Kingdom Come

I found this one a little odd. Kingdom Come, by J. G. Ballard, is on one hand a nicely written novel with interesting characters, but on the other hand a somewhat hamfisted parable about fascism being the natural consequence of excessive consumerism. I've not read any other Ballard, but I've heard a lot good said about him, so it leaves me wondering if this is one of his lesser novels.

It's the story of an advertising exec, Richard Pearson, who heads out to the burbs when his father is shot in a shopping mall. He proceeds to investigate, and is drawn into the weird politics that is evolving in the suburbs surrounding the Metro Centre where is father was shot.

The story is really a vehicle for Ballard's obvious distrust of consumerism and sport, and he seems to believe that they naturally segue into racism and violence. As someone who would be very much considered a product of a consumer society, I find it all a bit hard to swallow. I found Dawn of the Dead made a more pertinent commentary about the failings of consumerism than Kingdom Come.

In any case, it's an interesting tale, and certainly hasn't turned me off this author. Kingdom Come is his last novel (he passed away last year), and I've get his second (from 42 years earlier) sitting on my shelves waiting to be read.