The Crystal World

Non ho nulla da dire sul contenuto del romanzo, che è davvero "psichedelico", ma l'edizione fa davvero pena, la stampa dei caratteri urta gli occhi, vi consiglio di comprarlo in Italiano.

'The Crystal World' is Ballard's 4th novel and the last of the "Four Elements Quartet'. It is probably the most poetic, psychological and visionary of all excellent four novels. This post-apocalyptic vision still makes absolute sense 50 years after it was written in the 1960s.

Truly beautiful and evocative when Ballard describes the crystal forest, but has a boring sub-plot about a conflict between two characters that I didn't really care about. I think this book has too many chasing and fighting scenes. Worth reading because Ballard gives us an interesting meditation on the concept of heaven and eternity...

A glittering jewel of a book."The Crystal World" owes a heavy debt to Conrads " Heart of Darkness" but that said it conveysa message wholly unique in its presentation.From the very first page the tone is set for us, the reader, to embark, with the author upon the river, that will take him and ultimately usto a series of frozen images representative of the eruption of a cosmic reality into our temporal world.Ballard manages, with a flair and invention, rarely encountered, to place our partial human understanding of the forces at work in the cosmos, in their proper place.Our wishes, our concerns, as humans, are simply not relevant to the truth of the matter. Namely that a greater reality has usurped the kingdom of our time driven world.The best book by Ballard I have read.A great and engrossing read. Poetic and pointed!

JG Ballard's The Crystal World is a beautifully rendered tale that is a delight to read, but difficult to plumb. In a remote region of Africa, the Earth as well as the proximal flora and fauna, are turning to crystalized versions. In fact, anything that resides in those regions will begin a conversion; and the region is growing. This phenomenon is also occurring at several other semi-remote regions around the globe. A doctor treks into this region in search of colleagues and perhaps a lost love. In a 'Heart of Darkness' fashion, he encounters a cavalcade of characters each with their own unique reasons for 'hanging around' the periphery of the crystals.While the last of Ballard's Elemental Apocalypse quartet, this one does not seek to explain what is happening, but rather reflects changes that humanity cannot comprehend nor alter. The imagery is richly detailed. Each character offers a unique, but ultimately a hopeless approach to coping with the unstoppable progression.