Running Wild

by J.G. Ballard

The thirty-two adult members of an exclusive residential community in West London are brutally murdered, and their children are abducted, leaving no trace. Through the forensic diary of Dr. Richard Greville, Deputy Psychiatric Adviser to the London Metropolitan Police, the brutal details of the massacre that has baffled the entire police department unfold.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Novels

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1988

About the author

James Graham "J. G." Ballard (15 November 1930 – 19 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Ballard came to be associated with the New Wave of science fiction early in his career with apocalyptic (or post-apocalyptic) novels such as The Drowned World (1962), The Burning World (1964), and The Crystal World (1966). In the late 1960s and early 1970s Ballard focused on an eclectic variety of short stories (or "condensed novels") such as The Atrocity Exhibition (1970), which drew closer comparison with the work of postmodernist writers such as William S. Burroughs. In 1973 the highly controversial novel Crash was published, a story about symphorophilia and car crash fetishism; the protagonist becomes sexually aroused by staging and participating in real car crashes. The story was later adapted into a film of the same name by Canadian director David Cronenberg.

While many of Ballard's stories are thematically and narratively unusual, he is perhaps best known for his relatively conventional war novel, Empire of the Sun (1984), a semi-autobiographical account of a young boy's experiences in Shanghai during the Second Sino-Japanese War as it came to be occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army. Described as "The best British novel about the Second World War" by The Guardian, the story was adapted into a 1987 film by Steven Spielberg.

The literary distinctiveness of Ballard's work has given rise to the adjective "Ballardian", defined by the Collins English Dictionary as "resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in J. G. Ballard's novels and stories, especially dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments." The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry describes Ballard's work as being occupied with "eros, thanatos, mass media and emergent technologies".

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mordant mystery novella by science fiction writer J.G. Ballard is only a “mystery” because the hideous crime at its core is the product of a socially unbearable evil. The thirty-two adults of the affluent enclave of Pangbourne Village have been brutally murdered, but their thirteen children—visible in the security footage up to the moment camera cords were cut—have disappeared from the scene. Could the children have been kidnapped? If so, why has there been no ransom demand? Or...could there be some other explanation?

The bitter humor of this short work comes from the fact that the detailed forensic description of the murder scene should convince any intelligent observer (no, what follows is not a “spoiler”) that the children of this gated community have conspired to slaughter their parents, virtually in unison, in response to an agreed-upon signal. Yet the professional investigators and the public refuse to face this fact, and instead devise more than a dozen improbable theories to avoid the horrifying truth.

The cold, ironic Ballard—whose strength as a writer is his vivid, prophetic descriptions of an earth deformed and destroyed by natural disaster—has distinct virtues as a writer...and distinct weaknesses. He is superb at painting morbid tableaux, very good at concocting the specious reasoning of minds polluted by a particular toxic atmosphere, but he is singularly weak whenever he attempts to describe a sustained sequence of actions.

Running Wild may be divided roughly into three parts: 1) the detailed, clinical description of the crime, consisting of many distinct murder scenes, 2) the enumeration and exploration of the many theories of motive, and 3) the reconstructed narrative of the moment of murder, consisting of dozens of small detailed action sequences. Unfortunately, given Ballard's strengths and weaknesses, this means that the first part of the book is chilling and expertly constructed, the second part—though not quite as good—is darkly and amusingly ironic, but the third--lacking both color and movement--is only fitfully effective. And any book which begins much better than it ends inevitably disappoints.

Still, this Thatcher era satire (“The Iron Lady,” unnamed, appears briefly in its postcript) speaks to our age of economic disparity, gated communities and helicopter parenting. Running Wild, like much of Ballard's science fiction, is prophetic.

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXPERIENCED NANNIES WANTED

Experienced nannies wanted for care of 13 children ages 8-17 in the safe, comfortable, and perfectly controlled upper class environment of the exclusive Pangbourne Village.

