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Description of  The Wind from Nowhere

J. G. Ballard was among the leading experts on destroying the world. Throughout his career he pummeled the human race with natural disaster, environmental catastrophe, economic turmoil, genetic disintegration, and other means of destruction. "The Wind from Nowhere" is prototypical Ballard, in that regards. A massive, worldwide windstorm, seemingly originating from nowhere, springs up and increases steadily in strength. Within days, buildings are collapsing and roads are impassable. The human characters are small in every sense, emphasizing their helplessness in the face of global catastrophe. They take a back seat to the title character, the wind itself. Most of the book is a panoply of sheer destruction. Each chapter ratchets up the scale of the disaster, while futility of the bureaucratic system becomes more and more evident. Ballard's language is not as lavish as in some later novels, but the basic vocabulary here is quite fitting for the story that he's telling. It's one without beauty or hope, but certainly not without power.