The Chrysalids

The Chrysalids – my inaugural dive into science fiction in the late sixties – hooked me from the first paragraph.

Wyndham creates a dystopian world of post-nuclear destruction where genetic mutations abound, and if discovered, culled from a civilization steeped in a stark biblical ideology. The Chrysalids track protagonist David Strorm as he safeguards his six-toed friend, Sophie, and ultimately connects with a band of telepaths offering new world hope.

I loved this book because of its adolescent hero and his defiance against a society that was morally corrupt. 

I’ve adapted a lot of books for radio, and The Chrysalids is outstanding among them. It’s a gift for radio, as radio is the one medium where telepathy can be convincingly portrayed, by a simple change of acoustic effects.

I loved it before I adapted it, for the clear and engaging first-person narrator, and for the brilliance of its story; genetic mutation has devastated the world, and mutants are ruthlessly hunted down and destroyed. Then a group of children is born with telepathic powers - in the eyes of their families and friends, yet another kind of mutation. But for… show more.

I first read The Chrysalids at school because it was on the English Lit curriculum, but it made an impact on me that has never left – so much so, that some forty years later I was compelled to hunt down a copy to reread. Forty years is long enough to forget much of the detail, so I was able to enjoy it all over again. A brilliant story about a boy who discovers he has an exceptional gift/mutation in a harsh world that’s recovering from a cataclysm. Vividly pictured and beautifully crafted.

On the surface, Wyndham’s post-apocalyptic dystopian novel, might seem an odd choice for this list, but what it lacks in pure fantasy it more than makes up for with heart. The reader is lured into a strange and wild world in which even bizarre concepts appear both credible and familiar. In the wake of a devastating war from long ago, any mutation or deviation from the norm is feared as a sign of God’s wrath. Within this strictly religious community, where even the slightest physical deformity will lead to banishment or eradication, a small group of children are hiding a… show more.

My high school English teacher introduced me to the work of science fiction writer John Wyndham when I was in my mid-teens and I promptly read every title by this author and found a new favourite genre. Along with encouraging me to read outside my usual choices, this teacher gave me some invaluable writing advice after I handed in a short story: "Continue to write in this light-hearted vein and you will do well." Unfortunately, it took me a while to follow it and I spent quite a few years trying unsuccessfully to write serious literary fiction.

This is one of my all-time favourite books. Most classify it as science fiction—of which I’m not a fan—but the author described it as ‘logical fantasy’ when he wrote it in the 1950s, so I’m going with that. The setting is a post-apocalyptic agricultural community in Southwestern Labrador. As a result of nuclear fallout, the chances of breeding true are low, and mutants are weeded out and ostracized to a desolate area known as the Fringes. All fear those who live there. When David and a group of other young people with telepathic abilities are discovered, they have no choice… show more.

I’m passionate about reading (and writing!) about people who are persecuted for their beliefs and individual qualities, so this novel fits my tastes perfectly. In it, survivors of a nuclear holocaust live in a rural community that enforces Old Testament rules and regulations, eliminating anyone with a physical defect or mutation. Their isolated territory is surrounded by the Fringes, a terrifying wasteland inhabited by radiation-transformed creatures. David, the young narrator, soon reveals a damning secret: he is in telepathic contact with other youngsters who share his special abilities. He has also detected the existence of adult mind-readers in distant New… show more.

This is the story of a young boy growing up in a post-apocalyptic world. Nuclear war has all but destroyed the Earth but, bit by bit, it is recovering. The animals and plants are often mutated but they are coming back. And human beings are forming societies again. 

David Strorm’s community is dominated by legends of the Old People, who could fly through the air and talk to each other even over vast distances. The Old People were destroyed by Tribulation, sent down upon them by God. Now the important thing is to obey the rules and, most importantly, keep… show more.

This book shows the reader a world that may be in our future, one that in many ways is not so different from what happens right now in some parts of the world. John Wyndham is a fantastic writer, and his writing takes you in and gets you invested in the story from the first pages. I couldn’t stop thinking about my takeaway from this story for a long time; actually, I still go back to it now, after many years, and have reread it three times, always finding something more in it.