✰

Position Description:

The nanny is a specialist working in the family's home, responsible for all tasks related to care of the children. The nanny will serve as a loving, nurturing, and trustworthy companion to the children. The nanny will carefully maintain at all times the liberal attitude enforced by the parents and society of Pangbourne Village. The nanny will avoid being shot, stabbed, electrocuted, and/or run over by the children. The nanny will avoid surprise strangulation by Vietnamese bamboo traps set by the children. The nanny will shower the children with hugs, kisses, and positive affirmation on an ongoing, continual basis.

✰

Major Responsibilities:

*Create a stimulating, nurturing environment for the children;
*Supervise and monitor the children's activities at all times and provide a minute-by-minute accounting of all activities throughout the day and evening including in the bathroom;
*Prepare meals and bottles for, and feed, the children (regardless of age);
*Dress the children (regardless of age);
*Place the children down for naps and bedtime (regardless of age);
*Bathe the children (regardless of age);
*Change diapers (regardless of age);
*Discipline the children, when necessary, with a preferred disciplinary regimen that includes naps, hugs, friendly pats on the head delivered with a half-smile that combines subliminal admonishment with the understanding that the child is otherwise practically perfect in every single way, followed by handfuls of spending money to allow the child to maintain a positive self-image after the disciplinary regimen;
*Regularly remove bite marks left by children on wall corners, bannisters, headboards, and closet interiors; and
*Perform additional positive reinforcement activities as needed.

✰

Job Qualifications and Requirements:

*High school graduate required; PhD preferred.
*Experience caring for children.
*Experience treating teenagers like children.
*English proficiency.
*Comfort with status level of service position; lack of interest in upward social mobility.
*Car, driver's license, auto insurance, and safe driving history. *Reliable, honest, and trustworthy.
*Ability to keep children from, as they say, "running wild."
*Ability to run very, very fast.
*Ability to plan, organize, and multitask.
*Ability to counter any plans and tasks organized by the children that could potentially lead to the violent massacre of all adults within Pangbourne Village. Safety first!


✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰


Pangbourne Village is a subsidiary of Ballard Microcosms Unlimited, Ltd™. Our model of absolute positive reinforcement at all times is delivered in the classic Ballard style, using the traditional Ballardian techniques of cool appraisal, ironic distance, postmodern pastiche, sardonic detachment, and small moments of gleefully vindictive humor at the expense of the affluent upper class and various soul-deadening institutions.

Pangbourne Village... Where Nature Is Unnatural!
Pangbourne Village... Where Nurture Rules And Nature Drools!
Pangbourne Village... Where Teh Children Come First!

As the saying goes: 'It Takes a Village'... Pangbourne Village!

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

"They were rebelling against a despotism of kindness."



Thirty-two adults have been murdered and their children are missing from a West London community in J.G. Ballard's Running Wild. This short work (novella?) is written as the forensic diary of one of the case investigators. Was it an organized crime hit? Terrorism? Our investigator speculates as new evidence emerges. Running Wild was easy to read; however, it didn't have the energy or ideas I've seen from other J.G. Ballard works.

“Suffocated under a mantle of praise and encouragement, they were trapped forever within a perfect universe. In a totally sane society, madness is the only freedom.”

[Darwin8u · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In a totally sane society, madness is the only freedom.”
- J.G. Ballard, Running Wild



OK Boomer! A Ballard novella that is one part Sherlock Holmes, one part Lord of the Flies, with a dash of Esmie Tseng thrown into the soup. It was simple and a bit predictable and not nearly as transgressive or innovative as his best fiction, but it is always fun jumping into a J.G. Ballard novel and seeing where his themes will transport you. I liked it, but probably 3rd-shelf Ballard. It is short, but probably not the best example to read as an introduction to one of the great writers of the 20th century.

The best part of this novel is the subtle way he gives you one theme (which I won't tell you because it will spoil the plot), but buries what I believe are his bigger themes underneath the veil of the obvious. The sub-themes of control, perfection, comfort, conformity, and early social networks are fascinating if VERY abridged.

Like Philip K Dick, it is always interesting in Ballard to find aspects of his fiction that seem to be relevant 30-years in the future. Hello Alexa? Play "Pink Floyd's, “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”.

