"The Day of the Triffids" marked a turning point in John Wyndham's career, as he adopted a new pseudonym and style, and showed a marked improvement in his talent as well as his sales. The plot is probably familiar to everyone - with most of the human race blinded, man-eating plants take over. It sounds daft, but in Wyndham's hands the situation is portrayed convincingly. Fortunately Wyndham does not allow the book to dissolve into melodrama. Instead he shows in a convincing and thoughtful manner how different people might cope with the disaster, from panic and giving up, through the introduction of a police state, to the more benevolent society that the protagonist and his friends dedicate themselves to. There is no deus ex machina: no one discovers a miracle cure or weapon, they simply fight on as best they can, and by the end of the book the war against the triffids is not won. But the battle lines have been drawn, and the fight has begun. Altogether, it provides a surprisingly mature approach to its subject matter, and is one of the finest sf novels ever written.
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