Chocky

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The novel was adapted and produced by John Tydeman as a single 60-minute drama for the BBC Radio 2, first broadcast on 27 November 1968. The cast includes: By using Matthew's adoptive father as the narrator Wyndham is able to employ him as the voice of reason contrasting him with the emotional response of his adoptive mother. The only thing they agree on is that, although Matthew doesn't seem at all frightened or unhappy, his behaviour is certainly not normal.

Chocky by John Wyndham | Goodreads

Don Quijote thinks the windmill is a giant, whereas Panza thinks the giant is a windmill. Quijotism may be defined as the perception of everyday things as rare entities. The reverse of that is Panzaism, which is the perception of rare entities as everyday things." Wyndham singlehandedly invented a whole pile of sub-genres of SF. It’s as if . . . in the 1950s he was plugged in to the world’s subconscious fears and articulated them one by one in short, amazingly readable novels.” Later that evening when Matthew goes upstairs to bed, the doctor relays his findings: from what he can determine, Matthew's experience is somewhat similar to what our human ancestors called "possession," although in Matthew's case, it isn't possession in the traditional sense, it's more like a rational, working relationship. One of the most thoughtful post-apocalypse novels ever written. Wyndham was a true English visionary, a William Blake with a science doctorate.”

This quirky alien-meets-boy story “remains fresh and disturbing in an entirely unexpected way”—for fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ( The Guardian). intelligent life is the only thing that gives meaning to the universe. It is a holy thing, to be fostered and treasured.…" Alien telepathy. I mean, hello! Since light is the speed limit, the only reasonably efficient method of exploration has got to be SOMETHING ELSE. Especially if you want to send real spaceships to other intelligent races, you need to make sure you're welcome. :)

Chocky by John Wyndham | LibraryThing Chocky by John Wyndham | LibraryThing

That is not what I got, though. And I have to reflect on the fact that my expectations were so stereotypical. Why would I expect a highly intelligent, curious extraterrestrial explorer to be as evil and stupid as humans have proven to be, over and over again? Why would I expect it to be even worse? Why would I feel threatened by the unknown, even before I see any signs of danger? The show isn't without it's problems though. It's a very slow affair, and the pacing feels drawn out - almost to the point where I felt that my attention was waning in certain parts (and that's my adult brain talking). Most of this first series involved the parents just sitting around talking, and I can't quite see how that would be entertaining for a child. The beautiful ending conveys a message to those in a powerful, strong position: sometimes withdrawing from that power and letting children develop at their own pace is the most loving and caring thing you can do. Sometimes successful careers, fame and celebrity are dangerous and not to be encouraged. Sometimes less ambitious, quiet self-fulfilment in art or literature is to be preferred. Sometimes less is more. No, no. This is still a rational world in this short novel. Of course, if King wrote it, I would expect something with a death toll, a very, very angry alien, and a kid hounded by pitchforks. That certainly rings true for this short novel: less drama, but more thought-provoking ideas than in most bestselling science fiction.The Chrysalids is a famous example of 1950s Cold War science fiction, but its portrait of a community driven to authoritarian madness by its overwhelming fear of difference—in this case, of genetic mutations in the aftermath of nuclear war—finds its echoes in every society.” As is common with authors writing in and of the period, the women are decorative and domestic, but largely sidelined in a friendly way. Younger sister Polly is plausibly annoying, but not given many redeeming qualities. However, in in the collection Consider Her Ways and Others (see my review HERE), a couple of the stories have a strong female/feminist slant. The non-binary people who are increasingly visible today can surely relate to being pigeon-holed that way. Wyndham described the odd rather than the fantastic, the disturbing rather than the horrific, the remarkable rather than the outrageous.” The second (my personal favourite) and third series have much better pacing and more focus on the children which makes for a superior watch I feel. However, despite it's sometimes turgid (some might say dull) pace, there is a better sense of authenticity to this first series.

Starchild’s Play: John Wyndham’s Chocky – Interesting Literature

An adaptation by John Constable as a single 90-minute drama for BBC Radio 4, directed by Melanie Harris, was first broadcast on 18 March 1998. Music was by Paul Gargill, and the cast included:

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The answer to my question to myself is that human beings are conditioned to distrust anything that is different from themselves. And it takes a lot of thinking and mental training to understand that our own way of life is not the universal default setting. The Chrysalids comes heart-wrenchingly close to being John Wyndham’s most powerful and profound work.” Reading this in later life I can but say that it is Sci Fi for sure but hardly disaster/dystopian writing I recall. In fact I found the book rather hopeful in tone. To tell why would give the story away so for those interested in 50’/60’s sci fi I say read it. It is a good read. The penultimate bit of the plot was incongruously far-fetched and almost comic. Not massively so, but it spoiled the overall experience for me, though I’m not sure what I’d have written instead. Fortunately, the actual end was touching, without becoming overly sentimental. John Wyndham (actually John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris) is a British author who seems to be fairly unknown these days. Although The Day of the Triffids (1951) is fairly well known – in fact, the name ‘triffid’ for a large plant has become part of the English dictionary – many of those who recognise the word triffid rarely know the story from which it came.