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A review by jesssalexander
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.25
Wait, do I actually hate sci-fi?! I think I read some good ones early on and it turns out they were the exception and not the rule! I think I’ve come to the point where I’ve read enough duds to conclude that most sci-fi, especially old classic sci-fi, is boring, technical, verbose and vaguely misogynistic. It works too hard to explain itself and uphold its internal logic. The damsel in distress is an underdeveloped (but pure and innocent) ditz used to stroke the ego of the hero and the hero himself is the apparition of the nerdy author’s fantasy about his own genius.
So glad I read this so I could have that epiphany and stop wasting my time with this genre. If I’m craving something imaginative I’ve still got fantasy and dystopian fiction.
So specifically with this little book, this is a great example of an interesting premise and terrible execution. Wouldn’t you too want to read this: A spectacular meteor shower captivates the eyes of 99% of the western world’s population…and then strikes them all blind. The few who missed the night’s show (including our hero who had undergone eye surgery and had had his eyes bandaged throughout the evening) are the only ones left with their vision intact and must pick up the pieces of a crumbling civilization, which is also being attacked by giant man-eating alien plants.
The very worst thing about this little book is that everyone who has been struck blind is described as a lost, dumb herd of animals or else they just immediately kill themselves. Yikes!! There is one little moment, a pitiful blinded 18 year old girl who says “Life is very precious, even like this.” But it reads more tragic than true in the narrative and that is small compensation for the rest of the book. The basic message throughout is that it is better to be dead than blind and also that the handicapped are incapable of joyful or productive living. Oof. I only finished it because sometimes you can’t look away from roadkill even when you want to and it was a short read.
So glad I read this so I could have that epiphany and stop wasting my time with this genre. If I’m craving something imaginative I’ve still got fantasy and dystopian fiction.
So specifically with this little book, this is a great example of an interesting premise and terrible execution. Wouldn’t you too want to read this: A spectacular meteor shower captivates the eyes of 99% of the western world’s population…and then strikes them all blind. The few who missed the night’s show (including our hero who had undergone eye surgery and had had his eyes bandaged throughout the evening) are the only ones left with their vision intact and must pick up the pieces of a crumbling civilization, which is also being attacked by giant man-eating alien plants.
The very worst thing about this little book is that everyone who has been struck blind is described as a lost, dumb herd of animals or else they just immediately kill themselves. Yikes!! There is one little moment, a pitiful blinded 18 year old girl who says “Life is very precious, even like this.” But it reads more tragic than true in the narrative and that is small compensation for the rest of the book. The basic message throughout is that it is better to be dead than blind and also that the handicapped are incapable of joyful or productive living. Oof. I only finished it because sometimes you can’t look away from roadkill even when you want to and it was a short read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Child death