October20

The Day of the Triffids

For years, seriously years, one of my best friends went on and on about a book that I just HAD to read – "The Day of the Triffids" by John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (yes, that's really his full name). The story was simple and extremely fresh for the 1951 publish date: civilization and mankind is on the brink of destruction due to a virus zombies global warming vampires man-eating plants that are able to walk and can make humans blind by whipping them in their yes.

Yes, it's a little bit out there and may not be as hip as zombies, but I'd say it's been influential in several modern day apocalyptic stories. And if you've ever seen 28 Days Later, you'll see it's influence not only in the opening scene (as Danny Boyle would attest to), but in a lot of the film.

The great thing about John Wyndham's book isn't the picture he paints of the world and how bad it is, it's the thought that went into how different groups of survivors would react and start to re-build. Much like "World War Z," the book is brilliant because it doesn't focus so much on the problem, but the various solutions and psyche that went into them.

And the more I read apocalyptic story lines (or watch movies and television shows), the more I worry about my survival if an apocalypse ever really occurs. I know nothing about surviving without the common luxuries of society. But you best believe that I'm going to start educating myself on such things like cultivating seeds and farming, knowing how to find and procure clean water, mating, how to shoot a gun or yield a variety of weapons and maybe even how to drive a big truck.

That's why "The Day of the Triffids" is great. It asks all the questions we would have to ask if something hugely traumatic indeed happened.

After one story, I'm now a fan of Wyndham. I'll definitely read more from him, perhaps next will be "The Midwich Cuckoos," or you might know it as Village of the Damned.

Wyndham's book about Triffids is amazing. Read it if you can. And the audiobook is just as good, if not better, because of the British narrator. So elegantly written/spoken.

If you don't have time for either the book or audiobook, there's always the 1962 film:

Or you could just wait a few years for the new 3D version of Triffids that's sure to be made.

+ original post date: October 20, 2011 07:05 AM
+ categories: Pop Culture