# Recommend a first J.G. Ballard novel **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-first-j-g-ballard-novel/291295 "2005-02-22T04:19:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-first-j-g-ballard-novel/291295/1 "2005-02-22T04:19:51Z")
Briefly: I’m going on a short trip and want a new novel to read. I’d like to try something by J.G. Ballard, of whom (shocker!) I’ve never read. What do you recommend? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-first-j-g-ballard-novel/291295/2 "2005-02-22T07:22:37Z")
Tricky. There are some people to whom I recommend “Empire of the Sun”. There are others to whom I’d recommmend “Crash”. I don’t know which one you are. I will play it safe and recomend “Empire of the Sun” ---
**Author:** ![mrunlucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@mrunlucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrunlucky)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-first-j-g-ballard-novel/291295/3 "2005-02-22T09:16:38Z")
_Crash_ is great but be forewarned that it is difficult reading. It came from a period when Ballard was fostering an extreme change in his writing technique even though his ideas about alienation and internal/external struggles continued to remain roughly the same. _High Rise_ is another great book which is also part of his urban trilogy along with _Concrete Island_. I also recommend _The Crystal World_ or _The Burning World_ (AKA The Drought), which are both part of what is known as his apocalypse or elemental cycle (of four novels). These are a bit more sort of sci-fi and straightforward but still very complex. You can always take a look around [jgballard.com](http://www.jgballard.com) for an enormous wealth of more suggestions and information. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-first-j-g-ballard-novel/291295/4 "2005-02-22T09:21:27Z")
I really liked _The Drowned World_, but it would have to be a short trip, I think its only about 200 pages. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-first-j-g-ballard-novel/291295/5 "2005-02-22T09:37:11Z")
Warning - I only know _Empire of the Sun_ but found that when I read it recently I was still seeing the actors’ faces from the film version even though I’ve not seen the film for years and I don’t think I’d ever seen the whole thing. Kinda spoiled it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-first-j-g-ballard-novel/291295/6 "2005-02-22T15:34:32Z")
I know you said novel, but I would start with a collection of early short fiction. The stroies are better than the novels IMO, and give a good intro to the man’s obsessions. Try and find the collection “chronopolis.” [here is a collection that is still in print](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312278446/qid=1109087026/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-2595890-8962416?v=glance&s=books). After that try _The drowned world_, _The Atrocity Exhibition_, _Crash_, and _Empire of the Sun_, preferably in that order. (Hey, it’s my thousandth post! ::Passes out punch and pie:: ) ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-first-j-g-ballard-novel/291295/7 "2005-02-22T16:11:27Z")
I’d definitely recommend ‘High Rise’ - to me it has a good balance between humour and apocalyptic foreboding, which might be more enticing to a newcomer than some of his bleaker novels.