The Drowned World follows the spirit of disaster novels. The characters live in a flooded London that has changed the landscape, their lifestyles and their mental state and relationships. The hero, however, not only accepts the cataclysmic rains that flood the world as an inevitable natural phenomenon, but seems to reconcile with them, if not “conspire” to survive.
The descriptions of flooded London are impressive. The images-scenes create an evocative atmosphere reminiscent of the landscape of the Triassic period, that is, the first period of the Mesozoic century. In this bizarre landscape, human conflicts take on another dimension, the emotions and reactions of the characters are tied to the water, held captive by it.
The Drowned World, with its realism, the overwhelming vividness of its heroes and the chilling possibility of coming true, established Ballard as a great writer.
