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The Seeds of Time
The Seeds of Time by John Wyndham Published: 1956 Length: 222 pages John Wyndham is one of my favourite writers, but before last year, I hadn’t read any of his short stories. He’s mostly known for his novels, but he was a prolific short story writer, publishing them throughout his entire writing career. Wikipedia has seventy stories listed. The first, Worlds to Barter, was published in 1931, a few years after his first novel under a pen name was published and twenty years before his first novel as John Wyndham. The last non-posthumously published story, A Life Postponed, came out in 1968, a year before his death. I really dislike…
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Trouble With Lichen
Trouble With Lichen by John Wyndham Published: 1960 Length: 204 pages John Wyndham is one of my favourite writers. His novels are beautifully written, and his stories feel fresh and innovative, despite being written half a century ago in a genre that is always building and expanding on itself. Unfortunately, Trouble With Lichen wasn’t my favourite of his. I still enjoyed it, but it didn’t hold my attention the way his novels typically do. I am making my way through the entirety of his bibliography, so I guess it’s inevitable that I’ll come across a few of his novels that fall a bit short for me. The premise is fascinating.…
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The Kraken Wakes
The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham Published: 1953 Narrated by: Alex Jennings A lot of stories take place in a world after an apocalypse, but The Kraken Wakes follows a couple who witness the first warning signs and live through the worst of it. In The Day of the Triffids, Wyndham used the societal breakdown as a backdrop to a more personal story, but in The Kraken Wakes he really focused on how the world was reacting. The personal story was still there, but it felt like its purpose was to give a viewpoint for this larger problem rather than to really explore the relationship. This is the first-hand account…
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Chocky
Chocky by John Wyndham Published: 1968 This is my third John Wyndham novel, and he’s quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. I love this older, pulpy science fiction. He has very creative ideas, but I wouldn’t say the ideas themselves are the main focus, as with some science fiction. They’re more of a backdrop for really interesting character interaction. The premise of Chocky is simple – a young couple’s adopted child, Matthew, has begun hearing a voice. The story is told from his father’s point of view, and he isn’t too concerned at the beginning. Their youngest, Matthew’s sister Polly, had an imaginary friend for about a year when…
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The Day of The Triffids
The Day of The Triffids (audio) by John Wyndham Published: 1951 Narration: Samuel West The Chrysalids was one of my favourite books as a teenager. It was assigned reading in one of my classes, and I expected it to be dull, but it really took me by surprise. For some odd reason, though, I never looked into any of Wyndham’s other books and eventually just forgot about him. I knew of The Day of the Triffids purely because I had heard it was an inspiration for both The Walking Dead and 28 Days Later. I watched the old BBC series when I first got Netflix (holds up quite well actually…
