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A review by ioanabogdan
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
3.0
THERE'S A TINY SPOILER.
Really captivating book. I have to admit when I found out what it was about, I felt intrigued yet was expecting an abundance of weird alien hypothesis, and everything to have an exaggerated turn. I am glad to say the direction this book went surprised me, and I am genuinely proud. Way to go Wyndham!
Now, during some chapters everything felt like I was dragged through some extra pages that were written just so they can make the novel a tad longer. What upsets me the most, is the fact that since I was (and still am) a heavy Agatha Christie reader I made the ending a little predictable for myself. I knew what the end will be but not how the author will reach that end. Well half way through the last chapter the act of heroism in the name of "mankind" was clear to me, and Mr Zellaby (our lovely protagonist) did not cease to feed my expectations.
Wyndham has a simple yet rich style of writing, and a lovely way of explaining his scientific hypothesis. At some point halfway through the novel some interesting ideas of our humanity are pointed out. The view of the west towards and over the "Iron curtain" of 1960s Cold War truly resonates. The clash of ideology is easily seen. Anyway I found the chapters nicely blending into one another as well. I truly recommend this to any science-fiction reader, but I think anyone should give it a try. It's fun, it's a classic, and it's worth reading. Cheers Wyndham!
Really captivating book. I have to admit when I found out what it was about, I felt intrigued yet was expecting an abundance of weird alien hypothesis, and everything to have an exaggerated turn. I am glad to say the direction this book went surprised me, and I am genuinely proud. Way to go Wyndham!
Now, during some chapters everything felt like I was dragged through some extra pages that were written just so they can make the novel a tad longer. What upsets me the most, is the fact that since I was (and still am) a heavy Agatha Christie reader I made the ending a little predictable for myself. I knew what the end will be but not how the author will reach that end. Well half way through the last chapter the act of heroism in the name of "mankind" was clear to me, and Mr Zellaby (our lovely protagonist) did not cease to feed my expectations.
Wyndham has a simple yet rich style of writing, and a lovely way of explaining his scientific hypothesis. At some point halfway through the novel some interesting ideas of our humanity are pointed out. The view of the west towards and over the "Iron curtain" of 1960s Cold War truly resonates. The clash of ideology is easily seen. Anyway I found the chapters nicely blending into one another as well. I truly recommend this to any science-fiction reader, but I think anyone should give it a try. It's fun, it's a classic, and it's worth reading. Cheers Wyndham!