The day off the Triffids is probably one of the author John Wyndham's best known books and a personal favorite of mine. Possibly because I first discovered it when I was about 12, devouring the horror of it over a weekend, or maybe that I then later studied it at "O level" and discovered a ... Read review
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lucky few to retain his sight. But another menace stalks blind and sighted alike. With nobody to stop their spread the Triffids, mobile plants with stingers...
Triffids. Divided by blindness and societal breakdown, humanity is at the mercy of the carniverous Triffids...This full-cast drama is based on the cla*sic...
A review by kent-ledger28 on The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham November 21st, 2005
Author's product rating:
Would you read it again?
Yes
Story
Outstanding
Characters
Good
Readability
Excellent
How does it compare to other works by the same author?
Excellent
Advantages:
Thought provoking - entertaining - dammed good read
Disadvantages:
none
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
The day off the Triffids is probably one of the author John Wyndham's best known books and a personal favorite of mine. Possibly because I first discovered it when I was about 12, devouring the horror of it over a weekend, or maybe that I then later studied it at "O level" and discovered a whole new level to the book I had missed when I was younger. For whatever reasons I now have two copies that I find I can go back to time and time again and never be boared with.
Written in 1951. The Cold War was clearly preying on Wyndham's mind at the time of writing, and the book mirrors a growing sense of unease felt by many during this time, Where they felt man was on the brink of wiping himself off the face of the earth, either through war or industrial accident and that we were delving in to scientific areas of research we knew very little about. At the time genetic research was in its very early stages and there was a feeling in the populous that we were interfering with something that would ultimately come back and bite us on the bum. Bill Masen who is the hero of the story, is a biologist working farm that genetically engineers a Triffids, that are processed to produce an oil. Although the Triffids seem alien, it seems that Wyndham created them to be a response the overwhelming belief at that time that Russia was biologically irresponsible in its use of nuclear and chemical materials, that its space program was dangerous and ultimately that communism denied a person the right to be an individual. This kills two birds with one stone and gives tangibility to an evil foe that readers at the time could identify with. In fact the hero Masen Blames the comet debris-induced blindness to satellite weapons systems falling out of orbit.
Tales of survival against the odds are always interesting, and Wyndham has a knack of showing the decay of the cities, and images rural England lapsing from pretty cultivated meadows back to bog that are very thought provoking.
The story The story opens as Bill Masen, eyes bandaged from Triffid sting at work, wakes in a hospital to an eerie silence. No doctors, no nurses, no breakfast. He tentatively removes his bandages, only to find that everyone else in the surrounding city seems to be blind. In fact, everyone in the world has been blinded, This is due to the previous night's light-show of beautiful green shooting stars, attributed to be debris from a comet. As Masen goes in search of help and food, the panic and desperation of a blinded populace is revealed. During his search Masen finds Jossella who also missed the previous nights meteor shower and escaped blindness, together they join a group of sighted and blind survivors who determine to escape the chaos of London and start a new life in the country, where they have a better chance at making a stand.
The survivors have a Bleak choice. either help the vast majority of blind survive a few more weeks, until the food gives out, or be killed by Triffids. Alternatively the sighted could cut and run, join up with the each other and try to make a stand against the Triffids. But this would leave the mass of humanity to die.
Once in the country side the pace quickens as the survivors race to secure a strong hold against the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world. They were harvested and farmed by man, who not knowing welcome The Triffids can grow to over seven feet tall, pull their roots from the ground to walk, and kill a man with one quick lash of their poisonous stingers. With society in shambles, they are now poised with the aid of a group collective consciousness to prey on their abusers, humankind.
Bill and Josella encounter a handful of new societies in this apocalyptic world. Each with a different ethos and philosophy on how to survive. They find themselves soon leaving each of these as they quickly see that these new found safe havens are themselves doomed by their own dogma.
The human angle Wyndham also tells us of the many suicides Bill witnesses without interfering, and that he even helps three people kill themselves, As people realize they will not survive without sighted peoples help, You would think on reading this that it would be hard to sympathize with Bill for what he has done but Wyndham shows how easily and quickly society can move into depravity That is actually makes you think that you might do the same should you be in the same situation, fighting to survive.
