Description

From the author of ‘Crash’ and ‘Cocaine Nights’ comes an unnerving tale of life in a modern tower block running out of control.

Within the concealing walls of an elegant forty-storey tower block, the affluent tenants are hell-bent on an orgy of destruction. Cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on ‘enemy’ floors and the once-luxurious amenities become an arena for riots and technological mayhem.

In this visionary tale of urban disillusionment society slips into a violent reverse as the isolated inhabitants of the high-rise, driven by primal urges, create a dystopian world ruled by the laws of the jungle.

This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard’s works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Iain Sinclair, Ali Smith, Neil Gaiman and Martin Amis) and brand-new cover designs.

Publisher Review

`Ballard's finest novel ... a triumph' The Times `ingenious ... `High-Rise' is an intense and vivid bestiary, which lingers unsettlingly in the mind' Martin Amis `Chilling ... Ballard is a prophetic writer' Sunday Times `The writing is cool, the observation exact, the idea bold and well-developed; everything seems to demand attention and analysis' Financial Times `The terrifying thing about Ballard is his logic; is this science fiction or history written ahead of its time?' Len Deighton