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't the butler.

[mimi (depression slump) · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a totally sane society, madness is the only freedom.

I mean yes, a certain level of madness is okay, but the focus here is how can a society be totally sane.
Just being “normally” sane is out of the question: politics, global warming, poverty, killings, and other stuff don’t let society be sane, and with this, I mean every modern society (maybe not Canada, but you understand the point). So been “totally” sane is not an option.

Most importantly, does the author really believe that the type of society in the book is sane at all? Because all I can see is a group of really protective parents who rather have their kids locked at home than be outside with other people of their age having fun.
It's not healthy: cameras everywhere, spend every free minute with one of your parents, never have a discussion or an argument.
Without love, a person grows up feeling useless and not wanted, but with too much love he or she will feel suffocated and won't be able to create a space for himself or herself in the world.

I'm gonna be honest, I didn’t really get the point of this story.
Since the first pages, you can imagine who did what, and that's it. The whole book keeps rolling around this, over and over since the ending. An open ending, I must say.
So, in the end, it’s just the description of what happened and the discovery that yes, teenagers can be sociopaths. Not a big discovery tho.

↠ 2.5 stars

[☆LaurA☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Quello che non riuscivano più a tollerare era il dispotismo della bontà. Hanno ucciso per liberarsi dalla tirannia dell’amore parentale.”

13 ragazzi adolescenti, troppo coccolati e viziati.
Ma è davvero questo il reale motivo della loro carneficina? Non è spoiler...si capisce anche solo dal titolo 😅
Forse si,forse dovremmo lasciare che i nostri figli sbattano la faccia, prendano pedate dalla vita. Che crescano anche storti, ma che lo facciano con le loro forze. Noi saremo lì per cercare di raddrizzare il tiro. Se hai seminato bene non ci saranno grossi problemi.

"i giovani quanto più si sentono amati, compresi e assecondati tanto più provano il disperato impulso di fuggire."
Non penso sia sempre così, anche l'opposto è motivo di allontanamento dalla famiglia. Il troppo stroppia in tutti i casi.
Vogliamoci bene, ma ognuno con i propri spazi.
Ora vado a prendere a scarpate mio figlio perché non sistema la sua cameretta e io sono stufa di fare la colf!!! 😂😂

[Katerina Charisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Δεν μπορώ να πω ότι ενθουσιάστηκα με τη γραφή, αλλά σα σενάριο ήταν πολύ τρομακτικό!

[Steven Godin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite liked this, and it was made even more chilling by the mention of the Michael Ryan Hungerford massacre in 1987, of which, I remember well as a boy as I lived only about twenty miles away at the time. That was the first news story (along with the Chernobyl disaster in 1986) that really got my attention. This short Ballard novel was read in one sitting, and although I can't say it's one of his best works, It did manage to get under my skin. Outside of London lies a suburban utopia called Pangbourne Village, an exclusive residential development in which all the houses are new, the security system is impeccable, parents are happy and their children are provided with a nonstop roster of structured activity. But all this is rocked by sudden mass murder. In an eerie opening we learn the 32 adults are found murdered, and the complex's 13 children, all but one of them teenagers, have vanished into thin air. Written as a police psychiatrist's forensic diary, the story slowly unfolds through the investigation that suggests the children themselves are behind the killings. Though Ballard writes with a sharp accuracy of the complacent privilege in Thatcher era England, and we get a surprising final twist, the explanation of these crimes is never truly analysed. But it was nonetheless a good way to kill an hour of boredom on a Sunday afternoon.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always meant to go back and read more of J.G. Ballard's back catalog, so it's convenient that many of his novels seem to be going up for another reprinting. This wasn't even one on my radar. It's very short, told in the form of an investigative journal from a man looking into the mysterious murder of 32 adults in one neighborhood on the same morning. Is it terrorists? Was it the military?

Now, this book was originally published in 1988. I have to ask myself if it has aged well. For one thing, unfortunately, the mass murder of 32 people is not as shocking as maybe it used to be. And for the exact same reason, the culprit(s), revealed quite early on or at last obvious to me, is not as shocking as it feels Ballard meant it to be either. I am numbed by my 21st century life.

