EBOOK
About
A genre-defining tale of first contact by one of the 20th century's most brilliant-and neglected-science fiction and horror writers, whom Stephen King called "the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced."
What if the women of a sleepy English village all became mysteriously and simultaneously pregnant-and the children, once born, possessed supernatural (and possibly alien) powers?
A mysterious silver object appears in the sleepy English village of Midwich, and all the inhabitants fall unconscious. A day later the object is gone and everyone wakes up unharmed-except that all the women in the village are now pregnant.
The resultant children of Midwich are blond, possess golden eyes, grow at an abnormally fast pace, and exhibit telekinetic abilities: they are shockingly, frighteningly Other. As their powers bring them into conflict with the villagers, news of other eerie, golden-eyed children in Russia and China reaches Midwich. Faced with the unknowable-and potentially unstoppable-threat of these children, the question arises: what will humanity decide to do when faced with the threat of the unknown? John Wyndham (1903-1969) is considered a pioneer of science fiction and horror, though he preferred to think of himself as a "logical fantasist." He began writing science fiction and detective stories in the 1920s, but shifted to science fiction post-WWII, focusing on themes of disaster, invasion, and first contact. His best known works include The Day of the Triffids (1951) and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957). A pacifist and socialist, Wyndham was alive to the impact of sexism, classism, and prejudice and his novels reflect his liberal politics.
What if the women of a sleepy English village all became mysteriously and simultaneously pregnant-and the children, once born, possessed supernatural (and possibly alien) powers?
A mysterious silver object appears in the sleepy English village of Midwich, and all the inhabitants fall unconscious. A day later the object is gone and everyone wakes up unharmed-except that all the women in the village are now pregnant.
The resultant children of Midwich are blond, possess golden eyes, grow at an abnormally fast pace, and exhibit telekinetic abilities: they are shockingly, frighteningly Other. As their powers bring them into conflict with the villagers, news of other eerie, golden-eyed children in Russia and China reaches Midwich. Faced with the unknowable-and potentially unstoppable-threat of these children, the question arises: what will humanity decide to do when faced with the threat of the unknown? John Wyndham (1903-1969) is considered a pioneer of science fiction and horror, though he preferred to think of himself as a "logical fantasist." He began writing science fiction and detective stories in the 1920s, but shifted to science fiction post-WWII, focusing on themes of disaster, invasion, and first contact. His best known works include The Day of the Triffids (1951) and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957). A pacifist and socialist, Wyndham was alive to the impact of sexism, classism, and prejudice and his novels reflect his liberal politics.
Related Subjects
Extended Details
- SeriesMidwich Cuckoos