Kingdom Come

A Novel

By: J. G. Ballard

Narrated by: Andy Caploe

A violent novel filled with insidious twists, Kingdom Come follows the exploits of Richard Pearson, a rebellious, unemployed advertising executive, whose father is gunned down by a deranged mental patient in a vast shopping mall outside Heathrow Airport. When the prime suspect is released without charge, Richard’s suspicions are aroused.

Investigating the mystery, Richard uncovers at the Metro-Centre mall a neo-fascist world whose charismatic spokesperson is whipping up the masses into a state of unsustainable frenzy. Riots frequently terrorize the complex, immigrant communities are attacked by hooligans, and sports events mushroom into jingoistic political rallies. In this gripping, dystopian tour de force, J.G. Ballard holds up a mirror to suburban mind rot, revealing the darker forces at work beneath the gloss of consumerism and flag-waving patriotism.

©2006 J. G. Ballard (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"J. G. Ballard is the undisputed laureate of suburban psychosis.... A brilliant novel." (Literary Review)

Stay with the Narrator!

Ballard's final novel is a black comedy/mystery that's a bit more upbeat than his preceding Cocaine Nights or Super-Cannes (a masterpiece I hope to see come to Audible soon). Few modern writers describe absence or loss with the cool, distant wit of J.G.B., and this book is haunted by the ghost of the protagonist's murdered father and the truth of his death in a sinister shopping mall. After about an hour I liked the narration, and by the time the book was over I felt it was actually an exceptional performance.

Great Story, Poor Reader

Classic J.G. Ballard, a chillingly up-to-date look at a possible future. but Ballard would not be pleased by the reader who adopts a foppish, exaggerated Oxbridge accent for the narrator/chief-protagonist. Ballard would not be pleased. With so many excellent British readers available, why was this American chosen for this book?

who is making these narrator calls?

So, what was the thinking here, do you suppose? Hmmm, Ballard was English, so let's get a narrator who can do a really REALLY bad British accent? Did the producer think it would what? maybe cute-up this dark novel? it makes the book seem the epitome of what its author was so caustically satirizing. and it utterly wrecks Ballard's final novel, which is a shame.