But at the same time, I wonder. Ballard is often subversive. Could he also mean that the fact that it isn't surprising is the problem?

"In a totally sane society, madness is the only freedom."

Chilling indeed. And worse is the last paragraph of the novel, which might be a spoiler, so I won't post it.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this re-release in Edelweiss. In its new form, it goes on sale July 3, 2018.

[Dolceluna ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

1988.
Nel condominio della periferia di una cittadina inglese, vengono ritrovati i cadaveri di 32 adulti. I loro figli, bambini e adolescenti, sono scomparsi. I genitori assassinati appartenevano a buone famiglie, di livello socio-culturale alto, famiglie che vivevano tutto, dalla routine quotidiana all’educazione dei figli, con controllo, efficienza e organizzazione.
Per risolvere il caso la polizia chiede il supporto di un consulente psichiatrico, il dottor Richard Greville, il quale avanza diverse ipotesi, la più sconcertante delle quali si rivelerà quella esatta.
Il lettore, già dal titolo, ha capito quale verità di cela dietro il massacro. Una verità mostruosa, incredibile, e che lo porta a riflettere, allo stesso modo del dottor Greville, sull’equilibrio (o meglio, sullo squilibrio) di certi rapporti familiari, estremi e malati, e su diversi fattori quali l’alienazione sociale e il disadattamento dei giovani in società apparentemente sane. L’”apparenza” ha qui un ruolo chiave. Tutto apparentemente andava bene in queste famiglie, tutto era vissuto in maniera apparentemente felice, eppure…
Questo libretto sconcertante è stato il mio primo incontro con Ballard. Troppo breve, forse, ma mi ha fatto intuire che questo autore saprà farmi riflettere ancora di più, regalandomi delle sorprese.
E’ dunque un autore da approfondire, sicuramente.

[Eliasdgian · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Σε μια απολύτως υγιή κοινωνία η τρέλα είναι η μοναδική ελευθερία»

Το Pangbourne Village, συγκρότημα πολυτελών κατοικιών στην ευρύτερη περιοχή του Berkshire, έμοιαζε ό,τι πιο κοντινό στον παράδεισο: δέκα πολυτελείς επαύλεις με πισίνες και αίθουσες προβολών, στεγασμένες αυλές με σκαζόν που ξεχώριζαν η μία από την άλλη με σειρές διακοσμητικών θάμνων και μάντρες από ξερολιθιά, και αθλητικές λέσχες με πανάκριβο εξοπλισμό, σε μια ιδιωτική έκταση είκοσι οκτώ στρεμμάτων. Η κοινότητα του Pangbourne Village δημιουργήθηκε για να προσφέρει στους ευκατάστατους ενοίκους του (δικηγόρους, χρηματιστές, τραπεζίτες) και τις οικογένειές τους, ένα ασφαλές περιβάλλον, μακριά από τον θόρυβο και τους κινδύνους που εγκυμονεί (συνήθως) η συναναστροφή με την ‘πλέμπα’. Το αίσθημα ασφάλειας των ενοίκων του συγκροτήματος επέτειναν η παρακολούθησή του από κλειστό κύκλωμα τηλεόρασης, η φύλαξή του από ιδιωτική εταιρεία φρούρησης και η περίφραξή του από συρματόπλεγμα εξοπλισμένο από ηλεκτρονικούς συναγερμούς.

Αλλά, όπως συνήθως λέγεται, ο δρόμος προς την κόλαση είναι στρωμένος με καλές προθέσεις, και το παραδείσιο περιβάλλον που οι φιλήσυχοι ιδιοκτήτες του Pangbourne Village δημιούργησαν για τους ίδιους και τα παιδιά τους, εντελώς αναπάντεχα, ένα ήσυχο πρωινό του Ιουνίου του 1988, θα γίνει το σκηνικό πολλαπλών εγκλημάτων, μιας σφαγής χωρίς προηγούμενο, όπου όλοι οι ενήλικοι κάτοικοι της κοινότητας (οι είκοσι γονείς και τα δώδεκα μέλη του υπηρετικού τους προσωπικού) θα δολοφονηθούν μυστηριωδώς και αγρίως και τα δεκατρία ανήλικα παιδιά θα εξαφανιστούν.

