The Day of the Triffids

By John Wyndham

Book Overview

The influential masterpiece of one of the twentieth century's most brilliant--and neglected--science fiction and horror writers, whom Stephen King called "the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced."--now in development as a miniseries directed by Johan Renck.

"[Wyndham] avoids easy allegories and instead questions the relative values of the civilisation that has been lost, the literally blind terror of humanity in the face of dominant nature. . . . Frightening and powerful, Wyndham's vision remains an important allegory and a gripping story."--The Guardian

What if a meteor shower left most of the world blind--and humanity at the mercy of mysterious carnivorous plants?

Bill Masen undergoes eye surgery and awakes the next morning in his hospital bed to find civilization collapsing. Wandering the city, he quickly realizes that surviving in this strange new world requires evading strangers and the seven-foot-tall plants known as triffids--plants that can walk and can kill a man with one quick lash of their poisonous stingers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593450086
• ISBN13: 9780593450086
• Release Date: April 2022
• Publisher: Modern Library
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Day of the Triffids movie mch btr thn book

Just glossed over in book. Mr detailed in movie

Man-Made End of the World Fun

Loved this book! It’s always so fun to read a book about the end of the world that came out before the dawn of the technology age. A quick, easy read that’s interesting from the jump with strong world-building and science fiction. Just as dark as anything that may come out today while also grappling with 50s sensibilities. Great book for any sci-fi fan.

Compelling

My first introduction to The Day of the Triffids was watching the BBC series as a child. I was terrified. Many years later I opened the book and discovered John Wyndham. Having read all his books I rate this one right at the top.Like his other titles, the reader is immediately immersed in the "what if" world that Wyndham creates. The protagonist, Bill Mason is one of the few people in the world not sent blind by a meteor shower. To compound his situation earth is taken over by Triffids; walking, man eating plants, biological abominations created by you guessed it, humans. Our hero must flee the death and depravity of London and attempt to start a new life not only for himself but for humankind. A battle for survival of the fittest is dramatically played out with the winner changing constantly. Some themes that I found interesting included the struggle for man to again dominate over nature and the effect of a cataclysmic event on human inter-relations.This book is classic Science Fiction but I also like think of it as Horror without gore.