Myths of the Near Future is a short-story collection by J. G. Ballard

J. G. Ballard

James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...

, first published in 1982.
It contains the following stories:

• "Myths of the Near Future"
• "Having a Wonderful Time" - Written in the form of postcards, the story chronicles a young couple who vacation on the Canary Islands
  Canary Islands
  The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
  
  , but their flight home is repeatedly cancelled until it becomes apparent that they--along with thousands of other families vacationing--will never return home, and have been forever exiled.
• "A Host of Furious Fancies" - A doctor looks into the curious case of a young girl who became orphaned after her father inexplicably killed himself several years after her mother died. In the care of nuns, the girl shows bizzar behaviors, such as burning childhood books, and obsessively cleaning out the fireplaces afterwards. Despite the fact that she inherited millions from her parents, she treats herself as a servant, allowing herself to become malnurished. It is suspected by the doctor that before his death, the girl's father had engaged in an incestuous relationship with her, and to cope with the trauma she is playing out the fairytale of Cinderella
  Cinderella
  "Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
  
  .
• "Zodiac 2000"
• "News from the Sun"
• "Theatre of War"
• "The Dead Time"
• "The Smile" - A man buys what he thinks to be a very life-like and realistic doll named Serena. Over time, he makes new discoveries about Serena, and comes to the conclusion that she is actually a real girl who has been taxidermied. Enchanted by her frozen smile, he falls in love with her and treats her as if she were his wife, slowly falling into paranoia.
• "Motel Architecture" - A man who lives alone begins to suspect that there is someone in his house, convinced that he can hear the intruder breathing. It soon becomes apparent that the intruder is trying to kill him.
• "The Intensive Care Unit" - The story takes place within a society in which everyone is isolated, living alone and communicating (much like webcams) through their TVs. A young family tries to kill each other after they decide to meet in person.

"The Dead Time" (1977) is a quasi-autobiographical tale suggested by Ballard's release from a Japanese prison camp at the close of World War II — part of the subject matter which later inspired the novel Empire of the Sun

Empire of the Sun

Empire of the Sun is a 1984 novel by J. G. Ballard which was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story, "The Dead Time" , it is essentially fiction but draws extensively on Ballard's experiences in World War II...

, which, however, features totally different characters and story line.

The Mercury Prize

Mercury Prize

The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...

-winning band Klaxons

Klaxons

Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....

 named their debut album

Myths of the Near Future (album)

Klaxons' French label Because released "As Above, So Below" as a limited edition clear vinyl 12" in November 2007. The 12" features two versions of the track, a French language version and a remix by Justice....

after the book, and have been quoted as saying they are fans of Ballard's work, reflected in their science fiction and futuristic lyrical content.

External links

• The Terminal Collection: JG Ballard First Editions