Billenium Short Story Review

Facebook Pin LinkedIn Email

This is admittedly my first time reading anything by J. G. Ballard. I was familiar with some of his work, such as Crash (1973) and The Drowned World (1962), which is on my TBR. But in the spirit of reading more classic science fiction, I thought I would take a look at Ballard’s short story “Billenium.”

First appearing in the 1961 issue of New Worlds, “Billenium” tells the story of Ward, a man who splits a cubicle-sized apartment with his friend in a dystopian future. Due to rampant overcrowding of cities, people remain confined to tiny spaces to live. However, Ward and his friend discover a hidden compartment in their new space, which they can do whatever they want with.

I admired how thought-provoking this piece was in that the themes it presented were still startingly relevant to today. It touched on issues such as overpopulation, the cost of renting a small space, and even loss of autonomy in a dystopia. Fitting that this story takes place in the (then future) 21st century. Typing this in the middle of my shoebox apartment only adds insult to injury. The story also offers a bleak future in that the people who have to deal with living in such cramped spaces are in constant danger. When stuck in the crowd, people risk getting “trampled underfoot.” The loss of autonomy only reinforces itself with the story’s ending, which I won’t spoil. But it offers a brilliant satire and critique of the idea of freedom in a perilous place.

I also really enjoyed the writing of this piece. It offered a matter-of-fact description of what was going on and how the characters existed in the cramped space. I pictured everything clearly throughout the story. By the end, I came away with the feeling that I had been cramped inside with the characters. Here’s an example of the writing I enjoyed:

“Two years earlier, Ward had been caught in [a crowd] outside the stadium, for over forty-eight hours was trapped in a gigantic pedestrian jam containing over 20,000 people, fed by the crowds leaving the stadium on one side and those approaching it on the other. … he vividly remembered the nightmare of swaying helplessly on his feet as the jam shifted and heaved, terrified of losing his balance and being trampled underfoot. When the police had finally sealed off the stadium and dispersed the jam, he had gone back to his cubicle and slept for a week, his body blue with bruises.”

This story offers an exciting introduction to Ballard’s work. I look forward to reading more! I might bump up The Drowned World on my TBR list as a result. Thanks for reading!

You can get a FREE LIST of 100+ science fiction and fantasy literary journals to submit to when you subscribe!

I have a freelance editing service now! Contact me about book editing, beta reading, and brainstorming book titles. Use the contact form below to ask for a free 15-minute consultation.