The hero of the story is a young boy - David. He has been living in the world, which seems to be ordinary, but it isn't. It is a different world. From our point of view, we could say, that it looks like in the past, two or three centuries ago, but ... it is the future. People live there in organizations, on the farms, they care of animals, cultivate plants... All around their seats are woods and wilderness. They have a special religion, it looks like ours a bit, but there is not love, there are dogmas, commands and strict rights and laws only. David is son of that preacher and he has not easy life - because he is feeling and thinking about everything he sees. As he is getting older, we can see through his eyes all that world. People there are very cruel and every difference on the people, which is not in accordance with " the true image ", causes that these people are not considered as a valid human beings yet, but the creatures whose have to be killed or pushed away to wilderness, where wild animals have been living - so it is hard to stay alive there for those men. And David's father makes this dirty work, even with the smile at his face, because he is sure, that it's true way. They believe, that they have to abide the " words of Lord " written down in books and to let their race pure. For example David's friend Sophie had to run away to save her life, because she had not five, but six toes leg. Even his aunt, when was proved, that she has a baby with a small difference and she knew the baby had to die, according to their laws, she committed a suicide... It was a sad country. When David was young, he heard some stories about the distant places, almost fairytales, what big and odd plants have been growing there, what creatures have been living there - there were dangerous places, no one wanted go there. He trayed to imagine whole the world, but he was not able to. He has found some friends... Now he is young man yet. He has found out, that he is able to make some mental shapes, thoughts or mental pictures, that he can send them to his friends, and a few of his friends are able too. This ability has come not immediately, but gradually. They made their group and perfected their abilities still more and more. It was amazing and they liked it, but after a time they have realized, that it could be very dangerous for their lives, when anybody else would learnt about it. Friendship of them was secret, they had to look like normal people and they did. A David's little sister Petra has this ability too, but in a huge strength. She could make " a storm " in heads of her fiends - when something was wrong, when she was scared of something or she needed anything. They had to care of her and to teach her how to manage her abilities. The time was ticked away and conditions has become very bad for them, so they had to run away to wilderness - David, his sister Petra and his girlfriend Rosalind. The escape was necessary, because two of their friends were caught by the "people of law" and they will force them to say who is the next one and next with those abilities. How will they force them ? - By the suffer and the pain - it is the way how do they work, like an inquisition. They have afraided of them so they wanted to destroy them. An escape of our friends was successful, they headed to Wild Country. One friend has stayed in the village and later he has joined men, which followed them and wanted to catch them. He has sent them messages by mind, this was why David, Petra and Rosalind knew what to do. They escaped far. They came among an odd people, people which were pressed out of the normal society - they made own village. David met here his old friend from his childhood - Sophie. It was a nice date. Our friends were here half-guests and half-prisoners. They stayed there and waited. They had a hope, because Petra has made a mental connection to some distant wise woman from a big distance, from the part of the world they know nothing about it. She has promised them help, therefore they remained here and waited. They have nothing else to do... And the enemy is still closer and closer, but help is still not here. The enemies - hunting people are here yet. An attack has begun. A strange fight among the " pure " people and the " wild " people. Sophie has died, a lot of people has died. David, Petra and Rosalind had to stay in the cave - according to command from distant woman. " Help is near yet ", Petra has told them. She was in the connection all the time. And the help has came finally - a big flying object has sunk from the sky, it has sent down a much of special threads, like cobwebs, which have disabled movement to everyone down. Our friends were in cave, so they were safe of it. And what the other ones ? - They had to die... People from flying object came, rescued beings from the cave and they have taken them into the plane. - Our friends are saved... They flied away... At home ? At distant home ? Maybe... Now they can think about and they can see, they can realise..., that the part of the world, where they have lived, is just a small part of the whole world - of the world destroyed by the nuclear disaster in the past. Not all the world has been destroyed, but a lot. It was the case, why such strange creatures and the plants they could see everywhere. A part of civilization has begun from the begin, they created the laws, they has own religion - this part of the world our friends know very well... But it is not all - a part of the people, which survived on the north of the planet, created a new civilization. They have continued only the way of living they did before, but more peacefully. David, Petra and Rosalind are here, at most amazing place they have ever seen. A modern city, light houses, travel... All the people around use the mental communication as an ordinary thing, they have been living in different way. Petra likes everything, David and Rosalind are happy, that they are safe, they can be together, that they need not to afraid of them lifes. They are living in the better world now. Is it the best world ?
