Kingdom Come Book

The ultimate dystopian satire of a consumerist society gone mad, JG Ballard's Kingdom Come follows unemployed advertising executive Richard Pearson as he returns to his Heathrow adjacent hometown, Brooklands, to organise his father's funeral. Needless to say, his father did not die in ordinary circumstances. At the heart of Brooklands is a labyrinthine shopping complex known as the Metro-Centre and it was while shopping there that Richard's father was shot by a rampaging gunman. Upon his arrival in town, Richard is understandably surprised to learn that the gunman had been arrested but was promptly released thanks to the testimony of self-styled pillars of the community like the doctor who treated Richard's father on his deathbed. Determined to unravel the mystery of his father's death, Richard investigates and soon comes to realise that there is far more than bargain prices lurking behind the pristine facade of the Metro-Centre, its 24-hour cable television and sports club. Kingdom Come is a quite immense novel that takes Richard on a twisted journey through suburban England and towards race riots, contemporary politics, sports hooligans, consumer greed, terrorism and religious extremism. Despite the rather bleak social commentary, Kingdom Come is a sublime novel that races along a rather twisted path before reaching an explosive, impressive conclusion.

Kingdom Come : Paperback : HarperCollins Publishers : 9780007232475 : 0007232470 : 02 Jul 2007 : With a new introduction by Deborah Levy and a striking new cover design by the artist Stanley Donwood, Ballard's final novel sees consumerism evolve into something even more sinister.