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John Christopher
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A Wrinkle in the Skin Kindle Edition

by John Christopher (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 176 ratings
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One night, the island of Guernsey convulsed. As shock followed shock, the landscape tilted violently in defiance of gravity. When dawn came and the quakes had stilled to tremblings, Matthew Cotter gazed out in disbelief at the pile of rubble that had been his home. The greenhouses which had provided his livelihood were a lake of shattered glass, the tomato plants a crush of drowned vegetation spotted and splodged with red.

Wandering in a daze of bewilderment through the devastation, he came to the coast, looked out towards the sea ...

There was no sea: simply a sunken alien land, now drying in the early summer sun.

Gradually, a handful of isolated survivors drifted together. But where were the rescue missions from the mainland? How far did the destruction actually extend?

For Matthew, whose beloved daughter Jane had recently moved to England , finding the answer was all he had left to live for.
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  1. Print length
    258 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 28, 2019
  5. File size
    1006 KB
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    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sam Youd was born in Lancashire in April 1922, during an unseasonable snowstorm. As a boy, he was devoted to the newly emergent genre of science-fiction: 'In the early thirties, ' he later wrote, 'we knew just enough about the solar system for its possibilities to be a magnet to the imagination.' Over the following decades, his imagination flowed from science-fiction into general novels, cricket novels, medical novels, gothic romances, detective thrillers, light comedies ... In all he published fifty-six novels and a myriad of short stories, under his own name as well as eight different pen-names. He is perhaps best known as John Christopher, author of the seminal work of speculative fiction, The Death of Grass. He wrote A Wrinkle in the Skin whilst living in Guernsey, and used the island as a significant element in the story. Shortly afterwards he started on The Tripods, the first of the stream of novels in the genre he pioneered, young adult dystopian fiction. 'I read somewhere, ' Sam once said, 'that I have been cited as the greatest serial killer in fictional history, having destroyed civilisation in so many different ways - through famine, freezing, earthquakes, feral youth combined with religious fanaticism, and progeria.' In an interview towards the end of his life, conversation turned to a recent spate of novels set on Mars and a possible setting for a John Christopher story: strand a group of people in a remote Martian enclave and see what happens. The Mars aspect, he felt, was irrelevant. 'What happens between the people, ' he said, 'that's the thing I'm interested in.'

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07R6M8WM8
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 28, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1006 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 258 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1911410105
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 176 ratings

About the author

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John Christopher

John Christopher

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Sam Youd was born in Lancashire in April 1922, during an unseasonable snowstorm.

As a boy, he was devoted to the newly emergent genre of science-fiction: 'In the early thirties,' he later wrote, 'we knew just enough about the solar system for its possibilities to be a magnet to the imagination.'

Over the following decades, his imagination flowed from science-fiction into general novels, cricket novels, medical novels, gothic romances, detective thrillers, light comedies ... In all, under his own name and a variety of pen-names, he published fifty-six novels and a myriad of short stories.

He is perhaps best known as John Christopher, author of the seminal work of speculative fiction, The Death of Grass, and a stream of novels in the genre he pioneered, YA dystopian fiction, beginning with The Tripods Trilogy.

'I read somewhere,' Sam once said, 'that I have been cited as the greatest serial killer in fictional history, having destroyed civilisation in so many different ways - through famine, freezing, earthquakes, feral youth combined with religious fanaticism, and progeria.'

Titles published under the pen-name of Hilary Ford and under his own name are also available on Amazon.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
176 global ratings
This is the way the world ends...this time.
5 Stars
This is the way the world ends...this time.
John Christopher writes exciting sci fi novels about catastrophic shifts in the world order. He has tackled everything from mass starvation (The Death Of Grass) to epic changes in the earth's weather (The Long Winter) to alien invasions(The Tripod trilogy) to giant earthquakes, which is the central catastrophe of this book.After an enormous series of cataclysmic earthquakes wipes out modern civilization, a group of survivors struggle to stay alive in the ruins of the British Isles.This is one of John Christophers most gripping adventure stories, filled with strange settings and memorable characters;I especially liked the image of the oil tanker beached on the bottom of the now dry English Channel, its sole occupant slowly going mad.
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Top reviews from the United States

crowcounters
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for any fan of The Road
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2016
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John Christopher is a superb author of apocalyptic fiction. I have now read two of his books (the other is The Death of Grass) and can't wait to read the next.

A Wrinkle in the Skin tells the story of a man who after a massive, Earth changing earthquake sets out to find his daughter who lives on her own back on the mainland of England. As he makes his way across the changed landscapes he is joined by a boy who has no family and the two continue his quest to find his daughter.

