lbrex 's review for:

The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham

5.0

dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

---

This is another great one by Wyndham. The prospect of organisms coming from outer space in the form of glowing orbs and taking up residence in the deepest trenches of our oceans is imaginative in its own right, but the story that follows of humanity's battle with these mysterious entities is absorbing, compelling, at points funny and at other points horrifying. Mike and Phyllis Watson, our protagonists, work for the lesser-known English Broadcasting Corporation, and are thus privy to the latest world developments as they happen, though they also have access to the frequent mismatch between what government and media do or don't know about the ongoing catastrophe and what is actually being circulated. This is a book about a slow-moving catastrophe and also about the mediation of that catastrophe. Finally, I don't want to give anything away so I will be vague, but the third "phase" of the book, anticipated in the opening pages, has become anachronistically compelling in our age of climate change. Even without all of the other interesting things this book has to offer, that alone would make it worth reading. 

John Wyndham is great, everyone. If you have any interest in SF you should certainly read him!