The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard

by J. G. Ballard

‘War Fever’

  Fantasy and Science Fiction

  1989

  ‘Dream Cargoes’

  Shincho

  1990

  ‘A Guide to Virtual Death’

  Interzone

  1992

  ‘The Message from Mars’

  Interzone

  1992

  ‘Report from an Obscure Planet’

  Leonardo

  1992

  More praise for The Complete Stories of J.G. Ballard

  “Each of Ballard’s 98 short stories is like a dream more perfectly realized than any of your own. . . . Ultimately, Ballard is simply a master story writer. . . . In this book of 98 stories, there are at least 30 you can spend a lifetime returning to, to wander and wonder around.”

  —Jonathan Lethem,

  New York Times Book Review

  “Ballard . . . wrote prolifically in and out of the science fiction genre, and the pleasures of this book are as plentiful as its mass is intimidating. . . . Ballard can bejewel anything. . . . The whole book bristles with felicities. The Complete Stories of J.G. Ballard offers weeks of surprise and pleasure.”

  —Ed Park,

  Los Angeles Times Book Review

  “His stories are intensely gripping without ever being upbeat or reassuring. In style, his work combines an almost medical precision with an astonishing power for evocative description.”

  —Michael Dirda, Washington Post

  “Ballard’s voice, with its disorienting mix of jubilance and ferocity, is one-of-a-kind. The marvel of most of these tales is how instantly comprehensible their alternate realities are when so little is explained—and how believable they are too, thanks to Ballard’s unflappable narrative voice.”

  —Michael Upchurch,

  Seattle Times

  “Ballard is the possessor of a terrifying and exhilarating imagination—and a national treasure.”

  —Nicholas Royle, The Guardian

  “On almost every page . . . the vividness of Ballard’s writing is in evidence.”

  —Nicholas Fraser, Harper’s

  “Ballard is a superb writer; few could publish a book of this size which is never boring, where the invention never flags. He remains a first-rate science-fiction writer, but he constantly stretches the genre in unlikely directions.”

  —Daily Telegraph

  “Reading this book of collected stories, spanning more than 1,000 pages and 40 years, is a peculiarly enriching experience.”

  —Jason Cowley, The Observer

  “The 1,216 pages in this collection are an astonishing record of a vibrant and vital mind at work. . . . A revelation; essential reading.”

  —Patrick Sullivan,

  Library Journal

  “Immensely readable, thought-provoking and unsettling. Here are more than 1,000 pages of great originality and boldness.”

  —Sunday Telegraph

  “An essential work from an essential writer.”

  —Keir Graff, Booklist

  “A work of very powerful originality. Ballard is amongst our finest writers of fiction.”

  —Anthony Burgess

  “This is a collection of tales and fables to be savoured by admirers and newcomers alike. Ballard remains one of the most interesting, unpredictable and vital writers in English fiction.”

  —Robert Edric, The Spectator

  “Collected together for the first time, Ballard’s short stories are a monumental and inspiring corpus.”

  —Scotland on Sunday

  “Treat yourself to The Complete Short Stories by J.G. Ballard. More than 1,000 compelling pages from one of the most haunting, cogent and individual imaginations in contemporary literature.”

  —William Boyd, Mail on Sunday

  “With Amis’s conclusion, at least, that Ballard is probably the most original English writer of the last century, it is a relief to agree.”

  —China Miéville,

  The Nation

  “Collected for the first time, these short stories present a fantastic opportunity to view the last four decades of a changing world through the eyes of one of its most prescient observers.”

  —Claire Allfree, Metro London

  “It really is time Ballard stopped being the greatest unread English writer.”

  —Teddy Jamieson, Herald

  “In a shrinking world increasingly bereft of original imaginations, J.G. Ballard stands alone, a bizarre visionary maverick.”

  —Eileen Battersby, Irish Times

  “As exotic as anyone in the aviary was Ballard, the elegant, evolving stylist, and the one with the finest ideas almost always finely executed. The full showcase of his short-form career is assembled at last . . . with a brilliant introduction by Martin Amis.”

  —Richard Wirick, Bookslut

  “The sheer flair and ingenuity of a writer who constantly pushes the bound-

  aries.”

  —Express Magazine

  “Ballard had a knack, through use of surreal imagery, for making his science fiction feel timeless.”

  —Jeff VanderMeer, Omnivoracious

  Copyright © 2009 by the Estate of J.G. Ballard. Copyright © 2001 by J.G. Ballard.

  Introduction copyright © 2009 by Martin Amis

  Previous edition published in Great Britain under the title The Complete Short Stories

  All Stories From the Book, The Best Short Stories of J.G. Ballard by J.G. Ballard. Copyright © 1978 by J.G. Ballard. Reprinted by arrangement with Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

  Most of the stories in this book appeared in the following smaller collections: The Voices of Time © J.G. Ballard 1963; The Terminal Beach © J.G. Ballard 1964; The Disaster Area © J.G. Ballard 1967; The Day of Forever © J.G. Ballard 1967; The Atrocity Exhibition © J.G. Ballard 1969; Vermilion Sands © J.G. Ballard 1971; Low-Flying Aircraft © J.G. Ballard 1976; The Venus Hunters © J.G. Ballard 1980; Myths of the Near Future © J.G. Ballard 1982; War Fever © J.G. Ballard 1990

  The following stories have not previously appeared in a smaller collection of J.G. Ballard’s stories: “The Recognition” © J.G. Ballard 1967; “A Guide to Virtual Death” © J.G. Ballard 1992; “The Message from Mars” © J.G. Ballard 1992; “Report from an Obscure Planet” © J.G. Ballard 1992; “The Secret Autobiography of J.G.B.” © J.G. Ballard 1984; “The Dying Fall” © J.G. Ballard 1996

  All rights reserved

  First published as a Norton paperback 2010

  For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to

  Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact

  W. W. Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830

  Ballard, J. G., 1930–2009.

  [Short stories]

  The complete stories of J.G. Ballard. — 1st American ed.

  p. cm.

  Previously published as: The complete short stories.

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN 978-0-393-07262-4

  I. Title.

  PR6052.A46A6 2009

  823'.914—dc22

  2009018456

  ISBN 978-0-393-33929-1 pbk.

  ISBN: 978-0-393-07687-5 (e-book)

  W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

  500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110

  www.wwnorton.com

  W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.

  Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT

 

 

 
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