I’ve hit a problem. All the studies I have to do have reduced the time I have to read books to zilch essentially. Yes, I’m pissed off about it, but will I let Biased Reviews stop doing books? Nope. The same for the gaming reviews, though I haven’t played as many games as the hundreds of books I’ve read over the last couple of years. So here we are, reviewing another book. This time, it’s from the man who repeatedly asked the question, “What’s the British approach to a bizarre situation that quickly spirals into a disaster?” Oh Mr. Wyndham, you’ve left us a lot of tales of humanity threatened to the point of collapse only to have the sensibilities of ‘50s Britain try and resolve matters over some crumpets. John Wyndham has reliably provided an interesting and almost sardonic angle on world-changing sci-fi dangers. There were the killer walking plants from The Day of the Triffids. Then the oceans were invaded by beings from the stars in The Kraken Wakes. Later on, creepy little children would terrorise the countryside in The Midwich Cuckoos and a piece of algae-fungi blend kickstarts dreams of a feminist movement in Trouble with Lichen. In this review though, I’ll take a gander at the writer’s most adventurous outing, leaving the familiarity of post-war English towns and hurtling into the far future where the world is a barren landscape. I’m talking about The Chrysalids.
This was his third book released under the Wyndham name and, while well known in literature, has divided opinions amongst those who claim to be pro literature reviewers. Stuff about a sneaky deus ex machina in the end, flawed logic, yada yada yada… I’ll be the judge of that in this edition of Biased Book Reviews. Let me emphasise one word: BIASED. This is my opinion. I might even think what I say is more correct than what others say. It’s still my opinion so feel free to look at the book a different way. And because this is biased to myself, some of the things I may say might be purely out of personal interests and not from “pure critique” whatever that is. Let me say this first: I like Wyndham’s work so far. For the record, I’ve read The Day of the Triffids, The Kraken Wakes, The Midwich Cuckoos and his posthumous novel Web. The science fiction elements in those are balanced nicely by his present-day settings and attitudes, providing a different but not overly dramatic outlook on oncoming tragedies. So, how does this post-apocalyptic story work out?
The tale is told from the perspective of our protagonist, David Strorm (quick insert here: I can’t help but keep typing “Storm”; the future’s really full of slightly different names). We begin with his days as a youngster in the settlement of Waknuk some time far into the future where out beyond of the safety of what little civilisation exists are the Fringes, a place no-one dares tread. As David grows up, he learns more and more about the values the community believe in. The townsfolk are very religious and go to great lengths to ensure the populace contains only those made in God’s image. The same goes for crops and animals. Apparently, anything that looks slightly out of line is a monstrosity that must be eliminated to keep the human race pure. Hmm, sound familiar to anyone? I personally find allusions to racism and genocide. The image of the Nazis’ approach to the Jewish population in Germany is what I relate this book to. However, while those wackos were trying to kill off an entire race, the world of The Chrysalids is concerned with mutations. It seems that ever since the event that transformed the landscape into the horrific shithole it has become, lifeforms have occasionally deviated from societal norms of appearance, and instances are on the rise. David learns much of this through encounters with so-called Deviants. The first one he encounters is Sophie who has six toes on her left foot. He and her family make a pact to keep the girl’s difference secret as David begins wondering why Deviants are feared.
We learn David’s family is one of the more religious ones in Waknuk and the importance of protecting the purity of the human race is constantly drilled into him. Eventually Uncle Axel comes into the picture and thank goodness, there’s someone to talk to who isn’t a dick to Deviants. David tells Axel of strange dreams he’s had and is advised not to mention them to anyone. Later on, Sophie is found out by the town to be a Deviant, leaving her family no choice but to flee – with unsuccessful results, because that’s how a dystopian future works I guess. This event triggers David’s desire to escape but Axel convinces him otherwise. Besides, where is there to run? Out in the Fringes are apparently where the Deviants are most abundant. Oh, and those dreams David’s been having? Well… turns out he’s telepathic, making him a Deviant. Soon enough, the Strorm family welcomes newborn daughter Petra who, unbeknownst to anyone except David, also harbours telepathic abilities. Time passes and more telepathic people emerge, all joining into an ethereal conversation. The group attempts to keep their power a secret and teach the young Petra to keep her skills undetected. However, selfishness by one of the telepaths sets off a series of events that slowly expose the group to the Waknuk villagers.
