This fast-paced narrative by the author of CRASH and EMPIRE OF THE SUN is a stunning 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 world in which global warming has melted the ice-caps and primordial jungles and swamps 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 Leicester Square in hope of loot, the central character Kerans moves to a strange acceptance of and assimilation by this lushly transformed world, vanishing into a final epiphany of heat and light.

‘The Drowned World’ is a potent, sensual mood-piece – jewelled and unforgettable.