John Wyndham - The Chrysalids

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lk59d

I remember reading this when I was about 13, and being hugely impressed. We had been reading the Day of the Triffids at school, I was very keen on reading everything else that Wyndham wrote. Its coming up this Sunday on Radio 4 Extra, at 18:00, if anyone else is interested.

Sure to be worth a listen !

[CrapAtCryptics]

I`ll be there, although something from my distant and dusty memory tells me it wasnt as good as Triffids, but what would a 7 year old know...

[mikey4444]

CrapAtCryptics..........personally, I don't think he ever wrote a dud book in his life !

If I had to choose a favourite, it would be between Triffids and Chrysalids.

Chrysalids is very well spoken of by the critics :::::

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chrysalids

What great books we read in school in the 50's and 60's ! My other favourite was "The Searchers"

[Old_Geezer]

Sounds good, but being a serial I'm unsure I'm organised enough these days :-) Will it be on iPlayer ?

[jackthehat]

I have all of Wyndham's books. To my mind he's too often over-looked when it comes to discussions of great 'sci-fi' writers.

[andy-hughes]

Have to agree with the previous comments - I also read Wyndham as a child, and loved his novels - the Triffids especially. I particularly liked -


SPOILER









how it didn't all knit up with a neat twee ending, but finished with a note of realism and optimism.

[mikey4444]

OG...yes, it should be.

[whiskeryron]

mikey4444. I live in a poor radio reception area & rely on Sky to receive both tv & radio. I would very much like to record the coming Sunday programme you have recommended. Unfortunately I cannot find Radio 4 extra on the Sky channel list, can you please suggest a solution ?

[whiskeryron]

I've just realised that if I wait until after the event I will be able to download it from BBC iplayer on my PC.

[mikey4444]

WR....I think you will find that SKY broadcast all radio channels. They are all gathered together. Radio 4 Extra is channel 0131.

You can, of course, listen to any BBC Radio channel through your wifi, if you have a good download speed.

[hellywelly4]

John Wyndham is my all-time favourite author. I went through all his books in the 60s, and listened to this story when it was first on the radio a year or so ago. I can't say I have a favourite, they are so different, but perhaps The Midwich Cuckoos might have the edge. If you read HG Wells, JW uses the method that he sometimes uses, the stories are written mainly in the first person. I have always wondered whether he JW was influenced by HGW.
Mikey - who wrote The Searchers? Haven't heard of that.

[Canary42]

I read Day of the Trffids when I was quite young, and I too became smitten by the Wyndham Bug and read all his novels and short stories. I've forgotten some, but I seem to remember finding *Jizzle very funny (short story).

*Warning: don't google it, it now has a questionable slang meaning.

I would put The Kraken Wakes, and The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as Village of the Damned) near the top as well.

[pixie374]

Trouble with Lichen was good, too. I don't think he wrote any dud ones either.

[mikey4444]

hellywelly...here it is :::

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers_(film)

I think we read the book in school because of the massive success of the John Ford film, rather the merits of the book, good though the book is.

If you read the link, you can see that the book was probably based on a real life case in 1836. The Comanches had a habit of taking slaves as captives, and its unlikely that this was an isolated incident.

Great film, as all John Ford's are and a worthwhile book to read.

I can also remember reading the Kon-Tiki book, by Thor Heyerdahl ::

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kon-Tiki_Expedition:_By_Raft_Across_the_South_Seas

Actually, I found a second hand book of the above in our local Co-op, only last week and its on my bedside table, ready to go ( with about 10 others of course, so it will have to wait its turn ! )

[EcclesCake]

Chocky turns up on R4 from time to time, always a good listen.

[mikey4444]

Eccles...I can see how "Chocky" would work rather well on the Radio !

Actually, Wyndham wrote some other Sci-Fi books, but under another name, but I haven't been able to track any down in second-hand bookshops. I am due for a trip to Hay-on-Wye later in the spring, so if I can't find them there ........ !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wyndham#Posthumously_published_novels

[EcclesCake]

The atmosphere they created in Chocky is breathtaking, I'm surprised you've never heard it.

[mikey4444]

Just found and bought most of those other books on ebay...the best second hand bookshop in the world !

[whiskeryron]

thanks mikey have now put it to record on Sky+ manual record.

[hellywelly4]

Chocky has now been taken off the bookcase and is now is the 'ready to read' pile. I've forgotten the story completely. Lucas Parkes was JW's other name. I'll probably end up reading all his books again, they are compelling, aren't they.

[jourdain2]

Thanks for that, mikey. I never read Wyndham at school, but discovered him later. Aa couple of years ago I started to re-read all his output and I was amazed how much I still enjoyed them and how relevant they all are. I even had to buy a copy of the Chrysalids It's an absolute cracker! IMO. I'' be listening.