John Wyndham

[Fried Egg]

Heh i saw a beautiful Hardcover version of Midwich Cuckoos in a second hand store yesterday, i stopped myself from buying in the last minut because i wasnt sure if was one of his better ones, now i know better.....

I thought it was very good. I wouldn't hesitate if you see it again.

Did he write another rated book of his he mixed SF/Horror ?

I haven't read it but isn't "Day of the Triffids" supposed to be SF/Horror?

 

[j d worthington]

I would certainly classify it as such. It has what amount to many Gothic elements adapted for a newer age -- that sense of claustrophobia, the almost impressionistic settings (and sometimes characters), etc. It's quite a good book, and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in his work....

 

[blacknorth]

I read Plan For Chaos this week.

I think I have to agree broadly with Harrison's opinion. The novel starts out nicely, with a great premise that reminded me of some very post-modern work by, say, Adam Roberts . But Part 2 of the book goes seriously awry and thows away the promise of Part 1 in a welter of confused prose and even more confused action pieces. The end is abominable.

An interesting footnote in Wyndham's career, I think, nothing more.

 

[Fried Egg]

For any who are interested, Waterstones are doing a 3 for 2 offer on all Wyndham books.

 

[Fried Egg]

I've now read four of Wyndham's novels and while they've all been good, some are definitely better than others. Surprisingly I'm still to read "Day of the Triffids" but these are the ones I have read, in order of preference:

1) The Midwich Cuckoos
2) The Chrysalids
3) Trouble with Lichen
4) Chocky

I have "The Kraken Wakes" lined up to read next, as well as the short story collection "The Seeds of Time".

 

[thatollie]

iirc, Seeds of Time is a cracking read. I don't think there's a story in it that I didn't enjoy.

 

[Fried Egg]

I've just finished "The Kraken Wakes" and it got me thinking about this allegation that he wrote "cosy catastrophes" because I really didn't feel that this story could be classified as such. Unfortunately, discussing it must invariably constitute a spoiler:

Spoiler

Okay, there is a somewhat happy ending, in which civilization is beginning to re-emerge from the ashes and hope is restored but it can hardly be described as going back on as it did before. The vast majority of humanity has been wiped out and the landscape irreversibly changed (due the melting of the polar ice caps). I wouldn't have said that humanity "triumphed" in this story, only just about survived and permanently changed.