Reviews

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

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steg's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

bbrassfield's review against another edition

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4.0

Very satisfying science fiction novel from the so-called 'golden era' of the genre. I have never read Wyndham before but what struck me about his prose is that I found it to be fairly contemporary in style, unlike say reading other writers from that era like Robert Heinlein. Most importantly, the Midwich Cuckoos is a very moving story about what to do when survival is at stake and possible evolutionary changes may be playing a role outside of anyone's comprehension. I found the ending to be surprising and satisfying. The Cuckoo is the perfect metaphor for a thought experiment of the type that Wyndham creates because the cuckoo leaves their young for other birds to raise. Cool idea, very well executed.

kmoonen's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

die6die's review against another edition

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3.0

A bit of a slog. Very much of the "2-3 old male WASPs talking to each other about what is happening" school instead of actually showing us what's happening. All parts with an actual mind controlling child were creepy, the ending is great. Doesn't make up for a slow first half.

jp_priestley's review against another edition

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4.0

In 1957, Humphrey Bogart, actor and heavy smoker, died at the age of 57 from cancer of the oesophagus, Chuck Berry was playing music that white teenagers enjoyed so much that his popularity propelled him to the top of the Rhythm & Blues chart, the Soviet Union launched the world's first orbiting satellite, Sputnik, then launched Sputnik 2, which had the dog named Laika aboard, the United States tried to launch its first satellite, which blew up on the launchpad, and John Wyndham published The Midwich Cuckoos, in which a mysterious extraterrestrial silver object appeared in the English village of Midwich, so planting the seeds of change.

Sixty-three years ago, English life was (understandably) notably different to that experienced today in 2020. Fourteen years of food rationing had only recently ended in 1954 following World War Two, we still had pounds, shillings and pence as our currency (£100 in 1957 is worth £2,056.01 in 2020 - an inflation rate of 1,956.01%), and customs were fast-changing — such as the abolishing of the “Toddlers’ Truce”, an arrangement whereby there were no television broadcasts between 18:00-19:00 to allow parents to put their children to bed. At least the English retained their sense of humour — on 1st April (All Fools’ Day) The BBC’s Panorama current affairs television programme presented by Richard Dimbleby broadcast a spaghetti tree hoax report purporting to show spaghetti being harvested in Switzerland, believed to be the first April Fools’ Day joke on television.

Into this post-war society, John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (John Wyndham to you and me) the English science fiction writer gave us his gem The Midwich Cuckoos, later filmed as the Village of the Damned in 1960, and again as the 1995 Village of the Damned remake, featuring the last screen performance by Christopher Reeve before his riding accident. Wyndham was best known for The Day of the Triffids (1951) and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957). The Kraken Wakes (1953) and The Chrysalids (1955) are also considered classics.

The Midwich Cuckoos tells the tale of an English village beset for a day by brood parasites — organisms that rely on others to raise their young — in this case, an unseen and unknown alien entity; all of the women in the village still with the ability to become pregnant and bear young are affected, with eventual dire consequences for many. Dan Rebellato, the English dramatist and academic, called The Midwich Cuckoos a searching novel of moral ambiguities; Margaret Atwood, the renowned Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic and essayist, called the book Wyndham's chef-d’oeuvre, or masterpiece. I agree, rating it above The Day of the Triffids as one of my all-time favourite science fiction stories — and one of Wyndham's finest.

As I read I particularly enjoyed the language and expressions of the time and the grammar and punctuation in vogue when Wyndham wrote The Midwich Cuckoos. Also of immense satisfaction to me were the manners and societal norms of the day; despite innumerable challenges, hardships and heartbreak, there remained an innocence and sense of fair play — and maintenance of decorum — that was refreshing to witness in the English population. I wonder how the inhabitants of the imaginary Midwich would behave in 2020? Let's pray that we never have to find out!