How would you feel if you went back to your home town 18 years after you left it, to find out you were dead? Imagine Ted Barton's surprise when he did just that.
That wasn't the only thing that was wrong, the whole town was different, street names were not the same, buildings disappeared and no-one could recall there ever having been certain shops and businesses that Ted remembered. Except one, the town drunk, who helps Ted along the way. What Ted has inadvertently stumbled upon is a battle of intergalactic proportions played out at a micro level.
This is a short novel - the paperback version has 140 pages - and is a very early work in Dick's career. It is perhaps a more straight up story and there is a distinct lack of drug taking which almost dominates a large portion of his later works.
Almost certainly the town drunk would have been off his head on some hallucinogenic drug had it been written ten years later. This may not be as good as his later works, but there is plenty to keep the story moving along, and ultimately its an entertaining read.
Again Dick illustrates his fascination with certain parts of the female anatomy, not least the symbolism of the closing line.
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