gon8go's review against another edition
5.0
I started reading this as a read along without even reading the back. For some reason I thought it was about an alien invasion and was hilariously off base.
It's actually a post apocalyptic tale with an x-men sort of twist and It was very well done. for some reason it sort of reminded me of olaf stapelton's odd john if it was written in the pastoral style of clifford d simak.
What really surprised me was how, though its an old book it doesn't seem dated, the themes of the book are still relevant.
I'll definitely be reading some more john Wyndham soon.
It's actually a post apocalyptic tale with an x-men sort of twist and It was very well done. for some reason it sort of reminded me of olaf stapelton's odd john if it was written in the pastoral style of clifford d simak.
What really surprised me was how, though its an old book it doesn't seem dated, the themes of the book are still relevant.
I'll definitely be reading some more john Wyndham soon.
godseye's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thomcat's review against another edition
4.0
Post apocalyptic title with young adult main characters, this is one of Wyndham's better novels. Specific topics on religion, eugenics, and whether the end justifies the means would be great talking points for this fairly short novel.
Showing these topics from young adult eyes allows questioning, something the adults of the small community are past being able to do. We can see the point of reducing mutation by not allowing them to breed, but when taken to a religious mania ("in the image of god") we can also see the problems. The main characters have some sort of telepathy, a non-visible mutation that nevertheless scares the heck out of the community, once they find out.
Some aspects of the ending were abrupt. The sexism of the 50s and the sexism of the ultra-religious are in this indistinguishable, and many of the female characters are very strong. I found this better than the Midwich Cuckoos, but not as good as The Day of The Triffids. Other reviewers reverse these. That said, I still look forward to reading more from this author.
Showing these topics from young adult eyes allows questioning, something the adults of the small community are past being able to do. We can see the point of reducing mutation by not allowing them to breed, but when taken to a religious mania ("in the image of god") we can also see the problems. The main characters have some sort of telepathy, a non-visible mutation that nevertheless scares the heck out of the community, once they find out.
Some aspects of the ending were abrupt. The sexism of the 50s and the sexism of the ultra-religious are in this indistinguishable, and many of the female characters are very strong. I found this better than the Midwich Cuckoos, but not as good as The Day of The Triffids. Other reviewers reverse these. That said, I still look forward to reading more from this author.
bibliomaniac2021's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
msliz's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5