Review – The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

John Wyndham writes terrific sci-fi, usually based in the future, but the characters and ideals are set very much in the Britain he grew up in. This set contains two such tales. The Chrysalids is set in a post-apocalyptic (well, post-Rapture) English town where anyone who deviates from the norm is considered to be different and therefore evil – like in the old witch hunts, with the Bible bashing Christianity on hand to keep the fear level high. So if you have six toes or one arm, you’re out; babies have to be approved as birth and so forth.  The hero of the story is David, who can communicate with others in his town through telepathy, which as you imagine, is NOT normal. When his “thought-friends” start getting caught and dealt with. David has to decide whether home is the right place for him.

The second is the shorter Survival. A spaceship  has an accident, leaving it adrift in space. With no help forthcoming, the passengers have to find their own means of survival. A pregnant woman, the first in space soon becomes the target of the hungriest of the others.

These are stage plays, replete with numerous voice actors, sound effects and music, and can be great fum, as these are. They are adapted, though, as there is no narration, so you may want to read the actual books too to get a real insight into Wyndham’s twisted, but creative, mind.