Name: Matthew Jackson's review of The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
Item: The Chrysalids
Rating: 3
Author: Matthew Jackson

John Wyndham

Set in the future after a devastating global nuclear war, The Chrysalids is a philosophical tale with as much resonance today as it had when it was first written. David Strorm lives in a tight-knit community of religious and genetic fundamentalists; a group of people who exist in a state of constant alert for any deviation of what they believe to be the norm of God’s creation. “Offenses” consist of plants and animals that are in any way unusual, and they are publicly burned to the accompaniment of the singing of hymns. “Blasphemies” are human beings who show any sign of abnormality, and they’re banned from society. So when David realizes that he is in possession of a power that would label him a mutant, he is forced to keep it a secret and reckon with the idea of fleeing to the Badlands—a new world that could offer him either a death sentence or freedom.

The Chrysalids

Matthew Jackson

Shona Tiger

Fun; a bit preachy towards the end in a pretty weird SF way. Feels a bit of YA SF, but themes definitely not. CW: suicide, violence.

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.

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.

Yulande Lindsay

Really excellent thought provoking piece of work exploring the themes of intolerance, the other, family, love and frienship. Highly recommended.

Raag Sudha

** spoiler alert **
           This read was easier than I expected it to be, considering that it's supposedly a 'classic' (whatever that means). I tried to read it back when I was 15 and did not catch any balls whatsoever. While it is not the most palatable read, there are definitely gems within the text. 

Towards the end the book was really quite gripping, and I actually stayed up to finish it off. I am quite sure that if I go and search up the analysis part of this book, there would be quite a lot of things going on in terms of social commentary on society, factionism, human nature etc. While those things are pretty interesting and I did pick up on hints along the way, I think what Wyndham did a lot better was delve into the idea of telepathy, hive minds and 'thinking together' as a collective consciousness. He seemed to suggest that those from 'Zealand' could all think together and were therefore more evolved than the 'primitives' at Waknuk who stubbornly held on to the idea of 'One True Image' — and honestly it is quite interesting to note that Joseph Strorm and the rest of Waknuk religious leaders seem awfully sure of themselves that telepathy is a Deviation, given that there is nothing about it in the Bible. I think this book is a great introduction to anthropology, sociology and philosophy/social theory because it gives beginners a taste of subjectivism & social constructivism i.e. the idea that everything is subjective & that there is no one big universal objective Truth.

For me, these ideas are a little cliche by now, but that is more likely owing to the fact that I already have years of exposure to these ideas than any fault of Wyndham per se. What I was much more interested in was how he conveyed telepathy, because I don't think I have come across any book per se that explores telepathy in such intriguing yet vague ways. He does not quite make it a central focus of the book; rather, he is much more subtle & is able to effectively portray this concept of telepathy from the protagonist's perspective as something so all-encompassing and obvious that it does not need to be explained, especially also since it can't quite be explained. How does a fish explain the concept of water? How do we explain the concept of time? The nature of our own thoughts? All in all a pretty interesting read.

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.

betty books

'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 ...

Matthew Jackson &
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

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