As more telepaths are caught and tortured, a message calls from a woman in a far-off place called Sealand reaches the group. The situation in the village worsens further to the point that the group decides to get the hell out of Dodge despite the dangers of venturing into the Fringes. David goes on the run with Petra and his fellow telepath friend Rosalind. Waknuk settlers track them while the trio are caught by a Fringes tribe and held captive. It’s here that Sophie makes a surprise appearance. Well, her family was caught but not here. She’s resided with the tribe and agrees to help break David, Rosalind and Petra free as the woman from Sealand races to arrive at the scene and help. However, the Waknuk hunting party arrives and does battle with the Fringes tribe. There appears to be no escape for David and his gang, not to mention the other telepaths converging on their position. But it’s Sealand to the rescue as the mysterious woman arrives in an aerial vehicle that shoots web-like materials at the warring factions, some of it getting on the telepaths. The material is in fact a contracting plastic that pretty much is what today’s riot control squads would dearly want in their arsenal, only this plastic is painful given how much it actually contracts. The entire battle is silenced by the weapon and David and crew, after getting the plastic removed, are given a lift to Sealand, the promised land. The end.
The thing I was saying about allusions to racism earlier? Maybe the Nazi example was a bit extreme. I can actually see this desire to keep Waknuk pure by killing those whose bodies don’t conform partially in our image-obsessed culture which thankfully is slowly being rectified. We can all recall times in our life when we noticed that some overarching powerhouse – the media – concocted an ideal image that we could try to follow. It’s still a heated topic today. Of course, we don’t go about slaughtering those who look a little bit fatter than what the “norm” (if there really is one) is, but there is shaming. It still happens today though I hope it’s not as bad as previous years given the growing movement to just accept others as they are.
Now I haven’t actually touched on some of the background elements of The Chrysalids. I mean, why is the world a wasteland anyway? Well, it’s hinted several times that the world was destroyed by nuclear war, a concept that was very scary back in the Cold War but isn’t such a big deal today with all this worrying about cybersecurity and dumb terrorists from a furniture company. It also explains the reason for the many Deviants in David’s world. It’s not quite a case of evolution but the thing is that the Sealand woman who swoops in and saves the day sees the telepathy mutation as the next step in humankind. I suppose no-one in this world can remember the past, so I guess the thought of nuclear annihilation and radiation hasn’t quite crossed their minds. Apparently everyone is Sealand is a telepath and far more technologically equipped than the farmhands down in Waknuk. However, there is some conflict in the Sealand woman’s thinking at the novel’s ending sequences. That plastic weapon she used actually kills people. Both the Waknuk party and the Fringes tribe were attacked by the weapon. From what I read, the Sealand woman didn’t seem too willing to kill. However, it happened. There’s a long speech she delivers discussing Sealand, its intentions and how she handled the situation was worth it. Yes, the inhabitants of the Fringes didn’t mutate at their own will yet the woman says they had no chance and that apparently is justification enough for killing them. Remember how the folks at Waknuk were all about exterminating those who weren’t like them? Sounds a bit like Sealand, don’t you think?
This analysis of the ending falls in line with a review from a website called SFReviews.net and by their reviewer’s judgement, this ending made the book suck. To me though, I see this strange convoluted shot at explaining why the Sealand woman willingly killed the fighting people a suitable way to close up the novel. We expect Sealand to be the better world than the one David and company resided in, a place to work with similar people in a safer and more innovative environment amid a ruinous world. Instead, this insight into the Sealand woman’s ideologies suggests that maybe the promised land isn’t that great a place. I like that approach to the end although if this is what Wyndham intended is open to question.
I’ll tell you what else is good about The Chrysalids. Character development is well done, primarily with David given he’s the narrator. The other characters receive adequate attention too, without too many moments of useless participation. Pacing isn’t too rushed and it kept me interested throughout. The world in which the tale exists, while overdone today, still intrigues and gives us a window into what the ‘50s Cold War era feared and expected from a nuclear exchange. Wyndham may not have portrayed the satirical dismissiveness of England to impending doom but the climate of fear and expectations are expanded here. It’s not too long of a novel either so anyone could pick this up and enjoy it for a reasonable amount of time. Is it a masterpiece though? I wouldn’t go that far. The book doesn’t jump out at me with some great element. Going out of his way to write a far future story was probably enough for Wyndham and for that I applaud him.
It’s over 60 years old now but The Chrysalids is still a solid read. The fears of an irradiated planet may be past but the issues of conformism, especially in body shape, and racism to a degree are somewhat relevant today. This isn’t a book that has little relation to our world. Besides, the story is wonderful and interestingly for a Wyndham sci-fi tale, there’s a coming-of-age story too. Following David and his friends over the years, learning more about themselves and the society they exist in, it’s quite an adventure. By no means is this his best novel but it holds its own and remains an admirable piece of literature. In fact, I’m surprised this hasn’t been turned into a film yet with the current flood of YA dystopian films. I would be interested in an adaptation of this story to hopefully stop the shit we’re getting from the Divergent franchise. Anyway, I award The Chrysalids a score of:
8/10
I feel I’ve read too many good books for a while. I should probably look at doing some terrible ones. Still, if you haven’t read anything by John Wyndham, definitely check him out. The Chrysalids is a good choice if you want to save the best for later.
Matters of Opinion 