Wyndham's investigation of the morality of survival strategies really sticks with you as a reader: the individual vs the group, the loss of societies restraints and rules, all elements that force hard choices on the characters. And it's all packaged in an adventurous yarn with a dash of romance.
Not renowned for his romance writing Wyndham uses the relationship of our two main characters more to show the basic need humans have for each other for company and ultimately for survival of the species. In fact Bill at first finds josella annoying and a possible burden, but Wyndham does eventually let him fall for her (only when she is nearly taken away from him by another group and he realizes she is not a possession). Which should you want to read too deeply smacks of terribly political incorrectness these days - However you need to remember it was written in 1951.
My favorite line This is very early on when Bill is showing someone round the Triffid farm. Seeing tha the visitor is obvious ill at ease confronted by these strange plants, Bill endevours to make him feel safer by saying; "Don't worry they are blind - We can see them but they can't see us" A nicely ironic phrase when you read the book.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
John Wyndham (1903-1969) was a successful English author who wrote novels and short stories from the 1950s to the '70s, focusing on science fiction and creating many classics still popular today, including "Out of the Deep" , "the Kraken wakes" and "the Midwitch cukoos"
Wyndhams writing style may not appeal to all, Some may find it a little to preciss and old fashioned, but it seems to suit the story and the characters. I find that it does not detract from the story at all. Many critics have compared Wyndham to H.G. Wells, who was actually one of Wyndham's favorite writers . It is easy to see that Wyndham may have gained some of the inspiration for this book from Wells' "The war of the worlds" and "The time machine".
Extra info There is a sequel by Simon Clark called "night of the triffids" If you want to watch a pretty good adapation of the novel the BBC did a series in the 1980.
More Reviews
A True Classic Review ofThe Day of the Triffids - John Wyndhamby
CaptainDisaster
Advantages: Amazing atmosphere, beautiful prose, great characters... Disadvantages: ... seems to end rather abruptly
...and also possibly his best, The Day of the Triffids has been made into films and TV series, but nothing can beat the book. As with other of Wyndham's works, it is classic sci-fi with more accessibility to people who are not fans of / unfamiliar with the genre because it focuses on how people respond to the scientific crisis / event rather than going into unwieldy detail about the event itself. In fact in The Day of the Triffids, much is left to guesswork ... ...it's totally accurate. The book is told in first-person narration by biologist Bill Mason, who's had a very frustrating time recently - he's in hospital unable to see. It is only a temporary condition - he hopes - as the doctors were able to treat him quickly after the event. He works farming triffids and harvesting their oil, which is of superior value and highly valuable. No-one quite knew where they sprung from, but they seemed to be an entirely ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Fantastic story, tense, gripping Disadvantages: Ridiculous film adaptation...
The Day of the Triffids is a genuinely chilling tale of an ecological apocalypse. First published in 1951, time has done nothing to erode the feeling of panic and slow-dawning realisation that creeps over both the main characters, and the reader, as the full extent of their situation is revealed. Although John Wyndham was an experienced writer of both short stories and detective novels, this is the first novel he wrote in his own special brand of ... ...than 300 pages in length. The story follows Bill Masen, whose world is ruined, whilst his life is ironically saved, by triffids; deadly, genetically engineered plants which are intensively farmed for their valuable natural oil. The story opens with Mr Masen in hospital, about to have bandages removed from his eyes following treatment for a triffid sting. The first sign that something is wrong is that "Wednesday sounds like Sunday", i.e. there is ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Provocative prose, compelling and imaginative story Disadvantages: May keep you awake at nights
...far superior to movies, even the seemingly unimaginative can find themselves transported to a different world, time or place by the evocative power of the written world; the more adventurous the imagination, the more vivid and extraordinary the experience. Of course not all books achieve this, some fail totally to inspire with insipid, unsubstantial characters and themes, many offer a glimpse of escape but fail to captivate but there is an elusive ... ...The recent phenomenon that is The Lord of The Rings motion picture stands as a perfect example. To my mind no film has ever been produced that has achieved such epic scale, combining the natural beauty of New Zealand, some truly mesmeric special effects with a more than accomplished cast yet compared with Tolkien’s wonderful prose and an active imagination it is distinctly second best. No, for me the written word, not shackled by budget, technical ...