Εκπληκτική ιστορία του J.G. Ballard, η οποία ξεχωρίζει όχι τόσο για την πλοκή της ή την –συγκλονιστική σε κάθε περίπτωση- αποκάλυψη του μυστηρίου της Σφαγής του Πάνγκμπερν οι γονείς στο Πάνγκμπερν, ένας προς έναν, δολοφονήθηκαν από τα ίδια τους τα παιδιά, όσο για την εξαιρετική ανάλυση των κινήτρων που όπλισαν το χέρι του/των δολοφόνου/ων απέναντι σε γονείς στοργικούς, που όχι μόνο είχαν φιλελεύθερες και ανθρωπιστικές αρχές, αλλά και τις εφάρμοζαν απαρέγκλιτα στην ανατροφή των παιδιών τους. «Η σφαγή του Πάνγκμπερν ήταν μια απελπισμένη επανάσταση, από την πλευρά των παιδιών, μια πράξη μαζικής τυραννοκτονίας. Ο καθένας έπρεπε να αναλάβει την ευθύνη του θανάτου των δικών του γονιών, όποιο κι αν ήταν το τίμημα. […] Τα παιδιά του Πάνγκμπερν δεν επαναστάτησαν ενάντια στο μίσος και στην απανθρωπιά. Το εντελώς αντίθετο, αστυνόμε. Επαναστάτησαν ενάντια στον δεσποτισμό της καλοσύνης. Σκότωσαν για να απαλλάξουν τον εαυτό τους από την τυραννία της αγάπης και της φροντίδας».

Πέρασαν κιόλας τριάντα χρόνια από τότε που ο James Graham Ballard δημοσίευσε το Running Wild (κι άλλα είκοσι από τότε που το διάβασα πρώτη φορά), το βέβαιο είναι, όμως, ότι εξακολουθεί να συγκλονίζει το ίδιο και να εγείρει σοβαρούς προβληματισμούς και ενστάσεις τόσο όσον αφορά το είδος της σχέσης που ενδείκνυται να έχουν οι γονείς με τα παιδιά τους (αν και εφόσον, μέλημα των πρώτων εξακολουθεί να είναι η ευτυχία των δεύτερων), όσο και αναφορικά με την υπερπροστατευτική ανατροφή που οι σύγχρονοι γονείς επιφυλάσσουν στα τέκνα τους, αποκλείοντάς τα σε περιβάλλοντα αποστειρωμένα, που ως τέτοια, ωστόσο, προσήκουν μόνο σε αρρώστους.

#ασεμενακανωλαθος#

[Susan Budd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started my review of Hello America with a quotation in which Ballard looks back with longing to 1976. In Running Wild, there is no such longing for the 80s. Published and set in 1988, this is a more serious and prescient book than the farcical Hello America. It revisits some of the themes of High-Rise, but in the style of a hard-boiled detective story rather than Ballard’s usual purple prose. This makes Running Wild a more chilling story than High-Rise. As such, it cannot be dismissed as absurdist fantasy.

Perhaps the moral lesson of Running Wild is easy to ignore because the novella’s protagonists are wealthy and the majority of readers do not identify with them. In 1988, few parents could surveil their children as intensely as the parents of Pangbourne Village. But over thirty years have passed since publication. Helicopter parenting seems to have become the norm. As this 80s parenting trend continues into the third decade of the twenty-first century, advances in technology have given even working class parents the means to micromanage their children’s lives. No longer do you need to live in a gated community to subject your children to a “tyranny of love and care” (61). Like nearly everyone in Running Wild, no one sees this as harmful – not even after it is too late.

In 1988, sixteen year old Annabel Reade’s favorite novel was Animal Farm. The children of the 2020s might prefer Running Wild. It remains to be seen how grateful they will be for the protection lavished upon them. Their resiliency might not be what we imagine it to be.

