Humans where David lives are in an open war against mutation, be it of crops, livestock, or other humans. That means that the former two are destroyed, while the last are banished to "the Fringes" even if they're still infants. David's own father cheers on this regime from the pulpit. But David is different himself, part of a circle of telepaths. They're going to have to escape.
The Chrysalids was published in 1955. By my count this puts it eight years ahead of the creation of Marvel Comics' X-Men. I note this because its persecuted, "mutants against everyone" tone is eerily similar to what writer Chris Claremont brought to that comic in the 70s and onward. It doesn't take away from the novel's literary quality, but you can't unsee it once you've noticed.
Parallels aside, the book encourages the reader to identify with a new kind of person. Not just new, in fact, and not just different, but actively better than all those who came before. As they say, the golden age of science fiction is 15.
2 comments:
Between you, first Jer telling me about The Day of the Triffids while he was reading it and now you having a good time reading The Chrysalids, it might be time for me to read some John Wyndham books. Looking at the list there are only seven of them and all look interesting. One called The Outward Urge was co-written with Lucas Parkes, who it turns out was actually John Wyndham (he was a man of many names).
The only one of his books I remember reading was The Midwich Cuckoos, a troubling tale about alien babies born of human mothers. Of course I loved the Triffids movie but I think the Cuckoo story put me off reading more of his work. It was a bit like the Twilight Zone episode when the little boy sent people who displeased him out to te cornfield.
I understand what you meant when you described the mutated children in The Chrysalids sounding so like the X-Men's origins it was impossible to ignore. What with tech becoming so dominant it was only logical to assume we'd eventually get around to changing ourselves and where better to start than at the beginning.
I like that line about the golden age of science fiction being 15. Of course any age is a good age to imagine different ways of living.
As I said to Jerry I was well-taken with what I read of Wyndham in The Chrysalids. I do think I'm going to read him again in the near future. Either The Midwich Cuckoos or The Day of the Triffids. I mean, to start with. Now as to how he wound up collaborating with his own pseudonym...Well, I guess he wanted to work with someone who would give him honest criticism.
I'm curious about The Midwich Cuckoos because I know it was the basis for the movie Village of the Damned. A movie that looks cool to me. I haven't actually seen it, either. Creepy, superpowered kids seems to me like an idea that can work if you do it briskly. I liked that Twilight Zone. Fun fact: The kid's mother was played by Cloris Leachman.
In both cases the evolution/mutation of people with enhanced abilities is tied to nuclear weapons. Either testing or actual nuclear war, as the case may be. Makes sense, in a way. If the atom is going to be harnessed for its destructive power a line has been crossed, which could lead to catastrophic change all around.
I can't take credit for the "Golden Age is 15" line. It seems to originate with Thomas M. Disch. There's a few different ways to interpret it.
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