DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS [Mass Market Paperback]

The opening scene in Triffids is mesmerizing. The basic premise of the book is that a meteor shower blinds most of the world population, except for a handful of people. One of lucky ones is Bill Masen, who was in a hospital with bandages over his eyes and was not able to watch the meteor shower. Towards the end of the book, narrator Masen speculates that the meteor shower might have been caused by man-made satellites orbiting Earth, and indeed, the whole apocalyptic vision of the novel voices the concerns any sane human being would have had shortly after WWII and the discovery of the destructive power of atomic energy.

That said, the novel is not at all a doom and gloom book. It is actually quite hopeful, optimistic, and funny. There is a romantic subplot wherein Bill meets a charming woman named Josella Payton, only to be separated from her in the aftermath of the devastating meteor shower. A good part of the book follows Bill's search for Josella through various malevolent organizations that spring up in the months after the meteor shower.

Developing alongside this story line, is the story of the triffids, a kind of six-foot-tall Venus Flytrap with a stinging whip that has the ability to pick up its roots and walk around. In the wake of world blindness, these plants begin attacking people who stumble blindly around London and the English countryside outside of London.

The novel has a very solid ending that made me feel happy to have read the book. It was such a good story I'm going to see if I can get a copy of Wyndham's other classic bestseller, The Cuckoo's of Midwich. I highly recommend Day of the Triffids to any sci-fi fan, as well as to anyone who likes a good old-fashioned white-knuckle yarn. And, of course, I hope this review is helpful to you!

Stacey

PS Do me a favor and click "yes" if you would be interested in seeing a modern Hollywood remake Day of the Triffids.

John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids is an exciting and compelling novel that will keep the reader hanging on to every word, just waiting to see what will happen next. The plot of the book is farfetched yet understandable and interesting, and leaves one wondering if something so horrifying could occur in the world today. It also makes one think about whether or not our advances in science are actually as beneficial as they initially seem. Is the human race getting too smart for their own good? Wyndham strings together a series of events in such a way that every part of the book is engrossing, and he leaves the reader begging for more.