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challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved the story. Feels like it’s applicable today with our careless commoditization of natural resources for the benefit of human consumption and the extreme rightists trying to control women’s reproductive freedoms. Frightening times!
Had to wonder how the book would’ve addressed women unable to bear children and how close we’d get to being forced into being Marthas and aunts, à la The Handmaid’s Tale.
Had to wonder how the book would’ve addressed women unable to bear children and how close we’d get to being forced into being Marthas and aunts, à la The Handmaid’s Tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Suicide, Violence
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I appreciated Jeff VanderMeer's introduction confronting John Wyndham's prejudice and hypocrisies amidst an otherwise interesting worldview. Parts of this book certainly felt dated, which is disappointing because the other 98% was gripping, poignant, eerie, dark, timeless, and brilliant. It was wildly clear to see (no pun intended) how this particular novel has influenced the entire zombie genre; every thematic and philosophical issue raised in The Day of the Triffids has proven foundational to our modern dystopic, apocalyptic genre in literature, film, etc. Definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pretty interesting take on an apocalypse where the world as we know it ends because everyone goes blind. It primarily focuses on how the characters deal with the immediate aftermath, but also shows their attempts to survive on a more long term scale. It was also incredibly interesting to see all the different types of communities survivors tried to form, whether they decided to desperately cling onto their roots or look forward to a future of change.
I wish some of the pacing was better and the timeline was spread out more consistently. The majority of the book happens in the first few days/weeks after the apocalyptic event, and then there are major time skips in the last two or three chapters that feel a little rush. I also wish it focused a bit more on the actions of the main characters, instead of glossing over various events to focus more on how other characters ended up in one place or another.
Overall, I liked it quite a bit, but it was definitely written in the 1950s
I wish some of the pacing was better and the timeline was spread out more consistently. The majority of the book happens in the first few days/weeks after the apocalyptic event, and then there are major time skips in the last two or three chapters that feel a little rush. I also wish it focused a bit more on the actions of the main characters, instead of glossing over various events to focus more on how other characters ended up in one place or another.
Overall, I liked it quite a bit, but it was definitely written in the 1950s
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Partially ported over from my now-abandoned Goodreads:
Suprisingly solid, considering it's a book about walking carnivorous plants that bludgeon people. Honestly had me captivated, far more than I expected; this one's definitely a classic for a reason, and I'd recommend it. Its descriptions of its crumbling world, in particular, are really visceral, and hold a palpable solemnity and dread unlike anything I've read in a book thus far. This book is definitely worth a look.
Suprisingly solid, considering it's a book about walking carnivorous plants that bludgeon people. Honestly had me captivated, far more than I expected; this one's definitely a classic for a reason, and I'd recommend it. Its descriptions of its crumbling world, in particular, are really visceral, and hold a palpable solemnity and dread unlike anything I've read in a book thus far. This book is definitely worth a look.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Terminal illness
Minor: Animal death, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy
A lot of people die in this book. Several die as the result of carnivorous plants attacking them, which is unpleasant but immediate or near-immediate. Others die of an unknown illness, and this is not immediate. One unnamed character kills herself rather than die of the plague slowly. A child victim is shown in the aftermath but his death is not seen. Several animals are seen dead or dying, but described briefly. Pregnancy is described but not graphically and turns out well. There is some violence, mostly not vividly described.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Suicide, Violence, Pregnancy, War
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Banging post-apocalyptic novel about the fragility of human society in the face of man-eating plants and blindness with a healthy dose of Cold War and satellite weapon commentary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Suicide
Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Rape
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A short fast book that makes you think about your worthiness as a human. Even though it was written in the 50s, you'll get a uneasy feeling that it was written just yesterday about modern times. The scarrines of civilization falling apart is really similar to modern ecology concerns.
Ignoring the tree page rant of one of the characters about women being good-for-nothing, it was a great dystopian quick read. Even though the characters were mostly flat.
Ignoring the tree page rant of one of the characters about women being good-for-nothing, it was a great dystopian quick read. Even though the characters were mostly flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gore, Alcohol
Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide