The unnerving tale of life in a modern tower block running out of control.

From the author of ‘Crash’ and ‘Cocaine Nights’ comes an unnerving tale of life in a modern tower block running out of control.

Within the concealing walls of an elegant forty-storey tower block, the affluent tenants are hell-bent on an orgy of destruction. Cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on ‘enemy’ floors and the once-luxurious amenities become an arena for riots and technological mayhem.

In this visionary tale of urban disillusionment society slips into a violent reverse as the isolated inhabitants of the high-rise, driven by primal urges, create a dystopian world ruled by the laws of the jungle.

This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard’s works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Iain Sinclair, Ali Smith, Neil Gaiman and Martin Amis) and brand-new cover designs.

Details

ISBN13: 9780586044568
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 272
Edition:
Publication Date: 21 Aug 1985
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.9(L)x2(W)260
Weight (gm): 260

Author Biography

J. G. Ballard was born in 1930 in Shanghai. After internment in a civilian prison camp, his family returned to England in 1946. His 1984 bestseller ‘Empire of the Sun’ won the Guardian Fiction Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. His controversial novel ‘Crash’ was made into a film by David Cronenberg. His autobiography ‘Miracles of Life’ was published in 2008, and a collection of interviews with the author, ‘Extreme Metaphors’, was published in 2012. J. G. Ballard passed away in 2009.

Reviews

'Ballard's finest novel! a triumph.' The Times 'Another eerie glimpse into the future. A fast-moving, spine-tingling fable of the concrete jungle.' Daily Express 'A gripping read, particularly if you like your thrills chilly, bloody and with claims to social relevance.' Time Out 'Harsh and ingenious! High-Rise is an intense and vivid bestiary, which lingers unsettlingly in the mind.' Martin Amis, New Statesman