If I say that High-Rise has been the most extraordinary novel I have read for a long time, I think I wouldn’t be exaggerating. I do not know if it is because I’ve never read J. G. Ballard, but believe me, if you have not met this author yet, you are losing a lot. Although I haven’t read any of his other books, it is obvious what kind of an author J. G. Ballard from High-Rise is.
Even if you think you will understand what kind of a book it is with its first sentence above, you won’t. High-Rise is a book that continually shocks the reader and enjoys it. J. G. Ballard (at least in High-Rise) immediately reveals that he is not an easy-to-read author. I will never want it to happen, but when I read this dystopia (somehow, it didn’t feel like one), it exhausted me. Although these are not positive things, I continued to read the book with full admiration. Because I’m not easily affected by books any more. When it was over, it filled me with great fear. It seems as if J. G. Ballard fits the world and the nonsense of people in a High-Rise. A must-read! Enjoy.
High-Rise
From the author of ‘Crash’ and ‘Cocaine Nights’ comes an unnerving tale of life in a modern tower block running out of control.
Within the concealing walls of an elegant forty-storey tower block, the affluent tenants are hell-bent on an orgy of destruction. Cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on ‘enemy’ floors and the once-luxurious amenities become an arena for riots and technological mayhem.
In this visionary tale of urban disillusionment society slips into a violent reverse as the isolated inhabitants of the high-rise, driven by primal urges, create a dystopian world ruled by the laws of the jungle.
This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard’s works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Iain Sinclair, Ali Smith, Neil Gaiman and Martin Amis) and brand-new cover designs.
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and essayist who first became associated with the New Wave of science fiction for his post-apocalyptic novels such as The Drowned World.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