[Milo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running Wild What an apt title. I was indeed running wild when I finished this book. At least my mind was. Maybe I was actually running too...I can't remember. This novel follows the investigation of psychiatric adviser Dr. Richard Greville as he looks into the cause of a grisly mass murder. The murder involved some thirty two people and the murder weapons spanned from guns to crossbows, hair dryers to pillows, and even bamboo mantraps. Now let your minds wander and imagine the crime scene. You got it? Yea, that's some crazy shit. Now, at heart this novel isn't truly a murder/mystery type of story so I won't try and avoid pointing out the murderers in this review. I have faith in your intelligence, you'll figure it out before I did. No, at heart this novel is a work of surrealism that looks at human nature through a lens of absurdity.

The Pangbourne Estate
The Pangbourne Estate is a place where the upper echelon of London's society raises their children. This is a place of luxury, opulence, and complete security. Nobody unwelcome enters and consequently no one without permission gets out. Each day is uncompromisingly scheduled with fulfilling activities. The parents are pleasant, sickeningly so. The adolescents are the center of everything. They are constantly monitored, constantly kept occupied, and constantly cared for. In essence they are trapped with no choice but to cooperate. Though their prison is undeniably a comfortable one they yearn for freedom, even if that freedom leads to a brutish and painful life.

"The Pangbourne children weren't rebelling against hate and cruelty. The absolute opposite, Sergeant. What they were rebelling against was a despotism of kindness. They killed to free themselves from the tyranny of love and care."

And so the Pangbourne Massacre happened. Most prophetically, as is his wont, Ballard anticipated the happenings of Columbine more than twenty years before with his novel Running Wild.

[LW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Running Wild
Un romanzo breve assai inquietante.
32 adulti ,in un lussuoso villaggio pochi chilometri fuori Londra, sono stati assassinati in modo crudele ,in vari modi, nelle loro case ,e 13 ragazzi risultano scomparsi .
Il titolo originale dell'opera è Running Wild
e forse era meglio mantenerlo,per avere un po' più a lungo la suspense,ma vabbè, probabilmente non è importante.
Quello che conta è riflettere su come un massacro possa essere percepito come l'unica via per la conquista della libertà
Su come si sia arrivati ad un estremo atto di ribellione ,
una ribellione non alla ferocia o alla crudeltà, ma al dispotismo di un amore iperprotettivo, all'agiatezza di gabbie dorate ,all'iper-organizzazione e iper-efficienza programmata ,all'iper-controllo del villaggio di Pangbourne , blindato da sistemi di sorveglianza e telecamere di sicurezza

Quei ragazzi avevano una disperata fame di emozioni genuine, avevano bisogno di genitori che ogni tanto li disapprovassero, che si irritassero e persino spazientissero, o persino che non riuscissero a capirli. Avevano bisogno di genitori che non si impicciassero di tutto quello che facevano, che non temessero di mostrarsi nervosi e seccati, e che non pretendessero di amministrare ogni minuto della loro vita con la saggezza di Salomone.

Sconcertante.
4 stelle

[S̶e̶a̶n̶ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim novel with a singular focus, but brevity and specificity pack no less of a punch with Ballard in the driver's seat.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the luxurious Pangbourne housing estate just outside London every adult lies dead. Some shot, some electrocuted, one strangled by a Viet-Minh style booby trap, another two run down by their own Porsche.

It is a scene of carnage, but among the corpses there are no children's bodies. Every child, every teenager is missing, apparently stolen from their families after their parents, housekeepers and security guards were near simultaneously massacred.

This is the scenario J.G Ballard's Running Wild revolves around, and we see it through the diary of Dr. Richard Greville, a forensic psychologist brought in by Scotland Yard to assist with this investigation.

Greville is somewhat of a lateral thinker, brought in only as everyone else is stumped and desperate for answers. The massacre is being discussed in the press in terms of a possible army exercise gone wrong, of a Soviet attack, or as a hostage situation where the missing children are being held somewhere for reasons unknown.

