thecatsmum's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
For those who haven't read Ballard's early novels, but who are fairly familiar with his later works, like I was until I read this, this mid-century sci-fi novel might come as a surprise. It wasn't bad, per se, but a very different experience than I expected.
So, the Sun has gone wonky decades before, causing global warming, flooding much of the world. There's also a progressive march of extreme heat and severe storms from the equator polewards. Most of the flooded cities have been abandoned after a few decades of holding back the sea from the most populated centres. London is mostly abandoned, and the group of a few soldiers and scientists are preparing to move to settlements near the Arctic Circle. But not everyone is willing to leave.
I found some ideas about genetic memory about past threats interesting, and the setting was well set and mood altering. I still didn't find the MC's (Dr. Robert Kerans) and his love interest's (the only woman in the book, Beatrice Dahl) decision to stay not really well explained. Other than “sun madness”, the effects of the genetic memory, or some promise or another made to her grandfather by TPTB.
There's a lot of colonial chauvinism, which is of its time, obviously. Maybe that was the point, but not in any sort of progressive, here's the end of the British Empire, good riddance sort of way. That's not why I'm not rating this higher. I just didn't enjoy it as much as other sci-fi works from the era nor as much as some of Ballard's later works.
So, the Sun has gone wonky decades before, causing global warming, flooding much of the world. There's also a progressive march of extreme heat and severe storms from the equator polewards. Most of the flooded cities have been abandoned after a few decades of holding back the sea from the most populated centres. London is mostly abandoned, and the group of a few soldiers and scientists are preparing to move to settlements near the Arctic Circle. But not everyone is willing to leave.
I found some ideas about genetic memory about past threats interesting, and the setting was well set and mood altering. I still didn't find the MC's (Dr. Robert Kerans) and his love interest's (the only woman in the book, Beatrice Dahl) decision to stay not really well explained. Other than “sun madness”, the effects of the genetic memory, or some promise or another made to her grandfather by TPTB.
There's a lot of colonial chauvinism, which is of its time, obviously. Maybe that was the point, but not in any sort of progressive, here's the end of the British Empire, good riddance sort of way. That's not why I'm not rating this higher. I just didn't enjoy it as much as other sci-fi works from the era nor as much as some of Ballard's later works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Physical abuse, Confinement, Animal death, Infertility, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Mental illness, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Violence
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