Passport to Eternity

by J.G. Ballard

Early collection of stories by the renowned author.

INCLUDES:
The Man on the 99th Floor (1962);
Thirteen to Centaurus (1962);
Track 12 (1958);
The Watch-Towers (1962);
A Question of Re-Entry (1963);
Escapement (1956);
The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista (1962);
The Cage of Sand (1962);
Passport to Eternity (1962).

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery, Collections

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

James Graham "J. G." Ballard (15 November 1930 – 19 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Ballard came to be associated with the New Wave of science fiction early in his career with apocalyptic (or post-apocalyptic) novels such as The Drowned World (1962), The Burning World (1964), and The Crystal World (1966). In the late 1960s and early 1970s Ballard focused on an eclectic variety of short stories (or "condensed novels") such as The Atrocity Exhibition (1970), which drew closer comparison with the work of postmodernist writers such as William S. Burroughs. In 1973 the highly controversial novel Crash was published, a story about symphorophilia and car crash fetishism; the protagonist becomes sexually aroused by staging and participating in real car crashes. The story was later adapted into a film of the same name by Canadian director David Cronenberg.

While many of Ballard's stories are thematically and narratively unusual, he is perhaps best known for his relatively conventional war novel, Empire of the Sun (1984), a semi-autobiographical account of a young boy's experiences in Shanghai during the Second Sino-Japanese War as it came to be occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army. Described as "The best British novel about the Second World War" by The Guardian, the story was adapted into a 1987 film by Steven Spielberg.

The literary distinctiveness of Ballard's work has given rise to the adjective "Ballardian", defined by the Collins English Dictionary as "resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in J. G. Ballard's novels and stories, especially dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments." The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry describes Ballard's work as being occupied with "eros, thanatos, mass media and emergent technologies".

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A variety of SciFi short stories, highlights JG Ballard's unique imagination. It features 9 stories, all unique, some of my favourites being The 99th Floor and The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista.. Very enjoyable.

[João Sousa · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Ballard is one of my favourite authors of the second half of 20th century. Some of these stories here are - in my opinion - rather exceptional: "Thirteen to Centaurus" is a wonderful metaphor of coming of age and deception. And "The Cage of Sand" is perhaps the most Ballardian of all these... the hotels, abandoned areas, loneliness and transgression, all of his world compressed in a beautiful tale where everything that matters is always beyond boundaries.

[Merra · Rating 4 out of 5]

hermosa edición de Minotauro 1978. Mis favoritos: Torre de observación, Problema de reingreso, Piso 99 y todas las descripciones de La jaula de arena.

"Si el mar era un símbolo inconsciente del insconciente, ¿el espacio no sería una imagen del tiempo ilimitado? La imposibilidad de penetrar en el espacio, ¿no sería como un trágico exilio en uno de los limbos de la eternidad, una muerte simbólica en vida?"

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Escape" y "Pasaporte a la eternidad" mis dos favs pero me gustó mucho todo el libro

[Nikolas Kalar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like I've said with all the collections I've, and like I'll probably say with all collections I'll further read, there were some in here that I liked more than others. "Passport to Eternity" was, however, on the whole, not entirely impressive to me. Which is a bit of a disappointment because I'd heard so much about Ballard and was looking forward to reading him for some time. Though "Passport to Eternity" is quite early in his career (pre-"High Rise", "Atrocity Exhibition", "Crash" and "Empire of the Sun") so I am willing to give him another chance. And perhaps he is a better novelist than a short-story writer.

There was just something off about all of these stories. None of them seemed to go anywhere or have anything larger to say outside of their narratives. While it was sometimes fun in a nostalgic way to read old-school sci-fi that is very much an exemplar of a specific time of a genre, it was also very frustrating: Ballard is a talented and sometimes beautiful writer to be sure, but he is also incredibly verbose and overly fond of archaic words, as was standard at the time. What was also standard, however, though less forgivable is the treatment of his female and non-white characters. Treated as annoying shrews or uneducated cannibals, the white men are front and center in confronting anyone unlike them as simpletons, villains, or sex toys.

There were some interesting ideas, narratively speaking in the likes of "Track 12," "Thirteen to Centaurus," "The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista," and the title story itself, but to get to them (and then subsequently through them) took far too much time and feelings of ickiness to be really worth its while.

[Vince Darcangelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing collection of mid-century sci-fi and dystopia from the master in his youth.

Faves:

"The Man on the 99th Floor"
"Track 12"
"The Watch-Towers"
"Escapement"
"The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista"

[Arte Tos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Después de lo "duro" de Rascacielos, con estos relatos me he reconciliado con el autor. Aunque juega mucho con lo psicológico y con descolocar al lector, no cabe duda de que sabe sacarte de tu "zona de control" para meterte en sus distopías. Me han gustado mucho.

[Lanzdybek · Rating 3 out of 5]

De nuevo hay algún relato repetido de otras colecciones. Ha habido alguno que me ha encantado y forma parte de mis favoritos ballardianos, también alguno flojo, especialmente malo me ha parecido el que da título al libro.

[Jayden McComiskie · Rating 4 out of 5]

as usual, Ballard rocks

[Dave Osmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this collection of short stories, but did not LOVE them. (In fact two of them were outright absurd). But, I always enjoy reading short fiction from classic scifi authors.

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is best enjoyed as an artifact of science-fiction history. The stories were written prior to the Moon landing so expect some dated futures and Twilight Zone type setups.

[Ailén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mis favoritos:
- Pasaporte a la eternidad
- Trece a Centauro
- Piso 99

[Facundo Aqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

PASAPORTE A LA ETERNIDAD (J.G Ballard)

La ciencia ficción de Ballard no trata tanto de a donde puede llegar la tecnología humana sino en lo que va a dejar la tecnología de nosotros. Con un pulso firme y una mala leche innata, el escritor de “Crash” y “Concrete Island” desarrolla en una serie de cuentos, una mirada lúgubre del futuro con juegos mentales, manipulación social, simulacros siniestros y un dejo de tristeza aplicado a los avances científicos. Ya sea en una pareja atrapada en un loop temporal o un juego de Truman Show mucho más perverso que el original, Ballard sostiene una mirada en donde no importa realmente a donde nos lleve el progreso, siempre mantendrá la mácula de lo peor de nosotros, expandido a formas más sádicas y avanzadas de la maldad humana.

Mi recomendación es “Jaula de arena”, una historia sumamente melancólica y con un mundo que se va generando rápidamente en nuestra imaginación, donde la luz que brilla en el cielo no son mas que los cuerpos de un montón de astronautas muertos. Puro Ballard.

[Jacki Bowker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in 1962. It was an easy short story to read. Very imaginative. However, this author has an awful view of what living in the future may entail. No equality of men and women, going on "vacation" to have your own war, having boy-toys so you don't have to interact with your spouse often (platonic or no), no treating others with dignity, kindness, or respect, etc. My son asked what the author was "on" while writing this. Hopefully we will be nothing like this book if and when we can all live on different planets.