The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham

For those blessed with an imagination books are 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 few that provide a perfect catalyst for the readers imagination

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 constraints or the whim of actor, director or studio will always allow my imagination the soaring freedom that the silver screen is incapable of.

My cumbersome musing aside, The Day of The Triffids, is certainly a book that captured my imagination, to say it is an unputdownable page-turner would be to do it a disservice. Novels these days, or more specifically modern fiction seems more intent on dragging the reader through the chapters to generally unfulfilling endings than making the journey a memorable and thought provoking one. Perhaps it is the nature of our society that requires things be neatly packaged, easy-to swallow convenience items that contemporary literature has merely followed suit or perhaps I’m just over-dramatising the issue. Whichever.

The Day of the Triffids is not such a book, it is a stimulating read that subtly delves into a range of far-reaching ideas, the nature of society, man’s self-destructive instincts, our dependence on an increasingly mechanical and technical world, to name but a few. I regularly found myself putting the book down and marvelling at the compelling story, mind captured by the issues and wanting to savour it before reading on. This is not to say it’s a difficult read just one that deserves extra time and thought than much that is published.

What makes this book all the more amazing is that John Wyndham penned it in 1951 yet it’s themes and issues are very contemporary. The story opens with a recently hospitalised man, struggling with his fears of the unknown. His fear is heightened by his inability to see, his eyes are bandaged, his concern based on the unusual silence and inactivity outside. Wyndham’s prose is provocative and causes an uncomfortable feeling as the reader struggles with the same feelings of disorientation as the narrator.

It is revealed that the previous night the world was treated to a unique meteor display, brilliant green lights apparently lit up the night sky, although Bill Meson, our incapacitated hero was unable to appreciate the beauty. Luckily so it turns out, as all who witnessed the display have lost their sight and the reason for the uneasy silence is down to the inability of anybody to function. As our narrator leaves the hospital, we are treated to the post apocalyptic vision of London, humanity has been turned into a mere shadow of its former self overnight, and chaos reigns supreme.

Trapped between the desire to help and the overriding sense of futility of any attempt to aid the sightless masses, Masen meets Joselle, who has also escaped the fate suffered by so many. They decide between them to leave the capital believing it to be destined to fall to ravages of disease and decay now there is no one to support the highly developed infrastructure. They encounter another group with similar ideas and a more organised plan for a new society but fall victims to man with humanitarian ideals of his own that leave them facing another moral dilemma.

With all this to face and much more set to happen there is the all-important titular aspect of the novel that I’ve not even addressed yet. This, of course, is the triffids, which unlike in the film are not from space but actually a genetically engineered plant, manufactured by man to provide a cheap alternative fuel source. Unlike other plants though triffids show signs of intelligence and have the ability to walk, albeit with difficulty, and when matured are capable of delivering a fatal sting to humans. With human society on the verge of extinction it quickly becomes The Day of the Triffids.

As I’ve said this is a fantastic book, a genuinely intriguing story that raises an abundance of issues that are both intellectually stimulating and highly contemporary. Mankind has often been plagued by an inability to examine the consequences of it’s actions, science is constantly pushing back boundaries with too little thought given to what is beyond them, our disassociation from our environment ever increases and all of us are too dependant on technology and machine. What would happen if the plug were pulled on our comfortable existence?

The Day of the Triffids is one scenario and is compelling, terrifying and certainly close enough to home to remain with you long after you’ve taken in its 272 pages. Most definitely advised.