Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

21 reviews

ameeth's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I appreciated Jeff VanderMeer's introduction confronting John Wyndham's prejudice and hypocrisies amidst an otherwise interesting worldview. Parts of this book certainly felt dated, which is disappointing because the other 98% was gripping, poignant, eerie, dark, timeless, and brilliant. It was wildly clear to see (no pun intended) how this particular novel has influenced the entire zombie genre; every thematic and philosophical issue raised in The Day of the Triffids has proven foundational to our modern dystopic, apocalyptic genre in literature, film, etc. Definitely worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Suicide

forgottenwitch's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Pretty interesting take on an apocalypse where the world as we know it ends because everyone goes blind. It primarily focuses on how the characters deal with the immediate aftermath, but also shows their attempts to survive on a more long term scale. It was also incredibly interesting to see all the different types of communities survivors tried to form, whether they decided to desperately cling onto their roots or look forward to a future of change.

I wish some of the pacing was better and the timeline was spread out more consistently. The majority of the book happens in the first few days/weeks after the apocalyptic event, and then there are major time skips in the last two or three chapters that feel a little rush. I also wish it focused a bit more on the actions of the main characters, instead of glossing over various events to focus more on how other characters ended up in one place or another.

Overall, I liked it quite a bit, but it was definitely written in the 1950s

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder

afion's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Suicide

the_cheerful_necromancer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Partially ported over from my now-abandoned Goodreads:
Suprisingly solid, considering it's a book about walking carnivorous plants that bludgeon people. Honestly had me captivated, far more than I expected; this one's definitely a classic for a reason, and I'd recommend it. Its descriptions of its crumbling world, in particular, are really visceral, and hold a palpable solemnity and dread unlike anything I've read in a book thus far. This book is definitely worth a look.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Terminal illness

Minor: Animal death, Violence, Grief, and Pregnancy

A lot of people die in this book.

Several die as the result of carnivorous plants attacking them, which is unpleasant but immediate or near-immediate. Others die of an unknown illness, and this is not immediate. One unnamed character kills herself rather than die of the plague slowly. A child victim is shown in the aftermath but his death is not seen. Several animals are seen dead or dying, but described briefly. Pregnancy is described but not graphically and turns out well. There is some violence, mostly not vividly described.

vampirehelpdesk's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

For 1951, I think this one fucked up book. Bleak, even bleaker after COVID-19, and covering things I feel a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction misses. Drags a bit in its philosophy, but this book surprised me with a week of nightmares so it gets high marks from me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Suicide

rhianonw's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicide, Violence, Pregnancy, and War

vgartner's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, and Suicide

leadpal's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism and Misogyny

Minor: Mental illness

mengzhenreads's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Banging post-apocalyptic novel about the fragility of human society in the face of man-eating plants and blindness with a healthy dose of Cold War and satellite weapon commentary.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, and Violence

Minor: Gun violence and Rape

befnie's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.5

I really hated this book. It absolutely drips with sexism and ableism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Sexism, and Suicide

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Rape