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Would you read it again?
Story
Characters
Readability
How does it compare to ...
very helpful
16.01.2003
Flower Power!! Review ofThe Day of the Triffids - John Wyndhamby
MyPOV
Advantages: A classic everyone should read Disadvantages: Very slightly dated
...can’t get much bigger than the end of civilisation! Bill Masen awakes in his hospital bed on the morning he is due to have bandages removed from his eyes following an operation, only to find the world all but silent and nobody responding to his calls for assistance. The reason for this soon becomes clear – most of the population has suddenly become blind overnight.
The cause is a spectacular meteor shower light show on the previous evening that ... ...the sky radiated something that has destroyed the optic nerves resulting in mass blindness. Obviously, having his eyes bandaged our hero saw none of this and has managed to retain his sight.
With some slow investigations upon leaving the hospital Masen slowly realises what has happened. The streets are full of the wandering blind seeking help and food. Ironically he comes across a man who was blind before the event who is going about his daily business ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
The day of the Triffids isn't really about giant man eating plants at all, because if it was, it would be a ridiculous idea. The mental image of a 7 foot tall green stalk doing a strange swaying motion blundering blindly along is not really very scary - or so you would think. I suppose I was expecting a book about alien life forms that came to earth looking like giant plants and try to take over. This in the end led to a war between man and plant ... ...the characteristic 'rebel group' led by a attractive hero who warned the world but no one listened, the beautiful heroine who initially despises said hero but ends up snogging him on the final page, and the comedy sidekick who adds light hearted humour and witty quips in the face of danger. I expected action, adventure, death, romance and general 'yay human' outlook. Oh how wrong I was, and ridiculously naïve over what Wyndham really wrote about ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: It's Wyndham... Disadvantages: ... many of the t stories end just when they're getting interesting...
...The Seeds of Time is a collection of 10 short stories by JohnWyndham, author of such sci-fi classics as The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cookoos. In a short foreward he explains his reasons for writing the stories, as a ckind of cross-genre experiment, and his dismay that the science fiction genre in popular terms had become tied up almost exclusively to tales of intergalactic heroes. He also thanks various magazines who were willing to publish these stories which, at the time, were viewed as unsuitable for the mass market.
The stories themselves are varied and almost all interesting, with Wydnham's unique style and wry humour coming out in all of them to some degree. First off we have CHRONOCLASM, a kind of time-travel romance, followed by TIME TO REST is a tale of a lone earthman travelling across Mars in search...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Entertaining, occasionally thought-provoking Disadvantages: Two-dimensional characterisation, tapers off
...JohnWyndham is best known for “The Day of the Triffids”. Although “The Midwich Cuckoos” (filmed as “The Village of the Damned”) and “The Chrysalids” under review here, also attracted considerable interest.
Wyndham is an interesting, very British, science fiction writer. He does not deal in fantasy worlds with hosts of unfamiliar creatures battling each other for control of galaxies. Wyndham’s novels may not be parochial but they are very much earthbound, with a rogue element introduced which creates the dramatic conditions for his novels.
In the case of “The Chrysalids” Wyndham is concerned with a post nuclear holocaust scenario – the novel was written in 1955 when the Cold War threat was a very real one – where the effects of radiation have devastated...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Entertaining, readable Disadvantages: A couple of weaker links, some stories not "meaty"
...JohnWyndham, the classic British science-fiction writer probably best known for "The Day of The Triffids" published this collection of six short stories in 1961
The first story, which gives its title to the collection, is a novella really and could have been stretched into a short novel. It is the piece de resistance of the book. A woman wakes up in a hospital bed to find her body has grown in a gross manner and everything around her is different. She was a doctor in her remembered life but now she is practically bedridden and learns her function is simply to produce babies, presumably through some test-tube method or other.
The story deals with an all-female society. Women are grouped into different functions, representing political power, professionals, warriors, manual labour and Mothers - theoretically the most important...
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