The Kraken Wakes
It started with fireballs raining down from the sky and crashing into the oceans' deeps. Then ships began sinking mysteriously and later 'sea tanks' emerged from the deeps to claim people...For journalists Mike and Phyllis Watson, what at first appears to be a curiosity becomes a global calamity. Helpless, they watch as humanity struggles to survive now that water – one of the compounds upon which life depends – is turned against them. Finally, sea levels begin their inexorable rise...The Kraken Wakes is a brilliant novel of how humankind responds to the threat of its own extinction and, ultimately, asks what we are prepared to do in order to survive.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
4mentions
4people
2020–2023years
50% recommend50% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- This is a theme in several John Wyndham stories -- I’m thinking Day of the Triffids and especially The Kraken Wakes.
He often seems to get looked down on today for writing “cosy catastrophes” about plucky English survivors, but his books have a lot more going on than that.
- By the way, John Wyndham (author of The Day of the Triffids. Mentioned in the article) also wrote a novel titled, "The Kraken Wakes". Which is a hilarious, messed up and excellent piece of scifi full of early 20th century flavorful goodness.
- Dagnammit - I thought it was going to be a video version, but it's just audio.
As a John Wyndham fan, I reckon it's about time there was a film version of The Kraken Wakes.
- Bits of John Wyndham's "The Kraken Wakes" (published 1953) also present rising sea levels, albeit caused by aliens intentionally melting the ice caps rather than humans accidentally doing it.
In the book, most people don't care until it's too late, and then they adjust to the post-apocalyptic world with a combination of violence and resignation.