Greville dismisses all these theories, and very quickly begins to suspect a simpler ,but perhaps even more outlandish truth behind these killings, a truth that his superiors, and the public at large, are not ready to believe.

Greville's narrative is written with an intriguing voice, and the way the mystery unfolds kept my attention the whole way through. It does however, feel like J.G Ballard is exploring a pet theory in this novella. I guessed the truth pretty early on, and the title is a giveaway, but the story posits that too much love and care could be so suffocating to children that they could explode in violence. Ballard is playing with the idea that letting children run wild (the title gives away too much...), plan their own lives and make their own mistakes will give them the freedom they might otherwise kill for.

This point feels a touch heavily underlined, but the story is well told enough, and brief enough, that a reader can simply enjoy the ride. The who-dunnit mystery, and of course the eventual explanation of how a group of upper-middle class adults living in a gated estate could all die violently within ten minutes of each other, is pretty damn engaging. As always, Ballard tells a compelling story that keeps the pages turning.

This isn't must-read Ballard. It's no Drowned World, but it's an entertaining crime story with a nice chill in its reveal, and at round fifty pages is just the thing to read as you ready yourself to assault a difficult non-fiction book, or a heavy literary tome.

Three Stars.

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here begins my month-long binge read of J.G. Ballard. 
Why, you may ask? No reason.

Onto my review of Running Wild.

Reading this novel feels something like being pummeled continuously, not very hard, but hard enough to wonder whether it's bad for you or not. Why then do I recommend you read this book? Why am I glad I read it myself? Because it's so fearless. And also, it's too short to cause serious bruising. Somehow too it has a lovely wit that insulates you from the most disturbing aspects even while the story still jabs at you and jars you from complacent thinking.

This first novel of the month I suspect reflects themes that I'll be reading again and again as I make my way through Ballard's oeuvre. In particular I'm fascinated by the way the hardscape of urban and suburban life is here transformed into a kind of wilderness, ummapped and unknowable, with lethal dangers hidden in those places we humans think are civilized.

I loved it but as I'm going to try to read a zillion Ballard books this month I'm going to call it a 3 star read, to leave room on both ends.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

32 members of an exclusive community are found dead, their children missing. Is this a kidnapping or is it something much more sinister? Dr. Richard Greville, Deputy Psychiatric Adviser to the London Metropolitan Police, will have to answer this question...but he may not be prepared for what he will find; or where it will ultimately lead him.

[Danger · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In a totally sane society, madness is the only freedom.”

This quote from Running Wild succinctly sums up the sentiments of this slim novel.

At what first reads like a rather dry police procedural centered around a seemingly impossible-to-solve mass murder at a gated community, the impending twist is that THERE IS NO TWIST and once the protagonist figures out the details, the narrative shifts focus into a more psychosocial exploration as the the nature and reasoning of the unlikely perpetrator(s).

I am not going to get specific here, as to avoid any spoilers, suffice it to say that this is a story that forces some slight moral ambiguity into a situation where it probably shouldn’t exist, namely I was left to wonder, do we make our own monsters?

(Those are metaphorical monsters. Not actual monsters. There are no actual monsters in this book.)

The whole thing is driven by Ballard’s stark and balanced prose.

We’re not dealing with a light-hearted a “beach read” here, but I certainly enjoyed it.

[Tasos · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Σε μια απόλυτα λογική κοινωνία η τρέλα είναι η μόνη ελευθερία"

Εκατόν τριάντα σελίδες αρκούν γι' αυτή την ιατροδικαστικής ακρίβειας και λιτότητας ανατομία ενός φρικιαστικού και πολυεπίπεδου σε συμβολισμούς εγκλήματος. Υλικό για Κρόνενμπεργκ και Χάνεκε. Αριστούργημα.

[Panagiotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ασυζητητί καθαρό πεντάρι.

[Ellis ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dal libro:

In una società totalmente sana, l'unica libertà è la follia.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids in gated community go crazy. Lord of the Flies meets the suburbs.

And...this just in...

