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158
Novel • Fiction
Earth • Dystopian Future
1962
Liveright
Adult
18+ years
The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard is a 1962 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel that follows Dr. Robert Kerans, a biologist leading a scientific survey team in a future London submerged due to climate change. As they study the area's unique flora and fauna, the team experiences increasingly disturbing dreams. Strangman, a pirate, arrives, causing chaos and leading to a series of conflicts and existential struggles for Kerans and his colleagues. The novel includes depictions of torture.
Dark
Mysterious
Contemplative
Melancholic
Fantastical
20,207 ratings
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J. G. Ballard's The Drowned World offers a mesmerizing journey into a sunken, post-apocalyptic Earth, showcasing his signature blend of evocative prose and speculative ingenuity. While some readers praise the novel's atmospheric and psychologically rich narrative, others find its pacing slow and characters underdeveloped. Overall, it's a haunting, thought-provoking read.
Fans of post-apocalyptic literature and dystopian fiction, particularly those who enjoy the bleak, surreal landscapes of J.G. Ballard, will find The Drowned World captivating. Readers of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale will appreciate its exploration of human psychology in extreme environments.
20,207 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Strangman
A dramatic and unsettling figure who arrives with a crew of African men and trained alligators, embodying an immoral and opportunistic approach to the post-apocalyptic world.
Colonel Riggs
The leader of a United Nations military mission, characterized by his high spirits and pragmatic acceptance of the collapsed societal order while attempting to maintain morale and perform his duties.
Beatrice Dahl
A woman living independently above the submerged city out of loyalty to her inherited home, embodying human stubbornness and nostalgia as she maintains the rituals of an old social order.
158
Novel • Fiction
Earth • Dystopian Future
1962
Liveright
Adult
18+ years
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