I, like most other reviewers of this book, read this book for my grade ten English class. I did not dislike the book; it was very well written and once I started reading, I found that I could not stop. However, both the ending and the characterization left much to be desired. But my real criticism was not with the book, but with the way people interpret it. Many students in my class believed it said that religion, especially Christianity, was wrong. I could not disagree more. What the people of Waknuk practiced was not Christianity, but something that was almost a cult. When the Fringes man talks to David about the true image, I get the impression that Wyndham was aware of this as well. And on a lighter note: Is my class the only one that found the romance between David and Rosalind rather disgusting? Come on, they're COUSINS!!
How do you survive in a repressive world if you are different -- especially if your difference is telepathy, and the society around you totally lacks imagination. That is the problem that David and similarly gifted children of his generation must face in the post-apocalyptic, rural, restrictively religious society they inhabit, in which deviance is apt to be punished with death. Wyndham effectively conveys what it's like to carry a secret, the solace of finding others like yourself, and, in this case, the suspensefully described dangers of exposure. The telepathic interchanges are evocative and believable, and the claustrophobia of circumstances from which it's impossible to see a way out becomes tighter and tighter until the final rescue. A wonderful allegory of freedom and individuality packaged in good writing. Ranks among Wyndham's best novels along with The Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos, and The Kraken Wakes. –
In a future society that survived a worldwide nuclear war, people rejected technology, hoping to banish the cause of the near destruction of their world. As some changes resulting from the latter catastrophe became apparent on some members of their society, a new witch hunt began, as well as a struggle for survival...
This story exposes some flaws of human behaviour that had devastating consequences in history. The arrogance of Man and his lack of self criticism always lead to self destruction, as in 'The Chrysalids', and are obvious in the post nuclear society depicted there. Thus, they did not recognize that the banishment of technology only eliminates the symptom, and not the true illness, which abides deep within us.
All in all, 'The Chrysalids' is a superb story that reveals the imperfect nature of Man and emphasizes the need for a renewal of humanity.
Most Americans, if they've heard of John Wyndham at all, may remember him for "The Day of the Triffids" or "The Midwich Cuckoos", two of his more famous novels which were made into vapid movies. And while I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either of these books to any discerning science fiction or literature fan, in my opinion, "The Chrysalids" surpasses them easily in originality, message, and relevance. It's also a completely absorbing read from beginning to end. The story opens with a young boy named David who is growing up in a world so ravaged by nuclear holocaust that it is scarcely recognizable as our own. Although the apocalypse has passed into ancient history, the scars remain, specifically in the proliferation of genetic mutations which David's people regard as omens of evil. So ingrained is this aversion that mutation is regarded as sacrilege, an obscenity which can only pollute and must be destroyed or excised mercilessly. So thoroughly indoctrinated is David that it never occurs to him that he himself might be a mutant. Although he is seemingly normal from the outside, David is able to communicate with a select group of others in the form of telepathic thought-shapes. As he matures, he realizes that his difference could be lethal to him. He and his fellow mutants grow up bonded by a conspiracy of self-preservation which almost succeeds...until he discovers that his sister shares his gift, with a power exponentially greater than his own, one which proves impossible to hide. On the surface, "The Chrysalids" is no more than a finely wrought, suspensefully rendered tale of an alternate society in a post-apocalyptic world. But if you scratch the surface, you'll find the most scathingly effective condemnation of organized religion in all of science fiction. This is not a novel preaching tolerance; it is an undeniable statement of the folly of accepting the dictates of superstition and paranoia - also known as religion - over the reasoning evidence of one's own mind. The message is subtle, but inescapable and incontrovertible. This book stays with the reader long after it's been returned to the shelf
Arguably the best book I've read this year. It's engrossing, captivating and subtly reveals to its readers the many flaws in society: its bigotry, prejudice and inhumanity. This book deals a lot with what it means to be human.How we are all imperfect yet we fail to see the log in our own eye and never hesitate to criticise the splinter in the eye of our brother. The Chrysalids explores issues such as religion and prejudice, and how wrong it is to only focus on one part of a philosophy (such as the Bible) and ignore other relevant parts as well.
Wyndha, writes in a lyrical manner, with simple language which manages to evoke subtle but lasting emotions and impressions in the hearts of the readers. Indeed, it was a joy to read. By far the best book Wyndham has writte, far surpasses even 'The Day Of The Triffids'. A must-read for those of all ages.
