John Wyndham; The Midwich Cuckoos.

[nixie]

There is a TV series based on Midwich Cukoos starting soon.
My brother and I were discussing this and although we've both seen Village of the Dammed, we haven't read the book.
I had to have it, the writing style is rather simplistic but it flows easy, characters aren't very well fleshed out, maybe Zellaby is slightly. This hasn't in the slightest taking anything away from my enjoyment, can't believe I've not read it before or any other Wyndham books.
I may have read Day of the Triffids at school but could be confused with the visual adaptions. Hopefully I'll not be screaming at the TV because its all wrong.

 

[Mr Cairo]

I read the book in my youth and have seen both film adaptations several times, I prefer the alien'ess look of the kids in the original but prefer the remake for all other aspects. My only worry is its a pretty slight story for a series and the makers will drag the telling out way past its premise or turn it into a more kids with Xmen powers against the adults story.

1 series with 6 episodes should cover it all.

 

[BAYLOR]

I have this book but ,have not read it yet. Ive seen both versions of the film and like both. I also recommend the film Children of the Damned 1964 which was follow up to the original film.

Could this work as s series? Yes, it could.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I read the book as a teenager. I thought it well written and thought provoking at the time but not having read it for well over half a century I have no idea what I would think of it now. I did recognize it at the time as the book behind the movies because I remembered seeing tv commercials for the movies when I was much younger. The commercials, naturally, focussed on the scariest and most sensational parts, and I found them quite terrifying, consequently never did watch them. A well made tv series might interest me now.

 

[Toby Frost]

It's a tricky one. While a modern adaptation could now include the full horror of the book, I think the creepiness of the book and film comes partly from the 1950s middle-class English setting and the "little adult" style of children people were then expected to have (to what extent, I'm not sure). It could be not completely outdated but somewhat tied to its time, rather like The Stepford Wives. As Mr Cairo says, let's hope they don't drag it out.

 

[Rodders]

I've just added this to my TBR pile as I have never read any of John Wyndham's books and I am led to believe they are good. I'm actually rather embarrassed to say that I have yet to read The Day of the Triffids too.

I've not seen The Village of the Damned, but my interest has been piqued due to the new adaptation which I've seen advertised on the telly.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

A tv show of The Chrysalids would be interesting...

 

[Danny McG]

I have this book but ,have not read it yet. Ive seen both versions of the film and like both. I also recommend the film Children of the Damned 1964 which was follow up to the original film.

Could this work as s series? Yes, it could.

I, for many years, had Children of the Damned confused in my head with The Damned starring Oliver Reed.
A totally different film based on a book written by H.L. Lawrence

The Damned (1962 film) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[mosaix]

There is a TV series based on Midwich Cukoos starting soon.
My brother and I were discussing this and although we've both seen Village of the Dammed, we haven't read the book.
I had to have it, the writing style is rather simplistic but it flows easy, characters aren't very well fleshed out, maybe Zellaby is slightly. This hasn't in the slightest taking anything away from my enjoyment, can't believe I've not read it before or any other Wyndham books.
I may have read Day of the Triffids at school but could be confused with the visual adaptions. Hopefully I'll not be screaming at the TV because its all wrong.

We had this book for our library reading group about three years ago.

Your point about the characters not being fleshed out is an interesting one, @nixie.

In my view most of the characters, early on in the book anyway, are there to provide differing opinions and reactions regarding the pregnancies.

 

[HareBrain]

Maybe the new series will be more like "The Bloodening".

The Damned starring Oliver Reed.

Didn't that have the opening song with the lyrics "Black leather, black leather, black black black!"? Apart from that, it wasn't bad.

 

[BAYLOR]

I, for many years, had Children of the Damned confused in my head with The Damned starring Oliver Reed.
A totally different film based on a book written by H.L. Lawrence

The Damned (1962 film) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Ive seen this film , a great film but , a real downer.

 

[BAYLOR]

A tv show of The Chrysalids would be interesting...

I read that one some years back under the title Rebirth. Agreed, it would make terrific series.

 

[Rodders]

Slightly off topic, so forgive me.

This thread is a great example of the value in reboots and remakes and their capacity to bring a new audience to older books and movies. I doubt I'd read the book if it wasn't for the new TV Series bringing it to my attention. Just sayin'

 

[nixie]

Slightly off topic, so forgive me.

This thread is a great example of the value in reboots and remakes and their capacity to bring a new audience to older books and movies. I doubt I'd read the book if it wasn't for the new TV Series bringing it to my attention. Just sayin'

Agree, not only has the TV series brought this book to my attention. It has introduced me to other Wyndham books.

 

[Danny McG]

Didn't that have the opening song with the lyrics "Black leather, black leather, black black black!"? Apart from that, it wasn't bad.

Yeah, and Ollie being the hard leader of the rocker gang

 

[Danny McG]

The intro as discussed (tell you what, I'm going to download the entire film and view it once again!)

 

[Bugg]

I absolutely loved the book when I read it many moons ago. I keep seeing the trailers for the new tv adaptation so I must give it a go at some point.

 

[Rodders]

Bumping this as I’ve just started reading the book. I’m only 40 pages in but it moves quite nicely. I’m quite enjoying the language.

 

[JunkMonkey]

A tv show of The Chrysalids would be interesting...

The first time I read The Chrysalids I was excited to realise it was a Great Gay Novel hiding in plain sight. I have no idea if that was Wyndham's intention (though I strongly suspect it was) but it didn't take much to read the telepath children hiding their secret from a strict, religious, condemnatory society, as a straight metaphor for homosexuality which was, at the time, illegal in the UK. Talk about reforming the laws against homosexuality were certainly in the air in the mid 50s, the time the book was written. (Published in 1955.) Apparently it was originally titled "Time for a Change". The Wolfenden Report, an important, groundbreaking step on the path to reform was published two years later.

"But what got them so agitated about us is that nothing shows. We've been living among them for nearly twenty years and they didn't suspect. We could pass for normal anywhere."(The Chrysalids).

 

[Toby Frost]

Is there any indication that Wyndham was gay or particularly sympathetic to the cause? It could certainly be read that way, but you could probably say the same thing about a non-conforming political or religious group.