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The Complete Short Stories cover art

The Complete Short Stories

By: J. G. Ballard
Narrated by: Ric Jerrrom,William Gaminara,Sean Barrett,William Hope,Jeff Harding
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Editor reviews

One of the most revered writers of modern fantasy, J. G. Ballard and his unparalleled imagination is entirely encapsulated in the award-winning, best-selling and unabridged The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard with an outstanding audiobook narration by voice artists Ric Jerron, William Gaminara, Sean Barrett, William Hope and Jeff Harding. This collection of stories fulfills the needs of even the most fanatic of fantasy enthusiasts. The world’s that Ballard creates in his stories are written with such ingenuity it is as if they hang suspended alongside our reality, of equal measure, accessible only through the words on the page. Available now from Audible.

Summary

A collection of 98 enthralling and pulse-quickening stories, spanning five decades, venerates the remarkable imagination of J. G. Ballard. With a body of work unparalleled in 20th-century literature, J. G. Ballard is recognized as one of the greatest and most prophetic writers in the world.

With the much-hailed release of The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard, listeners now have a means to celebrate the unmatched range and mesmerizing cadences of a literary genius. Whether writing about musical orchids, human cannibalism, or the secret history of World War III, Ballard's Complete Stories evokes the hallucinations of Kafka and Borges in its ability to render modern paranoia and fantastical creations on the page.

A Washington Post Best Book of 2009, Boston Globe Best Book, Los Angeles Times Favourite Book, and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book.

©2009 J. G. Ballard (P)2014 Audible Studios

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What listeners say about The Complete Short Stories

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Excellent but badly put together

these short stories of Ballards are really well read and are brilliant as a collection but as an audio book there is no way to navigate around the different stories. They cut off into audio chapters that differ from the stories. For example a chapter may start in the middle of a story and a new story in the middle of a chapter. Very frustrating. In fact has ruined the listening experience totally.

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165 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Please include chapter titles

This goes for all Audible audiobooks. Please include chapter titles, rather than just chapter numbers. It seems very strange not to include them.

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96 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Majestic Collection

Ballard was one the most distinctive voices in 20th century literature: weird, disturbing, poetic, provocative and prescient. This collection shows the range of his imagination, from mainstream SF stories to fables to audacious formal experimentation to witty social satires. Superbly read too: some of Ballard's stories present a narrator with considerable challenges which all of the narrators here meet with aplomb. A slight warning: some of Ballard's work does deal with challenging themes and the easily-offended might find material in here to offend them. (If you suspect this may include you I recommend Googling J. G Ballard and Ronald Reagan to find the title of one of his most notorious stories to test.)
For everyone but the most squeamish this represents a major chunk of the output of one of the most important writers of recent years performed impeccably. Unmissable

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51 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

An incredible collection for an incredible price.

It's years since I read a JG Ballard, though I've probably read all the short stories at some time or other. This collection was just too good to resist, and the quality of reading does justice to the stories.

A word of caution though: I'd forgotten just how dark many of his stories could be, so I suggest that you don't listen to the whole collection without a break!

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38 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Short stories , long listening.

Short stories that make you think, easy to listen to one and leave the book for a while and come back.

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24 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Ultimately unsatisfying

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Nearly all the stories start brilliantly, with an intriguing premise that really stimulates the imagination. But it's as if the author does not have the stamina to get to the end and form any kind of conclusion. For the first several, I continued to listen in hope, but I have started to expect to be disappointed.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

A middle and an end

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

most of them are fine, but Ric Jerrom's random vocal modulation are infuriating, almost to the point of being unlistenable.

Was The Complete Short Stories worth the listening time?

I have not quite reached the end, and I'm starting to view them as a bit of chore. I now skip the ones read by Ric Jerrom.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A myriad permutations and possibilities.

A distortion in time, the sound of metal infections, induced insomnia, space interminable space, extreme Synesthesia, dystopian societies, visions of a past that never was, cities that never ever end and a myriad permutations and possibilities described with eloquence and beauty this is a very large gift that is well worth the price. A treat to discover and enjoy.

For information on the content look in Wikipedia under the name of the collection.

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23 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The master weaver

Trying to find an odd angle that J.G hasn't used is like trying to find a moral standpoint at a porn convention, it's just not going to happen...the joy comes in watching a master twist, subvert and surprise you with wonderfully crafted tales.

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22 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Incredible value.

Sixty five hours of masterfully read stories, by the master of the masterfully told story. This is s collection that is simply wonderful.

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17 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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The Many Haunting Voices of JG Ballard

This is a truly magnificent collection of Ballard's short stories. It gives the listener a sense of his breathtaking scope, his recurring themes, his poignant insights into time, memory and human psychology. It also reminds those unfamiliar with Ballard that, despite the stories for which he is best known due to the film versions of Empire of the Sun and Crash, he was primarily a sci-fi / speculative fiction writer.

I enjoyed hearing variation in the reading voices for the stories, but I must admit I preferred some of them more than others. That being said, none of the narrators take away from the writing.

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16 people found this helpful