The Drowned World: A Novel

A thrilling adventure with €œan oppressive power reminiscent of Conrad€ (Kingsley Amis), considered by many to be Ballard€s finest.

In the novel that catapulted him to international acclaim upon its publication in 1962, J.G. Ballard€s mesmerizing and ferociously prescient The Drowned World imagines a terrifying future in which solar radiation and global warming has melted the ice caps, and Triassic-era jungles have overrun a submerged and tropical London. Set during the year 2145, the novel follows biologist Dr. Robert Kerans and his team of scientists as they confront a surreal cityscape populated by giant iguanas, albino alligators, and endless swarms of malarial insects. Nature has swallowed all but a few remnants of human civilization, and slowly, Kearns and his companions are transformed€•both physically and psychologically€•by this prehistoric environment. The Drowned World is both a thrilling adventure and haunting examination of the effects of environmental collapse on the human mind.