The Chrysalids

John Wyndham

Apr 2010 · Penguin UK

About this ebook

FROM THE CLASSIC SCI-FI WRITER AND AUTHOR OF THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS

A disturbing post-nuclear apocalypse story of genetic mutation that explores the lengths the intolerant will go to keep themselves pure.

David Strorm's father doesn't approve of Angus Morton's unusually large horses, calling them blasphemies against nature. Little does he realise that his son, his niece Rosalind and their friends, have their own secret aberration which would label them as mutants.

But as David and Rosalind grow older, it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery - or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands . . .

'An outstanding success' New York Times

'Perfect timing, astringent humour. . . one of the few authors whose compulsive readability is a compliment to the intelligence' Spectator

'Remains fresh and disturbing in an entirely unexpected way' Guardian

Ratings and reviews

Really good! It's a bit disturbing but if your OK with that then it's a great read. (The rest of the review contains spoilers) I like the little detail that at the end Petra's friend turns out to be from New Zealand which is probably the safest place to be in a nuclear war. The author is not afraid to make the story dark like how Katherine was tortured or Harriet's baby which I admire. Solid book. Worth your time and money. Just don't read it if your really emotional or easily disturbed.

A grade school English class requirement to read and it opened the world of sci-fi novels to me. Now 50 years later, I'm able to say, still a great story and still a favorite.

A great read and very well written. I find that many more contemporary authors fall far short of the standard of this novel.

About the author

John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Benyon Harris was born in 1903, the son of a barrister. He tried a number of careers including farming, law, commercial art and advertising, and started writing short stories, intended for sale, in 1925. From 1930 to 1939 he wrote short stories of various kinds under different names, almost exclusively for American publications, while also writing detective novels. During the war he was in the Civil Service and then the Army. In 1946 he went back to writing stories for publication in the USA and decided to try a modified form of science fiction, a form he called 'logical fantasy'. As John Wyndham he wrote The Day of the Triffids, The Kraken Wakes, The Chrysalids, The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as Village of the Damned), The Seeds of Time, Trouble with Lichen, The Outward Urge, Consider Her Ways and Others, Web and Chocky. John Wyndham died in March 1969.