4/5 stars
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
It’s a long time since I’ve read any John Wyndham and I recently decided I would read or re-read all of his books (though not all at once!). John Wyndham holds a special place in my reading history; my English teacher, back when I was in my teens, despairing of getting me to read anything of any value (actually just ‘anything’ was probably more accurate!) suddenly decided to try me on some science fiction, since maths and physics were my greatest interests. And John Wyndham was what he came up with. I loved them and now, some forty plus years on, I’m still reading science fiction and still loving it. But… rather shockingly, I’ve not read any Wyndham since that time.
So this was the first one up for re-reading and I approached it with some trepidation. Would it still be as good as I remembered? Actually I really can’t remember just how good it did strike me back then but, since Wyndham kick started both my science fiction reading and my reading in general, I must have been at least moderately impressed! And I wasn’t disappointed coming back to it.
The Chrysalids is a tight little book, with just enough description to instil a vivid picture whilst never boring the reader. Almost all of the character development, which is very strong and believable, is achieved through actions and thoughts not description. It can be read on several levels. As a good, plausible, post-apocalyptic, science fiction story it excels; he keeps the mutations of his deviations reasonable (if not the normal’s imaginings of them), their mutations are not so excessive that they couldn’t possibly survive (a mistake often made by other authors, especially writing around this time). The pace and action are both excellent and the prose smooth and easy to read. In other words it’s a really enjoyable post-apocalyptic read.
However this books goes much farther; it is a scathing condemnation of bigotry (especially unjustified religious bigotry) and the fear of being excluded from society. It is also a condemnation of ultra-conservatism; life is change and The Chrsyalids proposes that such change should be embraced not feared.
A great book that I highly recommend anyone to read.
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
It’s a long time since I’ve read any John Wyndham and I recently decided I would read or re-read all of his books (though not all at once!). John Wyndham holds a special place in my reading history; my English teacher, back when I was in my teens, despairing of getting me to read anything of any value (actually just ‘anything’ was probably more accurate!) suddenly decided to try me on some science fiction, since maths and physics were my greatest interests. And John Wyndham was what he came up with. I loved them and now, some forty plus years on, I’m still reading science fiction and still loving it. But… rather shockingly, I’ve not read any Wyndham since that time.
So this was the first one up for re-reading and I approached it with some trepidation. Would it still be as good as I remembered? Actually I really can’t remember just how good it did strike me back then but, since Wyndham kick started both my science fiction reading and my reading in general, I must have been at least moderately impressed! And I wasn’t disappointed coming back to it.
The Chrysalids is a tight little book, with just enough description to instil a vivid picture whilst never boring the reader. Almost all of the character development, which is very strong and believable, is achieved through actions and thoughts not description. It can be read on several levels. As a good, plausible, post-apocalyptic, science fiction story it excels; he keeps the mutations of his deviations reasonable (if not the normal’s imaginings of them), their mutations are not so excessive that they couldn’t possibly survive (a mistake often made by other authors, especially writing around this time). The pace and action are both excellent and the prose smooth and easy to read. In other words it’s a really enjoyable post-apocalyptic read.
However this books goes much farther; it is a scathing condemnation of bigotry (especially unjustified religious bigotry) and the fear of being excluded from society. It is also a condemnation of ultra-conservatism; life is change and The Chrsyalids proposes that such change should be embraced not feared.
A great book that I highly recommend anyone to read.
(despite my current ban on buying more books until I've made greater inroads in the current huge pile.)
