First published in 1978, this collection of nineteen of Ballard's best short stories is as timely and informed as ever. His tales of the human psyche and its relationship to nature and technology, as viewed through a strong microscope, were eerily prescient and now provide greater perspective on our computer-dominated culture. Ballard's voice and vision have long served as a font of inspiration for today's cyber-punks, the authors and futurist who brought the information age into the mainstream.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A visionary in both style and substance . . .The literary equivalent of Salvador Dali or Max Ernst."—The Washington Post Book World
"A writer of enormous inventive powers. Ballard has, like Calvino, a remarkable gift for filling the empty, deprived spaces of modern life with the invisible cities and the wonder worlds of the imagination."—Malcolm Bradbury, The New York Times Book Review
"Complex, obsessive, frequently poetic, and always disquieting chronicles of nature rebelling against humans, of the survival of barbarism in a world of mechanical efficieny, of entropy, anomie, breakdown, ruin . . . The blasted landscapes that his characters inhabit are both external settings and states of mind."—Luc Sante
"A writer of enormous inventive powers. Ballard has, like Calvino, a remarkable gift for filling the empty, deprived spaces of modern life with the invisible cities and the wonder worlds of the imagination."—Malcolm Bradbury, The New York Times Book Review
"Complex, obsessive, frequently poetic, and always disquieting chronicles of nature rebelling against humans, of the survival of barbarism in a world of mechanical efficieny, of entropy, anomie, breakdown, ruin . . . The blasted landscapes that his characters inhabit are both external settings and states of mind."—Luc Sante
About the Author
J.G. Ballard is the author of numerous books, including Empire of the Sun, the underground classic Crash, and The Kindness of Women. He is revered as one of the most important writers of fiction to address the consequences of twentieth-century technology. His latest book is Super-Cannes. He passed away in 2009.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Born in Shanghai in 1930, J. G. BALLARD is the author of sixteen novels, including "Empire of the Sun," "The Drowned World," and "Crash." He lived in London until his death in April 2009.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By Scott Spires
Format:Paperback
Ballard is one of the great "conceptualizers" of modern literature. The premises of his stories are the most immediately striking thing about them. Sometimes the story doesn't live up to the expectations he creates, but this is probably because he sets the bar so high.
In any case, whether a Ballard story is a total or only a partial success, it invariably provides plenty of food for thought. Three of them--"The Overloaded Man", "The Drowned Giant", and "The Garden of Time"--rank among my all-time favorites for their perfect fusion of speculative and mythic qualities. The more technology-based stories ("Concentration City", "The Voices of Time") are more interesting for their ideas than their execution.
In the introduction to this volume, Anthony Burgess hits on the central importance of Ballard's work: "Ballard considers that the kind of limitation that most contemporary fiction accepts is immoral... Language exists less to record the actual than to liberate the imagination." If you agree, buy this book.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In my humble opinion, Ballard is at his best in the short story format. "Now: Zero", "A Question of Re-entry", "The Venus Hunters" and "The Lost Leonardo" are among my favourite short stories of all time. Poe wrote that short stories are in many ways preferable to novels, since the aesthetic effect is more concentrated, and generally absorbed at one sitting. This applies particularly to Ballard I think.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By not4prophet
Format:Paperback
I am much displeased to see that the current version of this story collection features such lackluster cover art. My original copy features a breathtaking portrait of a crowd and some cars in the desert, dwarfed by a towering pink collosus, while hand gliders dots the sky above and an enormous unicorn appears in the clouds. But what's most amazing is that this isn't just whimsy on the artist's part; it's actually a scene from one of Ballard's stories. That's the thing about Ballard. To him the idea that a ragtag but energetic crew of pilots might create enormous sculptures out of clouds in the desrt sky wasn't just possible, it seemed perfectly natural. His imagination ran to places that most science fiction authors couldn't even conceive, and once there it plopped into an armchair and started spinning a story that readers won't ever forget.
