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The Wind from Nowhere (Science fiction) [Mass Market Paperback]

J. G. Ballard (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New impression edition (25 April 1974)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 014002591X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140025910
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.8 x 0.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 453,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars a disowned classic 12 Feb 2005
By feline1
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've been a fan of JG Ballard for years,
but I only recently discovered that this, his first novel, even exists! The man appears to have disowned it - it's never listed in the bibliographies on the inside covers of his books.

I'm not entirely sure why - he'd already published a couple of dozen short stories in the decade before this novel came out in 1962.
Perhaps it's because the book verges slightly on generic pot-boiler sci-fi... it lacks a bit of the psycho-pathological character analyses Ballard generally builds into his novels, and focuses more on 'describing the action'.

Nonetheless, a classic Ballardian nightmare dystopic future is on offer in these pages - the world brought to its knees by relentless hurricane winds (cf. the global warming disaster of 'The Drowned World', the worldwide drought of, erm, 'The Drought', or the surreal 'crystallizing of time' in 'The Crystal World'). Even in this slightly terse, stripped-down 'consumer sci-fi' version of his talents that Ballard's publishers serve up here, the sheer pervausive scale of his apocalyptic vision is quite gripping. Like all the best Ballard, it's highly thought-provoking, really prodding the reader to realise just how close the civilisation we take for granted could be to total collapse, if a few of nature's parameters shifted a little...

In summary, well worth tracking down a copy.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and (mostly) timeless 30 April 2007
By Jeremy Walton TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I picked this up on a second-hand stall a while ago, and was quickly drawn into its opening vision of an ordinary world which has been affected by an extraordinary thing (in this case, a continously increasing wind). I liked the way in which the tension was gradually racked up along with the speed of the wind, as the characters struggled to come to terms with what was happening outside their shelter.

Although parts of the book haven't dated well (e.g. the casual way in which sex is fleetingly introduced and the standard bad guy with his plans for world domination both reminded me of Ian Fleming), the central idea remains compelling - perhaps even more so in this age of climate concern. And it was nice to come across a quote from Mark Twain that neatly sums up our powerlessness in the face of natural forces: "Everyone talks about the weather, but no-one does anything about it".
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Ballard's real debut.... 12 April 2007
By Jane Aland VINE™ VOICE
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A worldwide hurricane wind sweeps the Earth, steadily gaining another 5 miles per hour speed everyday, until society itself is brought to the brink of destruction...

JG Ballard's self-supressed debut novel bears surface similarities to his other early novels ('The Drowned World', 'The Drought', 'The Crystal World') with the earth being wracked by a natural disaster, although here the author seems slightly more concerned with action than the psycological affect of the altered landscape on his characters. Nevertheless, this is still a gripping science fiction novel boasting some memorable imagery as the titanic winds destroy the cities of Earth, and it's only real flaw is the rather sudden and anticlimactic ending.

Inevitably this 'The Wind From Nowhere' doesn't quite rank up their with Ballard's later more polished work, but this is still a good solid read that will be enjoyed by fans of the author, and it's supression by the author is frankly unjustified. Well worth a look.
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