What do you lot out there think of John Wyndhams “The Chrysalids”?
In my teens I loved John Wyndham’s books. My all time favourite was ‘The Chrysalids’, closely followed by ‘The Midwich Cuckoos’ and ‘Chocky’. The Chrysalids was one of those stories I’ve carried through my life. It massively captured my 14 year old imagination. I longed to be one of those telepathic children. I lived that story for a very long time even after I’d finished reading it. ‘The Chrysalids’ & ‘The Midwich Cuckoos’ are almost opposites despite the similar central idea (group of telepathic children). The Chrysalids involved the children as vulnerable in a society which would destroy them if their difference was discovered. The latter involved the children as a deadly power which threatened to destroy humankind. That is, the potential destruction is coming from opposite directions, from society in one book and from the children in the other. Also, in The Chrysalids the children’s “difference” from the common man & woman is seen as a valuable & desirable (by the reader) forward s
