J. G. Ballard

"Harsh and ingenious! High Rise is an intense and vivid bestiary, which lingers unsettlingly in the mind." —Martin Amis, New Statesman When a class war erupts inside a luxurious apartment block, modern elevators become violent battlegrounds and cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on “enemy” floors. In this visionary tale, human society slips into violent reverse as once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, re-create a world ruled by the laws of the jungle.

High-Rise: A Novel

Vladimir

От текста за Сборище на трубадури:

В едно типично за Балард пророческо интервю от края на 70-те години на въпроса „Как ще се развие бъдещето?“, авторът отговаря с: „Единствената посока, в която го виждам да се развива, е към дома“. След което описва нещо доста близко до ежедневието ни днес. Малко по-рано, в отговора си на друг въпрос – за края на космическата ера, – Балард говори за много по-важната „невидима космическа ера“, която изхвърля сателити в космоса и която един ден ще свърже човечеството по неочаквани и неразбираеми за него начини. Това интервю не е необичайно за Балард. Въпреки че името му почти никога не присъства в списъците с пророците или дори „визионерите“ на жанра, той е един от всъщност много малкото фантасти, способни да интерпретират модерността по такъв начин, че не само да видят, но и да опишат утрешното й лице до малките, дяволски подробности. За да изгради този образ от следващия ден, Балард подхожда като всеки сериозен научен фантаст – чете и изучава това, което той нарича „невидима литература“: медицински доклади, записи от психоаналитични сеанси, технически текстове, изследвания, записи от експерименти. Невидимото е важно за Балард. Цялото му творчество е посветено на опити то да бъде показано или поне посочено. Може би затова и произведенията му често се докосват до апокалиптичното.

Nour Bassiouny

4.5
I wanted ho review this but honestly i really don't know how

Ahmed Salem

الفكرة حلوة.... يمكن بناء الشخصيات مكنش أفضل حاجة ممكنة

Although it was very well written and strange enough to be somewhat fascinating, High Rise lacked a real plot, to me. I feel like I kept waiting for some kind of real story to occur outside of the steady decline of the apartment building and its tenants, but it never came. 

The one thing I will give Ballard on this novel is that it is appropriately disturbing. It's unsettling to read about the residents of the high rise and their clan-like behaviour. Laing is just crazy enough to be the perfect image of "unhinged". It makes me interested to see the movie that is being made, I wonder how Tom Hiddleston and the other actors are going to portray the violence and at first civilized insanity of these characters as they devolve. 

I would say that if you want a dystopian novel with no "boy-meets-girl" fluff and a moderately high creep-factor, this is definitely the book for you.

First book i read by JG Ballard. Liked it but didn t love it. Reminded me of the much superior Lord of the Flies and Green River Rising (by Tim Willocks).

Yulande Lindsay

Easily one of the most fascinating, yet bizarre yet undoubtedly brilliant books I've ever read. J.G. Ballard spins a tale of descent into madness and savagery that leaves the reader thinking and a little frightened.

Deniz Erkaradağ

What a premise, then comes with the disappointment. A bright idea cannot save the whole novel when it does not executed well.

Bowie 

One of my new favorites. Simple in its brutal plot leaving space for thorough character studies. Bleak, raw and feral. 

shelby

just felt like it was 200 pages of the same thing over and over again and then a bit of animal cruelty to spice things up

Sheena

I know this is a beloved book, but it wasn't for me. Maybe it's too "woke" as the kids say, but as someone who managed House of Leaves I don't really know if it's me or the book.

The one thing that stuck with me is Laing's proverb in the final chapter: "one rule in life, if you can smell garlic, everything is all right" because it is irrevocably true.

High-Rise: A Novel

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