CANNES -- Andras Hamori's H20 Motion Pictures has green-lighted two new productions: the thriller "Running Wild," based on the novel by J.G. Ballard and starring Samuel L. Jackson, and "The Gate -- 20 Years Later," a sequel to the 1987 hit teen horror title.

Jackson will act as a co-producer on "Running Wild," a detective story about the investigation of a mysterious massacre at a wealthy gated community. Television and music video helmer Kevin Kerslake* will direct
in his feature film debut, from a script by David Leland ("Mona Lisa"). Shooting is set to begin this year in South Africa and at MMC Studios in Cologne, Germany.


* Directed
Cherub Rock by Smashing Pumpkins: http://youtube.com/watch?v=t1N_qX_r4Iw
In Bloom by Nirvana: http://youtube.com/watch?v=InQWcq8_VPg
MidLife Crisis by Faith No More: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ESjyB8EMw4w

So yeah. Hipsters unite, indeed. At the movie theater**. Should have a kickin' soundtrack.

** I can't see this getting American distribution. Parents would freak. Freak, I tell you.

[Lee Foust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although somewhat transparent and slow in the beginning, this short novel really paid off for me in the end. I was a bit miffed at first by the detective novel format--especially because the solution to to the mystery wasn't all that hard to see coming--but the mix of events going forward and the final reconstruction of the crime really worked for me. The novel's concept or the point that it eventually makes is a fascinating and original one. (I'm a big fan of the so-called literature of ideas so Ballard is an author I enjoy, even though I think his writing style is pretty bad--his tone is somehow arch and superior, self-conscious even, without being very smooth or convincing. He's best when that style is explainable, as here, by being the first-person narrative of a researcher or detective penning an official forensic or scientific report.)

Since it would ruin the text for those who have yet to read it, I won't discuss the novel's idea. I will add, though, that, judging the text on its own terms, as a short sci fi potboiler with a clever idea, it's wholly successful. So, this could have been a 5-star novel. I just hold 5 back for the great works of world literature.

[Paul Dembina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella can be read in an hour or 2 and feels very much like a precursor to the series of Ballard's final few novels that began with Cocaine Nights
All the adults in a small, wealthy gated community have been murdered and their children have disappeared - assumed kidnapped.
The novella is in the form of an investigation by a psychiatrist and he sifts through evidence.

[Paul Cowdell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. It may be minor Ballard, but that's better than most people could manage. Even with that caveat it's still rich with classically succinct moments of Ballardian horribleness that ring true and point to his mordant genius.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Seeing the film, I had the strong sense, not for the first time, of young minds willing themselves into madness as a way of finding freedom."

Part thrilling, part silly late age Ballard. That said, he at least keeps it short and to the point.

3.5 stars

[David Corvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unusual in its brevity... but none the less interesting panopticon themed short novel.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Γραμμένο πριν από 30 περίπου χρόνια, εξακολουθεί να είναι ανατριχιαστικό.
Ίσως όχι τόσο όσο το 1988 που κυκλοφόρησε αλλά και πάλι, ο αναγνώστης συλλαμβάνει τον εαυτό του να βυθίζεται στον εφιάλτη.
Ας μην ξεχνάμε ότι στα 30 αυτά χρόνια έχει μεσολαβήσει ο βομβαρδισμός μας με δεκάδες τρομακτικά σενάρια, εικόνες φρίκης και εκατόμβες θυμάτων, μέσα από την ακατάλυτη και διαρκή ενημέρωση από κάθε είδους μέσα, για το καλό μας, για να ξέρουμε τι γίνεται γύρω μας ... Οι εντυπώσεις του μέσου αναγνώστη έχουν αμβλυνθεί πλέον αρκετά και δέχεται λιγότερο εντυπωσιασμένος από πριν 30 χρόνια, την εξήγηση των μαζικών δολοφονιών των πλούσιων ενήλικων κατοίκων ενός συγκροτήματος επαύλεων του Δυτικού Λονδίνου.
Κλείνοντας το βιβλίο, έπιασα τον εαυτό μου να κοιτάζει καχύποπτα δίπλα μου, στο λεωφορείο που με πήγαινε σπίτι.