The Day of the Triffids

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Whatever Wyndham's soldier status, there is an amount of carnage & corpses in The Day of the Triffids - although generally subdued, and mainly visible out of the corner of the eye. Death might not be the focus of the book, Wyndham nevertheless manages to evoke its terror, precisely by understating the human costs: Mason digs a grave only once, "a very small one", for a 4-year old boy.

Not a horror story, and not really about a battle with strange green creatures, what then is the focus of this book? Seminal science fiction influencer David Pringle missed the mark big time, when he wrote "it would be a mistake to stress the 'moral' in what is first and foremost an exciting escapist romp."

Yes, it is an exciting adventure story, but it is only so successful because Wyndham grounds it in convincing moral choices and nuanced emotions. Bill Mason encounters very different reactions to what's happening, including those of himself, and it is this social kaleidoscope that keeps the book relevant today.

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Full review on Weighing A Pig...