The book is heartwarming and the bond between the boy and the man becomes stronger as their adventures continue. This is where the book really shines. I highly recommend not only this book but checking out anything else from this author, I will be.
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s.ferber
4.0 out of 5 stars A Gritty, Postapocalyptic Winner
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2016
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Although most of us probably deem earthquakes to be relatively infrequent phenomena, the truth is that, as of this writing in late November, almost 150 such seismic events, ranging from relatively minor to completely devastating, have transpired somewhere in the world in 2016 alone. That's an average of one earthquake every two or three days! But although these events are not only, uh, earth-shattering for those in the areas directly affected, few would deem them a possible concern for long-term, apocalyptic scenarios, as might be the case with, say, an asteroid collision...except, that is, British author John Christopher, in his 1965 novel "A Wrinkle in the Skin." Christopher, who was born in Lancashire in 1922, had already pleased this reader with his 1956 classic "The Death of Grass" (which told of a worldwide panic after all wheat and barley crops are infected with a virus), and had followed up with 1962's "The World in Winter," which depicted a new Ice Age. A "Wrinkle in the Skin" (aka "The Ragged Edge") turns out to be another very fine Christopher novel in the postapocalyptic vein, depicting a world in chaos following the mother of all quakes.

In the book, the reader makes the acquaintance of Matthew Cotter, a middle-aged divorcé who is currently living on the Channel Island of Guernsey and who has become a grower of tomatoes. Satisfied with his lot, if not especially happy, he finds his life quite literally upended one night when a monstrous quake hits the small island, following a season of similar quakes around the world. Cotter, as it turns out, is one of the few survivors on the island, where practically no building has been left standing. To his astonishment, he also soon finds that all the water in the Channel has been drained away, leaving the Channel Islands islands no longer! After taking up with a band of his fellow survivors for a short time, Cotter resolves to walk across the mud of the now-drying seabed and attempt to trek on to East Sussex on the mainland, to see if his daughter Jane might still be alive. He is joined by a 10-year-old boy, Billy, whose life he had previously saved after the Guernsey disaster, and together, the two explore this strange new environment, where the floor of the sea now lies open to the light of day. Once on the mainland, the pair takes up with another band of survivors, who have managed to stay civilized in the face of an increasingly violent and starving populace. Ultimately, Cotter and Billy decide to press on, but can Jane really still be alive in the midst of such devastation and universal panic?

"A Wrinkle in the Skin" was chosen for inclusion in Jones & Newman's excellent overview volume "Horror: Another 100 Best Books," and I suppose that it might strike some as an unusual choice, in juxtaposition with the other supernatural, fantasy, serial killer and satanic novels therein. Still, I'm certain that anyone who has ever been in even a minor earth tremor (thank heavens, I never have!) would deem it a fairly horrifying experience, indeed. Beyond this basic premise, Christopher's novel does offer up any number of scenes guaranteed to chill. His descriptions of the razed buildings and countless putrescent corpses pull no punches, while his depictions of the Channel seabed toe the fine line between eerie and the phantasmagorical (although these latter descriptions don't come close to the borderline psychedelic ruins found in J.G. Ballard's postapocalyptic outings "The Drowned World" and "The Crystal World"). Cotter and Billy have any number of run-ins with violent "yobbos," and these sequences, too, are unfailingly tense and frightening. And then there is the wonderfully dreamlike interlude in which our wayfarers come upon a beached oil tanker in the middle of the Channel, are welcomed most hospitably by its sole occupant, Captain Skiopos, and slowly come to the realization that the captain has become quite insane. But what apparently horrified British author Simon Clark the most, and induced him to choose the novel for inclusion in the Jones & Newman volume, is the matter-of-fact scene in which April, a survivor who Cotter takes up with, describes the multiple rapings that she has been subjected to since the calamity began. Again, Christopher does not sugarcoat the events in his novel; it is a fairly realistic affair, right down to Cotter's finding (or not finding...I would not think of revealing which) Jane amongst all the destruction.

John Christopher, who is perhaps best known today for his YA trilogy dealing with The Tripods, is an excellent writer, of course, and his 1965 novel shows him in great form, a master of both dialogue and interior monologues, convincing geographical description, and well-drawn characters. Cotter is an especially fine creation, a man who at first blush is presented as aloof and indifferent, but who soon reveals himself to be caring and decent; his relationship with the sweet and spunky Billy is especially well described. "A Wrinkle in the Skin" ends on a fairly abrupt yet oddly pleasing note; I wouldn’t exactly call it a happy ending, although it does hold out a promise of happiness for Cotter in the future. The author, had he chosen, could easily have made this novel the opening salvo for an entire series of books set in an increasingly seismically challenged world, but as it stands, the novel nevertheless succeeds in satisfying on its own. It is a fairly relentless page-turner, and one that would make for a terrific Hollywood blockbuster, if done right.

Inevitably, the book is not without some very minor problems. My main complaint is that we never learn precisely the extent of the devastation. Yes, we see that the Channel and southern England have been pretty much wiped out, but what about northern England? And France? And the U.S., for that matter? In an early section, one of the characters, a geologist, theorizes that our planet could very well now be entering into a new phase of mountain building, and it would have been interesting to learn whether that statement had any merit or not. Again, this is an area that some possible sequels might have touched upon. My other quibble with Christopher's book is something that only fans of old Hollywood movies (yeah, that’s me) would notice, and involves Captain Skiopos showing Cotter and Billy a film starring (once husband and wife) Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. The only problem is, the two never appeared in a film together! But again, this is a minor quibble, when stacked against Christopher's significant accomplishment here.

Writing in the Jones & Newman volume, Clark mentions that "A Wrinkle in the Skin" was "real terror for the 1950s reader," and I suppose the case could be made for the 21st century reader, as well. Scottish critic David Pringle, writing of the book in his "Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction," says it is "perhaps Christopher's best catastrophe tale after his famous 'The Death of Grass,'" and he is a source that I've long trusted. Exciting, evocative and at times quite moving, Christopher's novel is perfect fare for the horror or sci-fi fan who's in the mood for something different. As was the case with the Channel Islands and all of southern England, it will probably leave you pretty well shaken....

(By the way, this review originally appeared on the Fantasy Literature website...a perfect destination for all fans of John Christopher....)
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S. H. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2009
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My friend, Science Fiction writer K.D. Kragen recommended this to me when we were discussing what a seabed might look like were the water to suddenly disappear. This is a very good read by British author John Christopher. It may seem a little dated to some, given when it was written, and the very "British" style of writing, but make no mistake, it is tense and hard to put down. It leaves just enough for speculation that the imagination is indeed exercised. Which is good.
3 people found this helpful
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Steve Meyer
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story but needed a better ending
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2008
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To start let me say that the author is one of my favorites and that is why I purchased this book. I am also a fan of this genre too. I found the book very entertaining and interesting. The thought of earthquakes so bad that the world reverts back to it infancy is terrifying and believable. In this case the people do horrible things to survive because they know no better way to survive in such a bleak world were there are no more supermarkets and drive thru windows. The only weak part, I thought, was the end. Christopher usually has some very good endings that make you really take a step back and look at yourself and the world a little differently. This ending was a little more "happy" but also abrupt and i felt i needed a little more explanation or closure. Something explain what eventually happens to the main character and his boy companion.

Overall it was a good read, but also check out the Sword of the Spirits Trilogy and the Tripods Trilogy by the same author. Very good books, geared for young readers, but good at any age. You'll be glad you did.
7 people found this helpful
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lapis lazuli
4.0 out of 5 stars A Dystopian Tale
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2016
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I loved this book. It is really timeless, it doesn't read like a book that's 50 or so years old. It's a wonderful display of the breakdown of society, yet finding some small bit of humanity in there. There is good, there is bad, there is all of the crazy in between.

It is a fast read, and read that takes you in. I found myself enjoying this so much, that I went immediately out and purchased his book The Death of Grass (https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Classics-Death-Grass-Penguin/dp/0141190175/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472614714&sr=8-1&keywords=the+death+of+grass)
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Top reviews from other countries

DC
5.0 out of 5 stars An end-of-the-world masterpiece
Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2023
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Christopher’s best! A shocking, surprising, heart-warming, terrifying, adventurous story of a man and boy struggling to survive in a world turned upside down by earthquakes which completely transforms the landscape, including shifting the seas. There are a string of exciting episodes, but the best is the crossing of the now-dry English Channel and the discovery of a tanker ship and it’s captain sitting on the bottom. Comparable to The Day of the Triffids and On The Beach, which is high-praise indeed.
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Jenny B
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2024
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Well written, what imagination! Recommended.
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Mace
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and ultimately hopefull.
Reviewed in Australia on June 10, 2020
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While an older novel, the style of the prose has lost nothing and is easy for a modern reader to consume. While similar in scope with "The Road" it has a much more realistic portrayal of human interaction, and, ultimately, a more hopeful conclusion.
Previous reviewers who claim the book is sexist are being ridiculous. Don't believe them, do yourself a favour and give this engaging tale a go.
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Chuzzlewit
4.0 out of 5 stars Dated
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2024
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I discovered John Christopher by accident and have read a couple of his books now. I found this one (and the Death of Grass) enjoyable yarns. What might not appeal to modern tastes is they way they depict
women characters as being supplementary to the male characters. Other than that a solid read.
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N P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2023
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John Christopher comes up with another catastrophic situation to test humanity
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