The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion

Hello America by J.G. Ballard is the February2021 group read. Originally published in 2013, the book blurb reads, Following the energy crisis of the late twentieth century, America has been abandoned. Now, a century later, a small group of European explorers returns to the now climatically mutated continent. But America is unrecognizable—the Bering Strait has been dammed and much of the country has become a desert, populated by isolated natives and the bizarre remnants of a disintegrated culture. The expedition sets off from Manhattan on a cross-country journey, through Holiday Inns and abandoned theme parks, to uncover a shocking new power right in the heart of Las Vegas.

The library had an ecopy that wasn't there the last time I checked, so I will be joining in with this one. I have never read anything by Ballard, but I see that some of the group members really enjoy his work.

I've read it a week ago. The only book I read from Ballard was High-Rise. Where his style worked for me in that book, it disappointed me in Hello America. I'd like to know what you all think.

Leo wrote: "I've read it a week ago. The only book I read from Ballard was High-Rise. Where his style worked for me in that book, it disappointed me in Hello America. I'd like to know what you ..."

I recall crossing this one off Mt. TBR years ago. Only a few sfnal Ballards have worked for me. His fictional apotheosis remains VERMILION SANDS, I think. Great book.

I'm reading it. It starts with some people from Europe exploring a de-populated USA, beginning in NY. We don't really know why USA is depopulated. Fine.

Then comes chapter 7 which is nothing but a big infodump about what happened to lead to this, with none of Ballard's 'style'. I wish I'd skipped that chapter! I doesn't really matter much to me what happened. Maybe just a few sentences to describe it would be OK, but I don't want all those irrelevant little details, some of which were implausible to me.

Anyway.... onward I go.

I've never read this author before, so I had no idea what to expect from this book but I found it a complete disappointment. There is no depth to the characters, the plot is implausible, and the things that stand out most to the author about America as a foreigner and tourist are the things that meant lease to me as a native of the semi-rural midwest. this book was originally published in 1981, and I am not old enough to remember the conditions of the time that might have led the author to parity America in this particular way, so in that sense I don't think the book has aged well. I know about the energy crisis that happened in the 70s, but if anyone can contextualize this book more deeply I would be very interested. So that's my 2 annoyed cents... :-)

Kellie wrote: "I've never read this author before, so I had no idea what to expect from this book but I found it a complete disappointment. There is no depth to the characters, the plot is implausible, and the th..."

Two books: For SF, Vermilion Sands
For memoir: Empire of the Sun, Japanese occupation of Shanghai in WW2, when he was a boy.
Both 5 stars from me! You could safely stop reading Ballard at that point, I think.

I might check those out; it's a shame to read a minor work by a really well-known author and then judge all of their work by it if you find it disappointing. :-)

So far I've read 6 chapters and am finding it okay so far.

I'm 2/3 through and am enjoying it a little more now that I don't try to take it too seriously. It feels like a hallucination or dream, which is something I've felt before in Ballard's work. (I've only read a few short works.)

I found it funny to imagine the guys crossing the desert wearing makeup and lipstick to protect their skin from the sun. That made me think of the "Downbelow" area in the film "A Boy and His Dog".

The power-hungry guy they meet in Las Vegas reminds me of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness (or Apocalypse Now).

No idea whether those references were intended, but it is what I pick up.

The idea that the landscape could change so much in 100 years feels a bit wrong to me. Sure, jungles can grow quickly sometimes, and deserts can spread quickly, but it feels wrong to have Joshua trees and Saguaro cactus growing in the East after only 100 years. Both of those are slow-growing with very specific picky requirements. Anyhow, like I said, it is more fun if I just don't take that too seriously.

This is my sixth Ballard novel. The others are ....

The Drowned World
Concrete Island
High-Rise
The Drought
The Crystal World

I had mixed feelings about Hello America and it took me a while to put my thoughts together. My review is here.

Ed wrote: "Then comes chapter 7 which is nothing but a big infodump about what happened to lead to this, with none of Ballard's 'style'. I wish I'd skipped that chapter! ..."

Kellie wrote: " this book was originally published in 1981, and I am not old enough to remember the conditions of the time that might have led the author to parity America in this particular way.."

I liked that part. I grew up in the 70s so I remember this stuff.

Kellie wrote: "I might check those out; it's a shame to read a minor work by a really well-known author and then judge all of their work by it if you find it disappointing. :-)"

Hi Kellie. I've read six novels so far and Hello America is not Ballard at his best. I recommend High-Rise.

Susan wrote: "I had mixed feelings about Hello America and it took me a while to put my thoughts together. My review is here. ..."

I won't read your whole review now to avoid spoilers. But I was also struck by the references to 45th and 46th presidents. And "... some of the last Presidents of the USA seemed to have been recruited straight from Disneyland." Sigh....

I've just finished the book and am glad it ended the way it did. It was a fast-paced read, with lots of action.

