Kingdom Come is the second book I read by J. G. Ballard after High-Rise. High-Rise impressed me so much that I thought he was a great author despite his subjects or style. After the Kingdom Come, I got a little scared of Ballard. The mirror he is holding to man is so pure and wicked that you will be afraid of his reality while reading this violent dystopia of the author.
Kingdom Come describes a consumer society immersed in violence and fascism. Of course, these are considered as elements that feed each other exquisitely. It sounds like a non-fiction book, not a novel, but be sure that this is a fiction book that will keep you turning the pages.
If you are looking for an easy read or a book to feel good, that is not the book. But if you want a book to challenge you and make you think, you’ll devour this. It will profoundly affect your thoughts about shopping malls too. Enjoy!
Kingdom Come
A gunman opens fire in a shopping mall. Not a terrorist, apparently, but a madman with a rifle. Or not, as he is mysteriously (and quickly) set free without charge.
One of the victims is the father of Richard Pearson, unemployed advertising executive and life-long rebel. Now he is driving out to Brooklands, the apparently peaceful town on the M25 which has at its heart the very shiny shoppers’ paradise where the shooting happened – the Metro-Centre.
Then the main suspect is released – thanks to the testimony of self-styled pillars of the community like the doctor who treated Richard’s father on his deathbed. Richard, determined to unravel the mystery, starts to believe that something deeply sinister lurks behind the pristine facades of the labyrinthine mall, its 24-hour cable TV and sports club…
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:
