Hello America

By: J. G. Ballard

Narrated by: David Ledoux

Following the energy crisis of the late 20th 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 in the heart of Las Vegas.

©1994, 1981 J. G. Ballard (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This fable lifts a great freight of ideas effortlessly.... The story of an expedition driven on by wishes of possession and power but guided internally by myths of America whose sources lie in the late 20th century." ( Guardian)

If you like Ballard, don't buy this audibook!

What disappointed you about Hello America?

I haven't written a review this critical ever. If I don't like it, I usually skip it. However, I am a huge Ballard fan, and I am truly appalled at the shoddy quality of the narration. David Ledoux might have been poorly directed in the studio, but whatever the case may be, it almost seemed like he was trying to sabotage the book.

How could the performance have been better?

His voice modulation bordered on hysterically bad. I laughed out loud a few times, shook my head in disbelief, but marched on because, as I said, I love Ballard and I wanted to listen to this book. Imagine the cheesy voice over guy from early to mid 2000s movies, with all that forced gravitas and urgency apropos of nothing. Now imagine that applied to Every. Single. Sentence.

Any additional comments?

This guy doesn't get Ballard and doesn't get the book. A complete joke of a narration. Don't buy this garbage.