Yeah, in the second half it was full of fast-paced action. Not what I normally associate with Ballard. It was a bit insane, with animatronic presidents on the march and a roulette wheel of death. Could make a fun film, either live-action or animated. Ridley Scott bought the film rights in 2017, but I'm not sure anything is really happening with it.

Started the book today. It is quite short, already about 1/3 over. So far it is a bit strange, like he shifts from serious somber post-apoc to satire (new Indian tribes).

I rolled over my eyes on this:

His great-grandparents had returned from Philadelphia to the original family home in the Ukraine on board the very first emigrant boat, changed their name back from Orwell to Orlowski and rapidly reassimilated themselves into Russian life.

I understand that it was written in 1981, when there was the USSR, but heck it was not just Russia!

This was a bit like trying to watch some of the episodes of the original Star Trek for the first time 50 years after they were made; wacky, dated, and over the top. (LOL)

I haven’t seen Ballard attempt comedy in any of the other novels I’ve read. There was a bit of dark humor in High-Rise, but not the silliness of Hello America. I don’t care for the silliness.

I thin it is interesting that the book about environmental debacle can be now used by climate change deniers and the like by saying: look, it says the US stops pumping oil in 1999, it says prices go over sky, prophesized disasters, but everything is actually better in 2021 than in 1981 or imagined 1990s

Susan wrote: "I haven’t seen Ballard attempt comedy in any of the other novels I’ve read..." That's good to know. I still have The Drowned World and The Crystal World on my TBR and Vermilion Sands sounds interesting too. Good to know I don't have to be afraid for an encounter with a puppet army of former american presidents, waiting around the corner.

My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Oleksandr wrote: "I thin it is interesting that the book about environmental debacle ..."

The environmental situation in the book was caused largely by the construction of a giant dam between Siberia and Alaska. So it isn't quite the same thing as just plain global warming.

My standard complaint about Ballard’s post-apocalyptic novels is that the first half is great (atmospheric, richly descriptive and metaphorical, psychologically symbolic) and the second half declines into gratuitous action. But even though Ballard doesn’t do as well with endings as with beginnings in these novels, he still takes his worlds seriously. They don’t degenerate into farce.

Ed wrote: "The environmental situation in the book was caused largely by the construction of a giant dam between Siberia and Alaska. So it isn't quite the same thing as just plain global warming.
.."

While it is not a global warming as we know it, it is still a men made disaster and it stopped inventions/progress across the globe - so it was global, not only affecting N.A. and Europe (with Gulfstream), so in terms of consequences it is similar enough

As an aside there is a short interview with J. G . Ballard from the BBC archives from 1978 where he talks about the frontiers of science fiction.

https://twitter.com/BBCArchive/status...

Ballard in person is not at all how I imagined him from the novels I have read.

Jo wrote: "As an aside there is a short interview with J. G . Ballard from the BBC archives from 1978 where he talks about the frontiers of science fiction.

https://twitter.com/BBCArchive/status......"

Wow, this critique of capitalist realism reminds me strongly of Adam Curtis' films.

Jo wrote: "Ballard in person is not at all how I imagined him from the novels I have read.*..."
That's funny, very english, exactly what I thought he could look like.

It's because I've read some of his later novels Crash, SuperCannes and Cocaine Nights and I also saw a film of the Atrocity Exhibition. I kind of imagined someone cooler rather than an English gentleman. My own fault for stereotyping people I guess.

I just read some interviews with him. He was often questionned about him living most of his life in a simple house in an anonymous suburb of London. He claimed that we were ourselves already living "inside an enormous SF novel". "The earth is a deranged zoo, and somebody left the doors of the cages open." So he was not the cool writer inventing fantastic stories, the only thing he did was writing down what he saw was already there.

Leo wrote: "I just read some interviews with him. He was often questionned about him living most of his life in a simple house in an anonymous suburb of London. He claimed that we were ourselves already living..."

That's great I really like that description.

I know I'm a bit late :) I started to read it in February, but the beginning was to slow and a bit dull, so I left it a bit untouched until I get more inspiration to finish it. It was my 1st book of Ballard, so I also didn't knew what to expect.
So, this is my review:
The book is somewhat entertaining, but not to be taken seriously.
I admire the ironic references to contemporary American society and its political satire. It had interesting ideas and twists, but in general it had to much flaws (characters and storylines are unrealistic, plot structure a bit chaotic with few plot holes etc.). Basically, a lot of it could be given more effort to give it a more ripe and realistic novel.
The 1st part of the book is a slow-paced dark adventure yarn, full of redundant descriptions of dunes and wasteland. Starts a bit serious and mysterious until it comes up with some cartoonish characters and continues to be like that.
When it comes to the 2nd half, it became suddenly a dynamic, action-packed, super weird satire.
I partly enjoyed the book, especially the 2nd part.

Action-packed super weird satire is a great description of the part set in LasVegas!

Haha, yes. I guess it sums it all up :D

I cannot imagine much more frightening than an army of animatronic American Presidents. The lefties among us would fear an army of Trumps, Reagans & Bushs; the righties Obamas & Clintons. That is freakin’ hilarious!