About This Book
A powerful post-apocalyptic allegory of persecution and intolerance, the Penguin Modern Classics edition of John Wyndham's science fiction masterpiece The Day of the Triffids contains an introduction by M. John Harrison. Nuclear war has devastated the world, bringing with it a host of genetic mutations. In the bleak, primitive society that has emerged from its ruins, any sign of deviation, no matter how small, is ruthlessly rooted out and destroyed. David lives in fear of discovery, for he is part of a secret group of children who are able to communicate with each other by transferring thought-shapes into each other's minds. As they grow older, they feel increasingly isolated. Then one of them marries a 'norm', with terrifying consequences. John Wyndham (1903-1969) the son of a barrister, tried a number of careers including farming, law, commercial art and advertising before writing short stories, intended for sale, in 1925. After serving in the Civil Service and the Army during the Second World War, he decided to try writing a modified form of Science Fiction, which he called 'logical fantasy'. Among his most famous books are The Day of the Triffids (1951), The Kraken Wakes (1953), The Chrysalids (1955), The Midwich Cuckoos (1957, filmed twice as Village of the Damned), Trouble with Lichen (1960), and Chocky (1968). If you enjoyed The Chrysalids, you might like Arthur Miller's The Crucible, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'One of those few authors whose compulsive readability is a compliment to the intelligence' Spectator
What Members Thought
This short novel delves into another made up society in a post-apocalyptic world. Wyndham deftly blends new ideas with the familiar trope of an old world’s influence upon a recovering society. Keep in mind that The Chrysalids was written in 1955, so the trope may have been quite fresh. The premise lies in a society blinded by their faith into believing there is only one way to live, one way to look, and one way to think. Nature, of course, has ways of deviating from one sided belief. Whether that deviation is physical, biological, or psychological, it eventually comes forth as some sort of agent of change. Because change is life. The narrative is told in first person through the eyes of a growing young boy named David. We grow with him as we discover his world and the characters around him. Wyndham has an easy style that whisks us away on a wondrous and thought provoking adventure in a future time. He doesn’t back down from the bland bigotry and ignorant violence in this society. There were quite a few scenes that caused involuntary wincing in either sympathy or anger. But David’s innocence, and the gradual loss of it, keeps us fairly positive that things will work out for him. The growth of his character feels natural. There were points in the second half of the book that crossed chunks of exposition with world building that felt forced, but these parts passed quickly and the action and tension of the narrative picked right back up. This is a solid entry into the sci-fi masterworks collection and a solid entry into the post-apocalyptic canon.
Our Reading Schedule
December 26
Session 1: Session 1
December 31
Session 2: Session 2