I first read this book in my early teens (1960s) and was enthralled. I re-read it recently and was impressed by how well it had stood the test of time. I consider it Wyndham's best and the book is in my top 5 science fiction books. The story starts (apparently) at an unspecified time in a simple Godfearing agricultural community. Only gradually does it emerge that this is a post-nuclear holocaust society in a remote part of Canada struggling to survive against mutations caused by long-lived nuclear contamination - a concept this simple society has no knowledge of. David, the young hero of the story, learns he and a few other youngsters, have the gift of telepathy. This 'gift' marks them out as 'different' and in this society being different is dangerous. David learns that the quotation on the kitchen wall "cursed is the mutant in the sight of God" applies to him. The story continues from there ( don't want to spoil it for you). From an historical persp! ective this book is interesting - written in the 1950s, it reflects the pervasiveness of concern in society at the time of the consequences of nuclear war - mutually assured destruction. In summary a gripping and thought provoking story, a sci-fi masterpiece. Even my 15 yr old son enjoyed it (read under duress) although the post nuclear war angle did not dawn on him until well into the book.
"And God created man in his own image. And God decreed that man should have one body, one head, two arms and two legs; that each arm should be jointed in two places and end in one hand; that each hand should have four fingers and one thumb; that each finger should bear a flat finger-nail..." and so on went the affirmation that all heard each Sunday in church. Any deviation from this was an abomination, a blasphemy before God who had fashioned man in his own image and must be dealt with immediately before such evil could propagate and spread. Young David knew the words by heart for they were reinforced daily by his evangelical father, yet how could his friend Sophie be considered evil?? Sure she had a sixth toe on each foot, but certainly she was no threat to anyone. But when her abnormality was discovered, David soon learned to what extent his society would go in these cases. To make matters worse he now began to find he had an invisible deviation himself, telepathic powers. Soon David and his new friends, fellow "picture talkers," would live in fear of their lives, persecuted and hunted by family and friends. Where could they go but to the Fringes, the place where abominations like themselves escaped to? Would they find peace and acceptance there?
Post disaster stories are perhaps one of the most worked subgenres in science fiction. From H.G. Wells' THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME, to Walter Miller's classic A CANTICLE FOR LIEBOWITZ, to David Brin's recently filmed THE POSTMAN, we seem to be fascinated with man's abilities/inabilities to cope with what nature or himself brings to pass. Usually these tales are centred around humankind's attempts to find a sense of self and society amongst chaos and are heavily salted with religious overtones, to this extent RE-BIRTH is no different. The microcosm we are presented with is a highly evangelical society where even the deviants, much to our protagonist's chagrin, have their own spiritual dogma. In many ways this story is a condemnation of religious extremism, yet surprisingly even the most enlightened thinkers of the story are monotheistic. That's not to say that enlightened thinkers have to be atheists, but I marveled at the fact that in a virtually destroyed world no one seemed to even question the existence of a God. What really sets this book apart from the others I've read is that it's from the perspective of children, immature beings who know the words being preached to them, but who are incapable of applying their meanings to their innocent worlds.
This is a very interesting and well written story. And even though it's written in the typical austere English style, it deserves the label, "classic."
It appears people still do not understand what the author is trying to say in this novel. It is not a "mutant vs human" struggle but a questioning of the meaning of the word 'human'. Is it the physical form or how one thinks that defines what a human is? That said, this is excellently written and a very satisfying story.
This is the kind of science fiction I like. Not the kind with big space battles, etc., but a _human_ story. The style it is written in is excellent (the style of writing is often almost more important than the story). I first read this book in grade ten - and hated it! I re-read it a few years later, and loved it. I would suggest that anyone forced to read it in high school should give it another try, if they hated it. Being forced to read this book and write about it and discuss it destroys any enjoyment (at least it did for me). Give it another shot.
I am not a big science fiction fan, but this story was very good. I really felt for the characters. I was saddened when certain characters died. I didn't want the story to end.
This is a great book. I have just, this afternoon, finished readind it for school. And I can say this is one of a few great books that I have ever read. There are only two really. (Good Ones that is. Not ones that I have read.) If you are into science fiction, or even if you are not this is the book for you. No huge space battles, no complex things like what they mumble about on Star Trek nothing but a great read.
