Quote:
Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze
I wouldn't say you were wrong to put Ballard on your blacklist unless you find you actually like his other books.
Are you a fan of William Burroughs' experimental novels, such as The Ticket That Exploded? Are you not put off by descriptions of sex and violence that are designed to make you feel alienated and queasy (which is how Ballard said he felt when he wrote them)? If so, then you might like The Atrocity Exhibition and Crash, both of which impacted 70s and 80s culture and experimentalism but are not to everyone's tastes.
If not, then avoid those books.
A less confrontational book might be Running Wild (or The Concrete Island), which contains his disturbing themes without the explicit content and without as many narrative risks re the reader's interest. (Violence in Ballard is often shown in retrospect, dwelt upon as a thing that has already happened, which can make the reader impatient.)
If you're a fan of straightforward dystopian SF, in which the landscape consists of frightening wastelands and accidental museums, then you might like The Crystal World or The Drowned World.
If you'd like to try something more succinct, then I suggest the short story collection, Vermilion Sands.
You still might end up hating Ballard, but at least you'll be familiar with the kind of work he devoted his life to writing.
|
Thank you very much!!! I certainly now see him in a different light. I might try some of those books in the future, then, looks interesting.