29 May 2009

"The Dying Fall" short story review

Free Speculative Fiction short stories online.

Read it here: "The Dying Fall"
By J G Ballard and at wiki
In The Guardian
Genre: Science Fiction
Word Count: 2,500 approx.


J G Ballard was a science fiction writer who became acclaimed by literary reader for his novel The Drowned World and the fictionalised account of his youth, Empire of the Sun, which was made into a film by Steven Spielberg. His short story, "The Autobiography of JGB" , was recently published in The New Yorker. In that story, civilisation ends but the protagonist doesn't mind too much. Being alone allows him to flower.

"The Dying Fall", on the other hand, is about a man who is deeply unhappy in his marriage, ineffectual, but affronted when his wife claims that the marriage was never consummated. Given the presence of the tower and its explosive collapse, we can make our own guesses about the inner story of this tale.

This is one of those stories that actually improves upon discussion. So, enjoy it and talk about it.


Cheers
Morva Shepley
http://morvahouse.blogspot.com

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