This fast-paced narrative by the author of CRASH and EMPIRE OF THE SUN is a stun
ning evocation of a flooded, tropical London of the near future and a foray into
the workings of the unconscious mind. Set in the future, Ballard imagines a wor
ld in which global warming has melted the ice-caps and primordial jungles and sw
amps have returned to a tropical London. As various members of an expedition to
the city busy themselves with more or less futile schemes like draining Leiceste
r Square in hope of loot, the central character Kerans moves to a strange accept
ance of and assimilation by this lushly transformed world, vanishing into a fina
l epiphany of heat and light. 'The Drowned World' is a potent, sensual mood-piec
e -- jewelled and unforgettable.