The Chrysalids
This book is about a post apocalyptic world returned back to the times of the horse and carriage seen through the eyes of a young boy. Deviations are punished or destroyed and what few books remained govern the way people think about change and the differences from the norm. The twists and turns in this rather short book as bought me back to it many times over the years, which is very unusual for me. It would make a great Spielberg movie with the authors descriptions of the scarred landscape and the characters being fantastic. you could really picture the trials and tribulations of these people. When the young boy David finds his closest friend has a sixth toe on each foot and is asked to keep it a secret from his god fearing tyrant of a father, he comes to question his own secrets and what would happen to him if anyone found out. I wont tell you the twist, but definitely recommend this read to anyone, young or old.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
4mentions
3people
2014–2024years
75% recommend25% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- One that comes to mind is John Wyndham's The Chrysalids - a post-nuclear dystopia that is perfect for adolescents (or was for me, anyway) because it expresses the feeling of being an isolated mutant. Eventually the isolated mutant kids find each other, band together, and defeat the dysfunctional authorities. That was profoundly satisfying when I was 14 or whenever I read it.
- There are several books I've read at least once a decade since my teens, if not a bit more often. They are:
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham,
Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein, and
Dune by Frank Herbert. Just the first book though. I really disliked the rest of the series.
Honourable mention must also go to The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher: The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire. I did read these a few times in my teens but lost track of them. Stumbled across a boxed set not too long ago and read again and they're still just as good.
More recent fare that I've read and/or listened on audiobook to at least three times are:
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, and the
Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor which I'm about to start listening to again.
Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44767458-dune
https://www.goodreads.com/series/40878-the-tripods
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35066358-the-first-fifte...
- The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August[1] by Claire North is the first book that jumps to mind when asked this question.
The Bobiverse series[2] by Dennis E. Taylor is a great fun read or audiobook (I've done both!).
The Xandri Corelel[3] series by Kaia Sønderby. I read both books and immediately started looking around to see if there were more.
I Am Not a Serial Killer[4] by Dan Wells was an enjoyable surprise.
The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
Of older vintage that I find I've revisited over the years are:
The Chrysalids[5] by John Wyndham.
The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire which comprise The Tripod Trilogy[6] by John Christopher.
And the oft mentioned Dune by Frank Herbert is a book a reread every few years. Love the first book, don't care for the rest that much.
Favourite authors in general would have to include the following: Robert Sawyer, Timothy Zahn (when he's not writing Star Wars stuff), Michael Connelly, and Harlan Coben. Always enjoyable reads.
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte...
[2] https://www.goodreads.com/series/192752-bobiverse
[3] https://www.goodreads.com/series/199207-xandri-corelel
[4] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7617119-i-am-not-a-seria...
[5] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids
- The Chrysalids - John Wyndham.
