From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever…

The Chrysalids

John Wyndham

Start date: November 15, 2020

Finish date: December 1, 2020

Discussion: AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

Discussion leader: Gertie

Why we're reading this: Read anytime, book discussion opens December 1st.
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AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

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What Members Thought

Sep 16, 2008 Alice rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, scifi-apocalyptic-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Yeah this may have spoilers:

At first, I was in love with this book. It is engaging and the plot definitely carries you along. The basic premise of a society that focuses on man being made in the image of God and that society’s focus on physical perfection resonates in today’s pop-culture climate of physical perfection as a path to happiness. First published in 1955, it is obviously informed by some residual post-WWII anxiety with its study of a culture’s quest for a “pure” human genetic line. Al Yeah this may have spoilers:

At first, I was in love with this book. It is engaging and the plot definitely carries you along. The basic premise of a society that focuses on man being made in the image of God and that society’s focus on physical perfection resonates in today’s pop-culture climate of physical perfection as a path to happiness. First published in 1955, it is obviously informed by some residual post-WWII anxiety with its study of a culture’s quest for a “pure” human genetic line. Also, it is clearly very much informed by Cold War anxieties, looking at life after a nuclear war and at the way in which societies are structured. The beginning felt a little bit like post-apocalypse meets Little House on the Prairie, and I thought that worked.

But ultimately, I am not sure what point the book is trying to make. It is definitely an interesting story, but it goes too far into the philosophical to not be trying to say more. I feel this way about a lot of Cold War literature. I am never sure what side it is taking; is it advocating a more Soviet or western European social structure? I suppose maybe this is the point. For all the propaganda on both sides stating superiority, a government is a government, and there is no utopian social structure that in practice eliminates all human misery and doesn’t limit freedoms.

Some reviews mention the deus ex machinca ending, but I didn’t think the ending was quite that clear cut. The whole thing made me feel a little uncomfortable about the main characters lives as they adjusted to a new land, the final lines are cheesy, but some of the ones leading up to that, like Petra’s ability to hear behind-think and the Sealand/Zealand woman’s huge emphasis on what seems like “group-think” made me uncomfortable, not to mention that woman was totally creepy. Maybe if everyone could think-talk instead of having to rely on spoken words to express themselves there would be more "peace" and "understanding," but at what cost to individual free-will as well as personal privacy? I will keep my head to myself thank you very much.
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Dec 31, 2007 bsc rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009, fiction, science-fiction

A post-apocalyptic tale from the "Golden Age". This was a really nice surprise. Could be classified as "young adult" today but is certainly enjoyable by everyone. It seems this book doesn't get the attention it deserves since I'd hardly even heard of it. However, it holds up very well compared to others of its time. ...more

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