Name: The Chrysalids
Rating: 3.63125 (80 reviews)

John Wyndham

A terrifying story of conformity and deformity in a world paralyzed by genetic mutation.

The Chrysalids

David Storm's father doesn't approve of Angus Morton's unusually large horses, calling them blasphemies against nature. Little does he realise that his own son, and his cousin Rosalind and their friends, have their own secret abberaion which would label them as mutants. But as David and Rosalind grow older it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery, or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands . . . The Chrysalids is a post-nuclear apocalypse story of genetic mutation in a devastated world and explores the lengths the intolerant will go to to keep themselves pure.

ikkychan

Just finished reading "The Chrysalids" by John Wyndham. This is one of the most interesting dystopian story i've ever read. I first got introduced by Wyndham by a certain book club i joined not too long ago. One of them suggested this book for our monthly book discussion. Though it didn't make the cut for the month, i got curious myself and went ahead with the book. That was one of the best decision i made last year. The story set in unknown time, way into the future, after a huge catastroph dubbed 'Tribulation' brought forth doom for humanity, leaving a handful of human to survive in the wasteland. These human strive to live despite the harsh plain and unforgiving terrain they face for the sake of comfortable home of their wives and children. They value loyalty and tradition, they are willing to do what's best they thought for their measly community even to the extreme; such as mutilating the mutants and banishing them to the fringe of the country, leaving them to fend for themselves. You see, they thought of themselves as the true form of humanity, the pinnacle of God's creation, having five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot and all that jazz, which means anything beyond that would fall into the category of mutants, deviants, creature with no soul, that give them all the right to rob them of every chance to have normal live. Well, not very Christian, don't you think? This one has been a really fun reading. Not only it keeps you on your edge, wondering about the fate of our telepaths while learning of how the re-construction of post-apocalyptic society came to be, but it also ponders the recurrence of human's hopeless incapability of learning from mistake. It's like we strive more for unsustainability, not the other way around. Like, can we really learn from history? We've seen what Nazi and KKK has done, but we still have racism, people who think their 'kind' is better than others, entitled people.... so yeah i guess humanity is just doomed.

Patrick Book

Edging on 3.5. Pretty effective world-building and sympathetic characters in a wild, wild setting. Easy to like!

Cait🪼

I mean...it was okay. I'll always love telepathy and apocalyptic religion as tropes, but it just bored me a little and I struggled to keep picking it up.

This book is so well written and the perfect Dystopian world. Wyndam, much like in his work Day of the Triffids, poses a hypothetical world that is equal parts terrifying and very real through the characters he has created. The connection to religion and the segregation of people was a very interesting theme explored through the concept of people, mutation and divinity in the image of God.

Juliet Tuppurainen

Fraser Simons

A finely crafted coming-of-age narrative voice propels this story of near-future dystopia in Labrador (Canada, yay!) That is much changed due to climate effects. In a small rural town a group of “deviations” are emerging amongst a highly reactionary conservative “moralistic” government that culls every kind of mutation that emerges in their borders. Typically, these things manifest as physical, and are easily spotted. But our protagonist has developed a kind of telepathy, as have others. While they enjoy “passing”, as such, they also know the comfort their invisibility affords can’t last forever. 

The coming-of-age dystopia has been done to death, but I found the prose to be captivating. It starts tense and continues is over. It’s interesting seeing the fear of fallout essentially reaching absolutely everywhere in the world, and tethering that fear to larger themes around conservative values rooted in puritanical fascist moralism and progressiveness with stakes in science and evolution and nature. It makes this story work at a much more satisfying level, because it can never really be antiquated. Conservatives always react this way, and we’re seeing it currently around such small progressive changes in culture like abortion, trans rights, and “identity politics” and critical race theory. Already we see the alt right and cons embody the people of the town and government steeping their radicalism in western religious beliefs. 

Beyond that, it’s just a really solid little story. It reads fast, ostensibly the narrator is older and telling the story so it isn’t hindered by having to craft too young a voice, and water down the diction. It’s completely character driven. It’s not bombastic for shock value as many telepathy stories tend to be. It’s just a really good classic science fiction construction delving into human experience with devices that are hallmarks of the genre.

Lea de Sousa

John Wyndham is the ultimate palate cleanser - whenever I want a 'refresh' after reading too much literary fiction, his short and wacky sci-fi novels are exactly what I need. 

The Chrysalids is set in a futuristic town in a region named Labrador (yes, I know...). It is narrated from the perspective of the young son of the towns head figure (and also the most fevered believer of their, I dare say, religious cult). This cult believes in the image of God with a passion like no other and removes 'Deviations' from society - everything from a malformed vegetable to a child with six toes. 

Although the story is set in the future, the people of Labrador live a primitive way of life due to a catastrophic event called the 'Tribulation' that almost wiped out mankind (cough* climate change and capitalistic greed). There is much more to this engaging story but I don't like sharing spoilers so you'd better get reading!

For fans of: old-school sci-fi novels, short books, Cat's Cradle and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in general, The Day of the Triffids, crazy religious cults.

I'll end this review with a quote from the book that really stuck with me:
“The essential quality of life is living' the essential quality of living is change; change is evolution; and we are part of it.”

Dani

Por alguna extraña razón (Boookdepository) terminé comprando 4 libros de John Wyndham (quería leer “El día de los trífidos”)
Este libro es un excelente segundo puesto en esta tanda de libros, oscuro, distópico si se quiere, y retorcido como toda historia en la que hay religiones de por medio.
Muy recomendable.

Kaylee Z

Finished during Booktube-a-thon but forgot to update.

The chrysalids.

Ellen Ivey

Frank Huang

'WATCH THOU FOR THE MUTANT!' It is many years since God sent the Tribulation to punish the forebears for their sins, and in the rural settlement of Waknuk David Strorm's father decries any and all blasphemies against nature. Little does he realise that David and his cousin Rosalind, have their own secret aberration which would label them as mutants. But as they grow older it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery, or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands. . . 'An outstanding success' New York Times

Damian Wines

Penguin Decades bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling. First published in 1955, The Chrysalids is a post-nuclear story of genetic mutation in a devastated world, which tells of the lengths the intolerant will go to to keep themselves pure. David Strorm's father doesn't approve of Angus Morton's unusually large horses, calling them blasphemies against nature. Little does he realize that his own son, his niece Rosalind and their friends, have their own secret aberration which would label them as mutants. But as David and Rosalind grow older it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands ...

maximilian becht

Joe Woods

Francesca

David's father doesn't approve of Angus Morton's unusually large horses, calling them blasphemies against nature. And blasphemies, as everyone knows, should be burned: KEEP PURE THE STOCK OF THE LORD; WATCH THOU FOR THE MUTANT. Little does he realise that his own son - and his son's cousin Rosalind and their friends - have their own secret aberration which would label them as mutants. And mutants, as everyone knows, should be burned. But as David and Rosalind grow older it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery - and death - or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands . . .

The Chrysalids

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