Publisher’s Blurb
Ruins exemplifies the novella form – and shows Brian Aldiss at the top of his writing powers. Departing from the science fiction arena in which his reputation has chiefly derived, he tells the story of a sad and self-absorbed everyman who recovers simply by acknowledging the power of the human spirit. In a relentless peeling-away of the trappings of modern affluence, Brian Aldiss has made a powerful, distilled fiction which travels the cathartric road of human quest – from aimlessness down into destruction and on into survival and hope.

Brian Says

This novella adheres to a classic novella pattern – brevity, few characters, archetypal roles. The leading character, Hugh Billing, shuttles between England and America.

FIRST EDITION: Hutchinson, 1987