The Midwich Cuckoos: Now a major Sky series starring Keeley Hawes and Max Beesley

John Wyndham

Aug 2008 · Penguin UK

About this ebook

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

Now a modern reimagining starring Keeley Hawes and Max Beesley, available to watch on Sky.

'Exciting, unsettling and technically brilliant' Spectator

In the sleepy English village of Midwich, a mysterious silver object appears and all the inhabitants fall unconscious. A day later the object is gone and everyone awakens unharmed - except that all the women in the village are discovered to be pregnant.

The resultant children of Midwich do not belong to their parents: all are blonde, all are golden eyed. They grow up too fast and their minds exhibit frightening abilities that give them control over others and brings them into conflict with the villagers just as a chilling realisation dawns on the world outside . . .

The Midwich Cuckoos is the classic tale of aliens in our midst, exploring how we respond when confronted by those who are innately superior to us in every conceivable way.

Ratings and reviews

A surprisingly good read. I saw the film, Village of the Dammed, based on the book as a young girl. The book is so much better with characters brought richly to life. The vocabulary use, both challenging and most enjoyable.

Terrific book, Cliff hangers built of substance and kept throughout the book. Really was an excellent book.

Excellent narrative, thoughtful and still relevant today

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.