Feral Architecture: Ballardian Horrors Reviewed by Logan Lynch

Feral Architecture: Ballardian Horrors (Weirdpunk Books), edited by Sam Richard, investigates the perverted capacities of J.G. Ballard’s influence on the science fiction and horror genres. In the foreword, Scott Dwyer highlights J.G. Ballard’s innovatively disturbing and erotic work, reminding us that Ballard “[put] the dark side of our subconscious dreams and traumas under his microscope,” and “[let] our deepest nightmares, or maybe fantasies, out to play.” The stories included in this anthology honor Ballard’s work by combining the erotic and the disturbing, presenting tales of cancerous threesomes, elusive muses, and dazed grief all in captivating, amorphous realities.

“Farewell to the Mycelium” by Brendan Vidito examines the juxtaposition of knowing too much and nothing at all about the people around you. The protagonist, a man overwhelmed with the information flooding his mind at all times, takes a major risk as he sets out for peace and quiet. Faced with his new isolation, he struggles to comprehend the uncanny world around him. In prose filled with dread and panic, Vidito creates an immersive tale of what happens when the world goes quiet.

“Fractal Decay” by Donyae Coles follows a painter as she searches for her missing muse in a too-hot city amid a power outage. Deeply eerie and full of reminders of the unknown, the story’s backdrop is nothing short of an enticing abyss. Coles paints a dreamlike narrative that, like the protagonist artist, leaves the reader chasing echoes of something wonderfully intangible. The mysterious and alluring nature of Coles’ writing will have readers coming back time and time again.

“Just This One Thing” by Sara Century is a captivating story about a woman stuck in her apartment during lockdown who finds a lump of flesh growing on one of her walls. Having limited contact with the outside world and craving connection, she finds an odd companionship in the strange presence. In vivid prose, Century gets under the reader’s skin by describing a world facing yet another lockdown and social unrest and issuing a haunting reminder that no space is truly safe. 

While not every story was for me, these tales explore the depths of J.G. Ballard’s inventive writing as well as compelling facets of the human experience, including devotion to your work or craft and human connection. Feral Architecture: Ballardian Horrors is a must-read for those seeking thought-provoking stories in weirdly beautiful and beautifully weird prose.

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Logan Lynch is studying English Language and Literature at Stevenson University and the publishing intern with Neon Hemlock. They are also the Associate Editor at The Greenspring Review, Stevenson’s literary and media magazine, where you can find some of their writing. They live in Maryland.