In Ballard's view, the human race is in decline. It's not because of human weakness or bad political decisions, it's just in the nature of the universe that we'll fade out, and (possibly) make way for something else. In "Concentration City", we live in a gigantic metorpolis stretching out in every direction with no open spaces. One man sets out on a quest to reach the city's edge. Along the way, he finds troubling signs of encroaching urban decay. But if nothing other than the city exists, does this spell the end of the world? In "The Deep End", technology sets of a chain reaction of unintended consequences, leading to Earth's oceans running dry. Most people depart for other planets, but one crotchety old-timer insists on staying behind, hoping to protect the world's last fish.
Other stories more directly tackle social issues. Some folks believe that modern society is too obsessed with schedules and deadlines. In "Chronopolis" we respond by outlawing clocks and watches. But as always there will be rebels who refuse to accept the revolution. Which side will win in the end? "Billennium" takes on overpopulation, while "Thirteen for Centaurus" looks at scientific ethics while also considering how easy it is to fool people ... or then again maybe not.
Among the most memorable images in this collection is "The Drowned Giant". The title is self explanatory: a giant washes up on shore near a major city. Ballard worries less about where it comes from, more about how we'll react to seeing it. While the unnamed narrator reflects on the giant's mythological appearance, the body ends up getting chopped up and used as fertilizer, while the bones decorate doorways around the city. You can try tagging metaphorical meaning to that ending if you wish, but to Ballard it was just one analysis of how modern society functions, which isn't too well.
In Ballard's view, the human race is in decline. It's not because of human weakness or bad political decisions, it's just in the nature of the universe that we'll fade out, and (possibly) make way for something else. In "Concentration City", we live in a gigantic metorpolis stretching out in every direction with no open spaces. One man sets out on a quest to reach the city's edge. Along the way, he finds troubling signs of encroaching urban decay. But if nothing other than the city exists, does this spell the end of the world? In "The Deep End", technology sets of a chain reaction of unintended consequences, leading to Earth's oceans running dry. Most people depart for other planets, but one crotchety old-timer insists on staying behind, hoping to protect the world's last fish.
Other stories more directly tackle social issues. Some folks believe that modern society is too obsessed with schedules and deadlines. In "Chronopolis" we respond by outlawing clocks and watches. But as always there will be rebels who refuse to accept the revolution. Which side will win in the end? "Billennium" takes on overpopulation, while "Thirteen for Centaurus" looks at scientific ethics while also considering how easy it is to fool people ... or then again maybe not.
Among the most memorable images in this collection is "The Drowned Giant". The title is self explanatory: a giant washes up on shore near a major city. Ballard worries less about where it comes from, more about how we'll react to seeing it. While the unnamed narrator reflects on the giant's mythological appearance, the body ends up getting chopped up and used as fertilizer, while the bones decorate doorways around the city. You can try tagging metaphorical meaning to that ending if you wish, but to Ballard it was just one analysis of how modern society functions, which isn't too well.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
It contains the one story that I wanted
I bought the book because it contained "The Drowned Giant," and I greatly enjoyed reading that story again. Read more
Published on July 21, 2010 by JJ DeMauro
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great collection of short stories
All the stories here are great. I really liked Manhole,the Cloud-sculptors of Coral D, and Thirteen for Centaurus. Read more
Published on May 15, 2005 by Hobbs Dugan
3.0 out of 5 stars
parts of this book are brilliant
I would rate a few of the stories contained in this book with five stars, but other stories bring the total rating down to 3 stars. Read more
Published on January 20, 2002 by Haseeb
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some of the best short fiction
This is some of the best short fiction ever written. A friend of mine lent me this book. I've read a lot more J. Read more
Published on October 19, 2000 by Sid V
4.0 out of 5 stars
Original. Immersive. Superb writing!
Ballard is (IMHO) one of the greatest late 20th century writers. His style is engaging, it pulls you in with a strange curiosity, then holds on with an even stranger fascination. Read more
Published on September 20, 1999
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 3
books:
3
books
cite this book:
- The Kindness of Women by J. G. Ballard in Back Cover
- Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard in Back Cover
- Best Short Stories (Dover Large Print Classics) by O. Henry in Front Matter
- Japanese Science Fiction: A View of a Changing Society (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies) by Robert Matthew in Back Matter
- Anatomy Of Wonder 4: A Critical Guide To Science Fiction, Fourth Edition by Neil Barron on page 244
- Blade Runner (BFI Modern Classics) by Scott Bukatman in Back Matter
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
