| Product: |
The Chrysalids - John Wyndham |
| Date: |
13/09/01 (2177 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: good read in "the old style of Sci-Fi
Disadvantages: none
Penguin books.
ISBN 0141181478
Set maybe a thousand years into the future after planet Earth and the human race have been decimated by nuclear war, the inhabitants of Waznuk (Northwest Canada?) operate a "zero tolerance" towards "deviations from the norm". Animals are slaughtered, children sterilised and banished to "the fringes" to fend for their selves as best they can.
Into such a world is born a small group of telepaths who live lives of secrecy until events conspire to make the wider community aware of their existence beginning a race against time in their attempt to reach safety.
This book written in 1955 still offers a good read despite having a slightly old "British" feel to it the characters are reasonably well drawn with quite "believable" descriptions of what it might be like to be a telepath. The pace of the story is good and is only spoilt by a slightly "preachy" monologue by one of the characters at the end.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes science fiction and particularly stories about telepaths and/or the old post apocalyptic stories so popular in the 60s and 70s.
Summary:
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Last comments:
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- 03/01/03 Yup, it was a nice review but perhaps a tad more info - without, naturally, spoiling the plot. It's probably worth pointing out clearly all the business about genetic mutation, the way plants get burned and animals slaughtered and so what happens to humans?
It's an interesting book, I read it aged 11 or something and then got another copy more recently when a friend said that you can read it as a metaphor for being queer (mind you, another friend of mine reckons the "Alien" films are all about headlice - I was very fed up with studying them, and no, she was joking). It's also a strong satire on a certain kind of religious self-righteousness and blinkered vision, and an interesting dicussion of cultural relativism.
I do like John Wyndham, he's rather sweet in some ways; dire love stories, but forgivable, I find. And they still haven't remotely finished with the subjects he raised.
Am I right in thinking I can't copy and paste my Amazon reviews to here, by the way? I did write some rather good ones, in the days before I realised I could get paid and have interesting discussions too. |
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- 18/09/01 Thanks Deany will do. |
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- 18/09/01 Fair enough Deany, I have a look at yours and let you know. Thanks. |
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