John Wyndham's The Chrysalids anticipates and surpasses many of today's dystopian thrillers.... The Chrysalids explores intolerance and bigotry with satisfying complexity as it races toward an ending that is truly unpredictable. Another interesting (and damning) perspective comes from one of these other societies, called Zealand, one that has advanced and re-built and where think-speaking is treasured and encouraged - a utopia, in fact, for Davie and his friends:

But I am MOST bitter about the ending. At the risk of giving too much away, I must say: I fail to understand how the murders of TWO full communities can be justified by the explanation that they were "intellectually underdeveloped," when the whole point of the novel (up to that point) was to accept everyone for their differences. (The consequence of failing to do so, is the creation of a cold, harsh, stringent, and unhappy society where everyone lives in fear of everyone else). Perspective is a matter of one's environment, and there is none superior to the other. But by the end of this, the author seemed to be saying: "All perspectives are equal, except for this one, which is more equal than all the others." Can you tell I've read "Animal Farm"? ;) There are a few weaknesses to the book - the "wise uncle" character is a bit too good and knowledgeable to be true, and once our characters are on the run, the plot feels a bit rushed... but...

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Wyndham’s fiction, the world is in constant flux, and most people are either unwilling to face change or too eager to capitalize on it for their own advantage. Caught in this paradox are the Wyndham protagonists, ordinary men, women, and children pummeled by the past and present into resolutions of transcendence and new, meaningful undertakings. No guarantees await them in the future. Sealand, to which David, Rosalind, and Petra escape, is peopled by beings who view themselves as superior and, by their own admission and as shown in their obsession with Petra’s harrowing gift, are doomed one day to self-destruct, as have the unyielding remnants of the Old People they are supplanting. Davie lives in Labrador - at least, that's what they think the Old People called it - and at birth passed inspection. The Bible and a book written after the Tribulation, the Repentances, clearly outline what the True Form should be, and that Mutants are an abomination to God and Man. Even at a young age when none of this is really understood, though, he instinctively keeps his ability to think-speak with several other children in the area, including his half-cousin Rosalind, a secret. It is only as he grows older, especially after he loses his friend and playmate Sophie, whose parents have done all they can to hide the six toes on each of her feet, that he really begins to understand the dangers of being a Deviant. Chapter 15 begins by David waking up to see Sophie, who saved him and now brings him to her cave/home. Sophie is Gordon Strorm’s romantic partner, and she is jealous that Gordon wants Rosalind over her, because Sophie was sterilized and cannot have children. Sophie rescues Rosalind and Petra from Gordon’s tent by killing the guard watching them.

I had remembered this book as one of my two favourite John Wyndham novels. I didn’t remember much of the detail, but what I do remember is that the setting really gripped my teenage imagination. a b Wyndham, John. "Random House, Inc. Academic Resources | The Chrysalids by John Wyndham". Randomhouse.com . Retrieved 22 May 2010. Petra Strorm is the youngest of the Strorm children. The group of telepaths discovers that her ability is extraordinarily strong and difficult to resist, placing the group at greater risk of discovery. It leaves one to think about one’s own experience with racism in this pre-apocalyptic world. Not being ‘white’ can expose one to all sorts of risks and not being a ‘straight male’ may mean that one is disproportionately exposed to hurt, both physical and psychological. So, if/when you find yourself in that spot, remember that your uniqueness makes this world what it is; wondrous and beautiful.Another wonderfully written Wyndham book. Similar to some of the other reviewers I find that Wyndham's writing draws you in, and before you know it an hour has passed (Not lost as reading is never about losing time) and you want to carry on to continually find out what happens next. Well let's be honest, who reads the same book twice in one year, erm me, it appears. It seems like déja vu but I had no intention of reading it again this year, until the group Apocalypse Whenever nominated it as their (our) December Book Club Read.

If you've yet to savour THE CHRYSALIDS, a perennial front runner in the field of soft science fiction, I can't think of a better time than right now. Highly recommended indeed. I know that the people of Waknuk were immoral in their thinking, but that did not justify mass-murder. They were simply uneducated and needed guidance. Telepathy is not a requirement for intelligence. We first meet David at the age of ten, when he befriends a little girl named Sophie with six toes. Even such a little deformity as this is enough to bring down the wrath of the community, led by David's tyrannical, Cotton Mather-ish father. When Sophie's secret is discovered despite David's attempts to protect her, she and her parents must flee. David tells his telepathic community of friends, via thoughts, about the incident with Sophie. In a conversation with the Inspector, David finds out Sophie and her parents were caught. Later, David confides in Uncle Axel and tells him that he wants to run away because he feels scared about his own deviance from the norm. Uncle Axel convinces David not to run away until he is older, and reasons that no one really knows what the real norm of humanity is. Axel bases this knowledge on his experience as a sailor, where he heard about numerous other societies with mutations that they thought were the norm. Uncle Axel also talks of the geographical aspects of Waknuk and the surrounding badlands.

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Author John Wyndham brings us into the mind of David, a young man born with telepathic powers. Where his own personal deviation is not visible to the community, he and others who share this ability must keep their special talent a secret for fear of death or banishment. Can David and his fellow friends keep their special skills under wraps or are they doomed to live among the fallen? And any creature that shall seem to be human, but is not formed thus is not human. It is neither man nor woman. It is blasphemy against the true Image of God, and hateful in the sight of God.” Even minor ones like a small extra toe will lead to exile or death. The discovery of mental deviation (telepathy) practically causes panic among the ruling zealots and the telepaths are immediately regard as a threat to humanity and pursued.