The Midwich Cuckoos

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John Wyndham: The Midwich Cuckoos (Paperback, 1960, Penguin Books)

Paperback, 220 pages

English language

Published June 10, 1960 by Penguin Books.

ISBN:
978-0-14-001440-2
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3 stars (1 review)

Published in Penguin Books 1960. Reprinted 1960 (twice), 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969 (twice), 1970, 1971 (twice), 1973 (twice), 1974, 1975 (twice), 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984.

29 editions

Review of 'The Midwich Cuckoos' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

Surprisingly dull.

The central idea of a group of telepathic and psychopathic alien children being raised in a sleepy English village while they prepare to replace humanity is great fun, the thought of all those forced pregnancies is genuinely horrifying, and the downbeat end is effective, but...

The framing is really clumsy. The story is narrated by someone who is only loosely involved, has no agency and no real character of his own. His opening line tells you that he and his wife weren’t badly affected by what happens, there are several missing years while he’s off working in Canada during which time interesting things should have been happening, and lots of events are described to him after the fact by other people; all of which robs the whole thing of any tension or excitement.

The most interesting people to follow in this story would have been the women and …

Subjects

  • Fiction in English.