hunt77's review against another edition
2.0
The fact that The Drowned World is regularly considered ‘prescient’ isn’t enough to save it from some awful plotting, some very unpleasant sexism and racism, and the general sense that Ballard started with an idea (the drowned world) and worked backwards from there.
raxus's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
g_uhrinek's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
skabard's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
ileen_x's review against another edition
Short book, but quite boring to me, had to force myself to read often
ex_libris_lena's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
linuskramshoej's review against another edition
3.25
Great first half, pretty poor second half.
“By comparison, the novel’s action-packed second half is surprisingly dull. Ballard is enraptured by his quiet glittering images of tropical decay, but much less interested in telling a story. The entrance of Strangman pushes the novel into schlocky sci-fi/action adventure territory, with the white-suited albino Strangman as an early prototype of a Bond villain. It also goes without saying that the book’s racial and sexual politics are horribly outdated, even for the early 1960s. Beatrice is literally a shell of a character, who exists solely to give Kerans someone to save at the end, though the lack of any erotic spark between them makes this feel forced and unconvincing. And the less said about the racist stereotypes of deformed “Negro” and “mulatto” henchmen, singing “Dem Bones” as they dance around a fire at the Feast of Skulls, the better.“ -https://hoorayfordeadwhitemales.com/2021/05/06/the-drowned-world/
Spoiler
“By comparison, the novel’s action-packed second half is surprisingly dull. Ballard is enraptured by his quiet glittering images of tropical decay, but much less interested in telling a story. The entrance of Strangman pushes the novel into schlocky sci-fi/action adventure territory, with the white-suited albino Strangman as an early prototype of a Bond villain. It also goes without saying that the book’s racial and sexual politics are horribly outdated, even for the early 1960s. Beatrice is literally a shell of a character, who exists solely to give Kerans someone to save at the end, though the lack of any erotic spark between them makes this feel forced and unconvincing. And the less said about the racist stereotypes of deformed “Negro” and “mulatto” henchmen, singing “Dem Bones” as they dance around a fire at the Feast of Skulls, the better.“ -https://hoorayfordeadwhitemales.com/2021/05/06/the-drowned-world/
kaylynritke's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
savageco's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25