A compelling dystopia

Millennium People," the latest work by British author J.G. Ballard, is a blunt and compelling novel of ideas, rather than people. Keeping in line with his previous two novels, "Millennium People" is a dystopian vision of modern urban life, attacking the trappings of modern existence. He poses the question of the purpose of random terrorism in our post-9/11 world and raises some important points about the overworked, paranoid middle classes through the mystery of "Millennium People."\nDr. David Markham is a middle class psychologist living a comfortable, complacent life in London. However, when an act of senseless terrorism kills dozens of people in Heathrow Airport, including his ex-wife Laura, his comfortable world is shattered. At his current wife's urging, David begins to investigate, along with the police, what happened to his former wife.\nWhen following up a police lead, David is drawn to the neighborhood Chelsea Marina. The police believe someone in the area had information about the bombing, so David meets the residents of the area. What begins as an investigation into his ex's death slowly leads to him becoming further and further ensnared in the quiet revolution of the middle class enclave of Chelsea Marina. David, throughout the novel, is constantly treading the line between active participant and detached observer.\nThe leader of the area is the charismatic Dr. Richard Gould. Disgusted with what he sees as the mindless rot of the English middle classes, he tries to stir up a revolution with his ragtag group of weekend revolutionaries. His influence is causing seemingly ordinary government workers, teachers and mid-level professionals to detach themselves from the trappings of their existence; former model citizens are bucking the self-imposed burdens of propriety and civic responsibility, breaking laws they never would have considered breaking under normal circumstances.\nHowever, what begins as the residents of Chelsea shedding their trappings, rapidly spirals out of control into an orgy of random violence. This pack of revolutionaries blows up the Tate Modern and the local Blockbuster, all in the name of the greater good of humanity. A television presenter is shot at random. The BBC Promenade is disrupted by a smoke bomb. The residents of Chelsea Marina revolt, burning their homes, fighting with the police and fleeing to the countryside, only to return a few days later. The dramatic confrontation between the revolutionaries and the world they are fighting against was for naught.\nThe main flaw with "Millennium People" lies not with the plot or message, but with the character development. David is either exceedingly dull or naïve, and either way it is bewildering. His naïveté is necessary for the plot to unfold the way it does, but does not make him a well constructed character. The other characters are also similarly one-dimensional, with the notable exception of David's wife Anne. She is perhaps the most developed of the characters, yet only a fleeting presence in most of the novel.\nA novel of ideas, "Millennium People" explores modern urban life with a dystopian flair. Though some of the paranoid characters are not well developed, it does raise important questions about violence and order in society.