Synopsis
James Hinton disappears from an asylum. The staff and administrator search but turn up nobody. The administrator advances the idea that Hinton never actually existed.
History
First publication: Science Fantasy, June 1963
Review
Another remarkable story by Ballard. You could argue that this is not science fiction. It really doesn’t matter how you categorize it. Ballard plays with ideas of psychology and philosophy and questions the nature of reality. He shows how we can easily convince ourselves, and others around us, that what is real is fake—a reality that is troubling our world presently. If you can’t supply objective evidence, then how can you say something is fact? And if the objective evidence is destroyed, was it ever real? When those in authority make the claim that it was all a lie, the masses believe it, because they are the authority. But there is an objective reality behind it all that no amount of smokescreening can eliminate. Brilliant story and recommended.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
The Complete Short Stories, hardcover, Flamingo, 2001-11-00
