Kingdom Come
by J. G. Ballard
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Book Summary Information
Author: J. G. BallardEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09
ISBN: 0007232470
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of Kingdom Come
Book Review: Dystopia at a Distance
Summary: 3 Stars
Like some of the other reviewers, I am a J.G. Ballard fan and have read most of what he's written. I consider some of his books to be great--Concrete Island, High Rise, Empire of the Sun--and some of his books to be bizarre--Hello America, Crash. In all of his books except Empire of the Sun, there is a remote feeling to the characters and action, a sort of dystopia at a distance. Sometimes this works well, such as in Concrete Island where this remote feel reinforces the central character's dislocation, but other times this does not work well, such as in Kingdom Come, where the central character seems to be observing his own naiveté from across the street.
Which doesn't mean that the themes of Kingdom Come are not worth the investment of time, just that those who are not regular readers of Ballard will probably struggle with the story and the style. Also, Americans who have not spent time in the UK may not understand all of the fascist references, hooliganism, and sports fervor that exists there. I mean, I've seen some Pittsburgh Steeler fans get pretty rowdy, but nothing on the scale of what English sports fans are capable of. The human race is potentially quite dangerous, Ballard says in an interview for the book. Even along the seemingly placid retail strips and shopping malls of suburban London, violence seethes just below the surface as any urban sense of community involvement and social evolution is replaced by a culture of consumption; shopping as an addiction that is at once insatiable and imminently vacuous and unsustainable. Ballard's scenes of modern retail mayhem seem a bit exaggerated, but then one remembers the crushing, free-for-all havoc that has occurred at Wal Mart stores during pre-Christmas sales and the wanton violence that has occurred around football (soccer) events in the UK.
Ballard's social commentary is right on, but the style of Kingdom Come will be a struggle for some readers.
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