Arnold
CibbuanoDay of the Triffids
October 18th 2007 02:49
It's been a long time since I've read a book so maniacally that I've stayed up late to finish reading it. My normal reading habits are to have a slow, controlled burn right before bed, the act of reading propelling me into smoky, gasoline-scented dreams.
I took The Day of the Triffids out from the local library this week and I ended up finishing it in two days. It was utterly compelling and a sincere pleasure to read.
The story goes down like this: it's the 50s, and there's a meteor shower one night. Everyone that watched the shower goes blind the next day, and the only people to retain their vision were accidentally kept from viewing the shower.
Previous to this incident, humanity had been farming a plant called the triffid, which produced exceptional oil, but had some odd behaviour, namely, it could walk slowly, it appeared to communicate, and it would kill animals with a sting, then absorb the decomposing flesh.
When the Earth goes blind, the triffids are free to invade the civilized parts of the world, killing the blind humans in all the major cities.
The Day of the Triffids has a premise that seems like it's going to be standard invasion fare, but John Wyndham's novel is much more elegant and eloquent than a vegetable alien invasion.
In fact, for most of the book, the triffids aren't even mentioned, and the main characters don't consider them a threat.
What makes this book really interesting - Really Interesting - is that it plays out like an original zombie scenario. London has become decimated by the blindness, and soon, the few sighted survivors try and avoid the blind, who cling to them for help. All the major themes are here - greed and self-conceit having a larger impact on society, the regression to barbaric behaviour. It's as if Romero found his inspiration from John Wyndham.
A fascinating story of survival, and an accurate portrayal of how people would cope with disaster, I think. We'd cling to our civilized ideas, but they'd be the death of us.. those that are quick to regress to caveman brutality would find themselves on top.
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