J. G. Ballard
In parched Port-la-Nouvelle in central Africa, Dr Mallory watches his clinic fail as constant warfare between a ragged band of guerrillas and the local chief of police causes the tribal residents to flee. In this drought-plagued and poverty-ridden country he dreams of discovering a third Nile tributary to make the Sahara bloom. During his search for water an ancient tree stump is accidentally uprooted and water wells up, spreading until it becomes an enormous river. Naming the river after himself, Mallory becomes obsessed with his creation. But almost as soon as he has discovered it he resolves to destroy it. With the once arid land now abounding in birds and beasts, he forges up-river in an old car ferry, clashing with hostile factions in a dangerous quest to find the source of his own creation. A mesmerising tale from a master storyteller, this is a spellbinding fable for our times.
Reviews of The Day of Creation
-
‘Absolutely vintage Ballard…Never anything but compulsively absorbing: the white heat of its images seems to burn off the page, and the surreal landscapes linger on in the mind’ Independent
‘An exciting plot, unfolded with a master’s cunning … Ballard has written an adventure story that constantly surprises and excites’ Guardian
‘A metaphysical adventure story dealing with complex themes – the life-giving power of water, the cold eye of television, obsession and love – all set in a dream Africa, as if hallucinated by Joseph Conrad’ Angela Carter
‘A blend of animated reverie, myth and adventure story, The Day of Creation imprints itself on the mind by its acid sweetness’ Times Literary Supplement
More from J. G. Ballard
-
Matchbook Classics Box Set
Other -
Empire of the Sun (4th Estate Matchbook Classics)
Paperback -
Crash: The Collector’s Edition
Other -
Crash: The Collector’s Edition
Hardback -
High-Rise
Paperback -
Running Wild
Other -
Rushing to Paradise
Paperback -
The Unlimited Dream Company
Paperback -
Running Wild
Paperback -
The Day of Creation
Paperback -
The Kindness of Women
Paperback -
Empire of the Sun
Paperback -
The Complete Short Stories: Volume 2
Paperback -
The Complete Short Stories: Volume 1
Paperback -
Concrete Island
Paperback -
Super-Cannes
Paperback -
Miracles of Life
Other -
Miracles of Life
Hardback -
Empire of the Sun
Paperback -
Kingdom Come
Hardback -
Hello America
Paperback -
The Drought
Paperback -
Kingdom Come
Paperback -
Cocaine Nights
Paperback -
Crash
Paperback -
The Complete Short Stories: Volume 2
Other -
High-Rise
Paperback -
The Crystal World
Paperback -
The Atrocity Exhibition
Paperback -
Millennium People
Paperback -
Miracles of Life
Paperback -
The Drowned World
Paperback -
A User’s Guide to the Millennium
Other -
Extreme Metaphors
Other -
Extreme Metaphors
Hardback -
Empire of the Sun
Paperback -
Kingdom Come
Paperback -
Super-Cannes
Paperback -
Cocaine Nights
Paperback -
The Atrocity Exhibition
Paperback -
The Complete Short Stories
Paperback -
High-Rise
Paperback -
The Complete Short Stories
Paperback -
The Drought
Paperback -
The Crystal World
Paperback -
The Unlimited Dream Company
Paperback -
Rushing to Paradise
Paperback -
Concrete Island
Paperback -
Hello America
Paperback -
Crash
Paperback -
Kingdom Come
Other -
The Day of Creation
Other -
The Drought
Other -
Super-Cannes
Other -
Concrete Island
Other -
The Unlimited Dream Company
Other -
Hello America
Other -
The Complete Short Stories: Volume 1
Other -
The Kindness of Women
Other -
Rushing to Paradise
Other -
Crash
Audiobook -
Empire of the Sun
Other -
Crash
Other -
Extreme Metaphors
Paperback -
Miracles of Life
Paperback -
Miracles of Life
Other -
Miracles of Life
Audiobook -
Miracles of Life
Other -
Miracles of Life
Other -
The Atrocity Exhibition
Other -
The Crystal World
Other -
Millennium People
Other -
High-Rise
Other -
Cocaine Nights
Other -
The Drowned World
Paperback -
The Drowned World
Other -
Millennium People
Paperback