Chocky

Product Information

By using Matthew's adoptive father as the narrator Wyndham is able to employ him as the voice of reason contrasting him with the emotional response of his adoptive mother. The only thing they agree on is that, although Matthew doesn't seem at all frightened or unhappy, his behaviour is certainly not normal. No, no. This is still a rational world in this short novel. Of course, if King wrote it, I would expect something with a death toll, a very, very angry alien, and a kid hounded by pitchforks. A remarkably tender story of a post-nuclear childhood…It has, of course, always seemed a classic to most of its three generations of readers…It has become part of a canon of good books.” The series was also broadcast and popular in Czechoslovakia where it was dubbed in both Czech and Slovak languages. It was also dubbed in French and broadcast in Canada in the late 1980s and early 1990s; in Spanish and broadcast in Spain in the late 1980s. It was hugely popular in Bulgaria in the second half of 1980s. Also in Cuba. All episodes of Season 1 and Season 2 were shown numerous times. New to Penguin Modern Classics, to tie in with the release of the Steven Spielberg film, and with a new introduction by Brian Aldiss

Chocky: Wyndham, John, Atwood, Margaret: 9781590178522 Chocky: Wyndham, John, Atwood, Margaret: 9781590178522

Matthew Gore is an intelligent boy chosen by a mysterious extraterrestrial visitor to be a source of information about life on Earth. As his schoolwork and artistic talent improve dramatically he arouses the suspicion of powerful groups who wish to tap into the amazing fund of knowledge to which he is now party. One of the most thoughtful post-apocalypse novels ever written. Wyndham was a true English visionary, a William Blake with a science doctorate.”Things continue to get worse and worse, until at the end of the book there is the revelation that things are not what the parents expect.

Chocky - Penguin Books UK

As is common with authors writing in and of the period, the women are decorative and domestic, but largely sidelined in a friendly way. Younger sister Polly is plausibly annoying, but not given many redeeming qualities. However, in in the collection Consider Her Ways and Others (see my review HERE), a couple of the stories have a strong female/feminist slant. That certainly rings true for this short novel: less drama, but more thought-provoking ideas than in most bestselling science fiction. The beautiful ending conveys a message to those in a powerful, strong position: sometimes withdrawing from that power and letting children develop at their own pace is the most loving and caring thing you can do. Sometimes successful careers, fame and celebrity are dangerous and not to be encouraged. Sometimes less ambitious, quiet self-fulfilment in art or literature is to be preferred. Sometimes less is more.The non-binary people who are increasingly visible today can surely relate to being pigeon-holed that way. Wyndham described the odd rather than the fantastic, the disturbing rather than the horrific, the remarkable rather than the outrageous.” I'll stop the blurb there, as I really think the less you know about this story and the genre it's in, the better your reading experience will be. The penultimate bit of the plot was incongruously far-fetched and almost comic. Not massively so, but it spoiled the overall experience for me, though I’m not sure what I’d have written instead. Fortunately, the actual end was touching, without becoming overly sentimental.

Chocky by John Wyndham, Used - AbeBooks Chocky by John Wyndham, Used - AbeBooks

In this week’s Dispatches from The Secret Library, Dr Oliver Tearle reads a classic story of alien possession by the master of British science fiction

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Damien Lynch, who does a very good job, bringing every character to life and managing the children’s voices well – not something every narrator can pull off. His unhurried approach suits the tone of the book and allows the listener time to absorb the themes. The Chrysalids comes heart-wrenchingly close to being John Wyndham’s most powerful and profound work.” Reading this in later life I can but say that it is Sci Fi for sure but hardly disaster/dystopian writing I recall. In fact I found the book rather hopeful in tone. To tell why would give the story away so for those interested in 50’/60’s sci fi I say read it. It is a good read. Interesante novela, amena, entretenida y que para estar escrita en 1968 deja entrever un concepto como el del aprovechamiento de la energía oscura, la cual no se descubrió hasta finales del siglo XX, y que muy recientemente he visto utilizado como recurso también por Stephen Baxter en “Galaxias”.