The Midwich Cuckoos - by John Wyndham (Paperback)

About the Book

"What if the women of a sleepy English village all became simultaneously pregnant, and the children, once born, possessed supernatural--and possibly alien--powers? A mysterious silver object appears in quiet, picture-perfect Midwich. A day later, the object is gone--and all the women in the village, they will come to learn, are now pregnant. The resultant children of Midwich are shockingly, frighteningly other. Faced with these unfathomable and potentially unstoppable children, the question arises: What will humanity do when faced with the threat of the unknown?"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A genre-defining tale of first contact by one of the twentieth century's most brilliant--and neglected--science fiction and horror writers, whom Stephen King called "the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced."

"In my opinion, [John] Wyndham's chef d'oeuvre . . . a graphic metaphor for the fear of unwanted pregnancies . . . I myself had a dream about a highly intelligent nonhuman baby after reading this book."--Margaret Atwood, Slate

NOW STREAMING ON AMC AS THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS: VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED

What if the women of a sleepy English village all became simultaneously pregnant, and the children, once born, possessed supernatural--and possibly alien--powers?

A mysterious silver object appears in quiet, picture-perfect Midwich. A day later, the object is gone--and all the women in the village, they will come to learn, are now pregnant.

The resultant children of Midwich are shockingly, frighteningly other. Faced with these unfathomable and potentially unstoppable children, the question arises: What will humanity do when faced with the threat of the unknown?

Review Quotes

Praise for John Wyndham

"The best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced."--Stephen King

"Wyndham was a true English visionary, a William Blake with a science doctorate."--David Mitchell

"[Wyndham] did more than any other British writer since H. G. Wells to make science fiction popular. . . . His plots, however fantastic, were characterized by inventiveness, clarity and a profound sympathy for mankind."--The New York Times

"[John Wyndham] singlehandedly invented a whole pile of sub-genres of science fiction. It's as if . . . he was plugged in to the world's subconscious fears and articulated them one by one in short, amazingly readable novels."--Jo Walton

About the Author

John Wyndham (1903-1969) is considered a pioneer of science fiction and horror, though he preferred to think of himself as a "logical fantasist." He began writing science fiction and detective stories in the 1920s, but shifted to science fiction post-WWII, focusing on themes of disaster, invasion, and first contact. His best known works include The Day of the Triffids (1951) and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957). A pacifist and socialist, Wyndham--unlike a lot of mid-century genre fiction authors--was alive to the impact of sexism, classism, and prejudice and his novels reflect his liberal politics.