscience are fairly interesting but the rest are cardboard cut-outs. The book is well-written enough and does contain one very exciting rescue section towards the end but otherwise it trails a long way behind such similar tales as The Man in the High Castle.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen and Two Families at war, all published by Sacristy Press.
February 8, 2022
A thoughtful alternate history
I thought this debut novel was biting off more than it could handle when I saw the title. The Grasshopper Lies Heavy is the title of the book written by the man in the high castle. This is not a sequel to the Philip K. Dick tale. It is a fresh look at the way governments arrange themselves and the consequences that means for the citizens. The characters are realistic and you want them to succeed. The plot makes sense and moves logically from point to point. I only found one major grammatical error. A where/was substitution, but consider how often that happens in ebooks, it can be forgiven in order to enjoy this fresh new voice.
I thought this debut novel was biting off more than it could handle when I saw the title. The Grasshopper Lies Heavy is the title of the book written by the man in the high castle. This is not a sequel to the Philip K. Dick tale. It is a fresh look at the way governments arrange themselves and the consequences that means for the citizens. The characters are realistic and you want them to succeed. The plot makes sense and moves logically from point to point. I only found one major grammatical error. A where/was substitution, but consider how often that happens in ebooks, it can be forgiven in order to enjoy this fresh new voice.
February 27, 2019
Despite some limitations of the writing style - a good edit or two would have helped with some phrasing and pacing - the sheer imaginative nature of this book makes it captivating. It’s not high art but it’s extremely interesting and a book I can heartily recommend.
The “true” rating is 3.5 stars, but usual gripe about rating capabilities of the Goodreads app noted. It’s such a completely believable alternate history I have to give it a lot of credit.
The “true” rating is 3.5 stars, but usual gripe about rating capabilities of the Goodreads app noted. It’s such a completely believable alternate history I have to give it a lot of credit.
August 28, 2021
1962 again and again... so many ways to get to "now"
Not what I expected after watching "The Man in the High Castle" show on Amazon Prime, and after reading the P. K. Dick novel of the same name. But it allows a third view point for that time in 1962... under circumstances different from either book or television series.
Not what I expected after watching "The Man in the High Castle" show on Amazon Prime, and after reading the P. K. Dick novel of the same name. But it allows a third view point for that time in 1962... under circumstances different from either book or television series.
June 6, 2017
Very thought provoking, but I did find some parts odd with the perspective changes for some reason I cannot quite place. That is fairly common place but I found it almost distracting in this novel.
November 17, 2017
A so so book
An average novel at its best. The writing is choppy at times and the tone is all over the place, varying from saccharine to preachy.
An average novel at its best. The writing is choppy at times and the tone is all over the place, varying from saccharine to preachy.
December 9, 2020
Underrated
Excellent read. Quick, well written, and believable characters. I didn't expect much going in, but finished the book full of emotions.
Excellent read. Quick, well written, and believable characters. I didn't expect much going in, but finished the book full of emotions.
December 27, 2019
Short but good
Good plot and characters you can relate with. Not what I expected at all but that help it be more enjoyable.
Good plot and characters you can relate with. Not what I expected at all but that help it be more enjoyable.
February 6, 2017
I read this book because of it being mentioned in The Man in the High Castle. It was a pleasant surprise in terms of the storyline and the basic premise as an alternative history.
The irony does not escape when one thinks of what is going on in the US in 2017. Not that I want a nuclear bomb to be detonated in my country, but it was done to bring unification to the 2 separate Americas by uniting them against a common enemy in the Soviets. Translate that into the division in the US as we are living in it today with the strong opinions of Trump and how his decisions are dividing the country. Cast Trump in the role of the Soviets and I can see a possible unification of our divisions into a unified America if he continues on the road he has started. The further irony is that Russia has a role today also! Chandler Duke was somewhat prescient in a broad sense it would seem to me! I am going to be recommending this book to some of my friends to see what they think.
The irony does not escape when one thinks of what is going on in the US in 2017. Not that I want a nuclear bomb to be detonated in my country, but it was done to bring unification to the 2 separate Americas by uniting them against a common enemy in the Soviets. Translate that into the division in the US as we are living in it today with the strong opinions of Trump and how his decisions are dividing the country. Cast Trump in the role of the Soviets and I can see a possible unification of our divisions into a unified America if he continues on the road he has started. The further irony is that Russia has a role today also! Chandler Duke was somewhat prescient in a broad sense it would seem to me! I am going to be recommending this book to some of my friends to see what they think.
September 30, 2015
A good story
The was very good ,it had a few mistakes that I noticed but nothing major Would have liked a it I information on the other countries in the book overall an interesting novel.I would others to read it
The was very good ,it had a few mistakes that I noticed but nothing major Would have liked a it I information on the other countries in the book overall an interesting novel.I would others to read it
January 9, 2016
Good alternative history.
It wasn't detailed and the characters weren't very developed but the story was plausible. Many outcomes may have been possible out of ww11 . This no less possible than 10 others.
It wasn't detailed and the characters weren't very developed but the story was plausible. Many outcomes may have been possible out of ww11 . This no less possible than 10 others.
March 17, 2016
Pleasant alternative history story
A somewhat linear but enjoyable narrative about what could have been. Easy to read and hard to put down! These stories are always fun to read and can definitely spark the imagination for "what if?"
A somewhat linear but enjoyable narrative about what could have been. Easy to read and hard to put down! These stories are always fun to read and can definitely spark the imagination for "what if?"
March 30, 2019
Very entertaining a nice to read book of alternative history
I like alternative history and this book did not disappoint. However it felt as if it brassed too lightly over very interesting stories.
I like alternative history and this book did not disappoint. However it felt as if it brassed too lightly over very interesting stories.
January 19, 2016
This book was pretty disappointing. I gave it two stars because it had the potential to be a great story. The ending was very abrupt & not terribly well developed
January 21, 2016
Love the premise and thought the writing was good - a very quick read. But wish there was more exposition about how the CSA came to be and what this alternative post-WWII world really looked like.
February 7, 2016
Not bad
Interesting story but not great. Easy reading and entertaining. Lacked character development. Eight more words required... Why do they do that?
Interesting story but not great. Easy reading and entertaining. Lacked character development. Eight more words required... Why do they do that?
July 22, 2016
I encourage everyone to read this book. It is one of my favorites. There needs to be a sequel.
September 26, 2016
Great story
I wish the character development was taken a little more seriously.but overall a nice ending that mimics a nation that we strive too be.
I wish the character development was taken a little more seriously.but overall a nice ending that mimics a nation that we strive too be.
November 5, 2016
Bad writing, incredibility redundant. Totally implausible character development.
April 1, 2017
I found it a bit anti-climactic. Was a good, easy read but it wasn't as if I couldn't put it down.
June 23, 2017
This might have been a 3.5 star rating but I rounded up and gave it overall 4 stars because it really was a good story with a good plot. I didn’t love it – I just liked it. My problem with it was the characters. I had a really hard time relating to, or even liking any of them. The characters were just so one dimensional. That being said, the author did a fantastic job at giving each character their own distinct voice. The story was told from many points of view and I had no trouble knowing whos head I was in. I was also a little disappointed that nothing was said about any other countries post WW2.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews