To call J G Ballard's work shocking would be an understatement. As
the country's most outspoken avant-garde writer, he has taken a
multitude of social taboos over time and shamelessly dissected each
one in front of his reader. In Cocaine Nights, Ballard exposed a
thriving subculture of crime, drugs and illicit sex. In Crash, he
unearthed a world of sadomasochism. This latest offering merely
reaffirms this gruesome trend by exploring the nihilistic and
self-destructive nature of Britain's middle classes. The plot
retraces the steps of David Markham, a disillusioned psychologist
with a penchant for violent behaviour. When a bomb goes off at
Heathrow Airport a fascinated Markham is drawn to the crime scene,
only to discover that his ex-wife is among the dead. Expecting the
authorities to shy away from the subsequent investigation, he
begins to conduct his own search for the killer in the placid
suburb of Chelsea Marina. Convinced that the bombing is the work of
a radical terrorist group, Markham attends a series of protest
rallies, hoping to unravel the mysteries surrounding his wife's
tragic death. But, falling in with a shadowy group of anarchists,
he quickly loses sight of his good intentions. His memories of the
Heathrow bomb become blurred, replaced by utopian dreams and a
desire to free the middle classes from the shackles of consumerism.
What starts out as one man's quest for understanding soon becomes a
search for self-identity, as Markham's life spirals rapidly out of
control. Imbued with the brutality of Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club,
and the imagination of Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, Ballard's
nightmarish vision of the future is without doubt his most
astonishing novel to date. Apocalyptic, atmospheric and typically
astute, it confirms that he has lost none of his powers of
persuasion. He may occasionally overstep the mark by describing
risque subjects in detail, but he is never afraid to speak out for
the real Millennium People. (Kirkus UK)
Violent rebellion comes to London's middle classes. As he searches
for the truth behind the Heathrow bomb that killed his ex-wife,
psychologist David Markham infiltrates a shadowy protest group
based in the comfortable Chelsea Marina. Led by a charismatic
doctor, it aims to rouse the docile middle classes and to free them
from the burdens of civic responsibility. Soon Markham is swept up
in a campaign that spirals out of control - as the cornerstones of
middle England become targets and growing panic grips the capital.
This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard's
works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers
(including Martin Amis, Ali Smith, Hari Kunzru and China Mieville)
and brand-new cover designs.
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