chesilbeach

That's an interesting point, Ooshie. Do you think he could have even completely excluded the kraken completely and just written about an extreme event causing the sea levels to rise, and the impact on human societies?

I'm impressed that you can still find a book you've had on the shelf that long and could still find it! In my house, it would take a lot of scratching of heads to figure out where it might have been. Seriously though, it's great that you could get straight back into it, and I think the opening Rationale was very good at whetting the appetite for what was to come. That's an interesting point, and I thought the way Phyllis submitted to an almost despair and wanted to retreat back to Cornwall was really believable, and then the little revelation about why she'd been learning bricklaying showed us her character so much better than if she had been described, if you see what I mean. What a fantastic story. I had two teachers who made me love reading - the first when I was in junior school (about 7-8 years old) who read Roald Dahl books to us, and my O level teacher who introduced me to George Bernard Shaw and Shakespeare. I think you're absolutely right, and this does seem show a sense of foresight in Wyndham to have contemplating rising sea levels - I'm not sure if this was being proposed by the scientific community at the time the book was written, but a very interesting storyline. I think that was possibly my problem - it seemed like all of a sudden, the monster was dead, and it was back to how humanity would survive and cope in the future, and I felt like I wanted more explanation about it, where it had come from, how it was living and surviving under the sea, and perhaps even the biology of it.

I'm just watching it back again - biggest surprise so far this year is Deborah, who is not technically perfect, but she just enjoys it so much and she makes me smile with her dances. Natalie is great, but I fear that she's TOO good for the public, and there's already the stories about her previous dance training (as Denise van Outen got last year). I was impressed by Ashley's American Smooth considering the lost time he must have had this week, and much better than his cha cha last week. Stand out had to be Sophie's Charleston - my favourite Charleston ever by miles! It's not a dance I like, but Brendan gave us a very traditional feeling routine, and Sophie just got it. If they could just get the entrance and exit of the lifts a bit cleaner, I could see this getting 10s if they were to dance it again.

We've been away again this week, staying near my favourite place - Chesil Beach. Had a fab week, but now need to get myself in gear and sorted out ready for work next week. So much to do, yet here I am, catching up on the forum!

This is one of my absolute favourite songs of all time:

I've had a woeful read-a-thon weekend so far - I've barely read for about an hour in total! I'm not sure if I'll have much time today either, so I think I'll have to write this one off, and try again in November.

Hello Rachel, welcome to BCF.

Argh! You're right - when did that sneak up on us???

1. Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it? It was a bit odd, as the first thirty or so pages, I was completely engaged, but then the rest of the first half of the book seemed to go on forever, without much going on, and I found it dragged rather a lot. 2. Did you have a favourite character? And a least favourite? There are so few characters in the book, that it's hard to choose between them! I think it's basically a choice between Mike or Phyllis, with a few other minor characters dotted around the place, although Tuny did make me laugh with her adamant, forthright nature. I guess I would have to pick Phyllis as my favourite, as she stuck with her convictions but was still prepared to listen to other views and information as they became available. 3. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? I did think the description of the attack on the village while they were in the hotel was particularly good, and loved the sense of peril and fear in that episode. 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? As I mentioned earlier, the first half of the book was slow going for me, and it was only after the attack on the village that I really felt things started to pick up. The other thing I found curious, and which I couldn't quite understand, was the running "joke" to the Sherlock Holmes connection because Mike's surname was Watson. I didn't think it was particularly funny, and it struck me as odd that so many people would mention it. Perhaps Sherlock Holmes was prevalent in pop culture at the time? Will be interested to see if anyone else can shed light on this little quirk. 5. Was this the first book you've read by this author, and has it encouraged you to read more? It was the first Wyndham book I've read, and I'm not sure I would read another, if I'm honest. On the positive side, it was short, but on the negative, it still took a long time to get going, and if I hadn't had to finish it for the discussion here, I think I might have given up. I also felt it was quite dated, and I wonder if his other books would feel the same. 6. The book opens with Rationale where Mike and Phyllis the book he is thinking of writing. Did you feel it took away the sense of peril to the two leads throughout the story, as you knew they had survived? This is always a tricky one for me. On the one hand, because it's being told in first person narrative, you always tend to assume that the narrator is going to survive, but if it had been written as a journal instead of a recollection, you could have still the suspense of knowing whether they'd survived. On the other hand, you knew they were writing an account of their time after the events, so you did know they were going to make it through, and it did slightly take away from the danger in the attack. 7. Also in Rationale, Phyllis suggests an opening for the proposed book, using an excerpt of poetry, but Mike has decided that he prefers The Kraken by Tennyson. Which did you prefer? I have to say, I did like the suggestion Phyllis came up with, but I sort of assume that the Tennyson poem was Wyndham's inspiration for the story in the first place, so it had to be that one, but I still think the juxtaposition of an excerpt from a nursery rhyme with a science fiction story was a bit more quirky. 8. The "kraken" itself was relatively unknown throughout the book, and the effect of its actions on the human race took precedence. Did you find it believable as a villain, for want of a better word, or did you think it was less important and that the purpose of the story was more about how man would cope in a global crisis? My personal feeling (as you can probably tell from the question I've written ) is that the kraken was quite sketchy, and every time I thought we might find out more, I was left hanging. That made me think that it really was just a vehicle for looking at the effects of a global crisis, and quite prescient at times, especially at the whole idea of rising sea levels, which is often a topic for those examining the effects of global climate change today. I did feel rather let down by the lack of information about it - how did it live? Did no one try to find any remains of those that were bombed? What were the "tanks"? Where the humans just for food? Too many unanswered questions for me, I'm afraid. 9. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Despite all my moaning above, I did enjoy some parts of the book, so it wasn't a let down by any means, but it certainly won't be up there with my favourite reads of the year! 10. Would you recommend the book to others? As always, it depends. For science fiction fans, I would definitely say they should read it, and then I could discuss it more with them! Seriously, I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else here has to say, as I'm sure I'm going to be asking you more questions about some of the aspects when they come up in the discussion.

Pistachio ice cream

These threads on dystopian novels and help needed with dystopian titles might help

Thanks for that, I'll be able to get the next couple of books quite cheaply now.

I have a few questions, if you don't mind. Did you make a conscious decision to write YA from the outset? Or did you write a novel that someone through the publishing process suggested would fit into the YA market? Do you only write for YA, or have you/will you written for younger/older readers? Do you find you have to defend yourself as a writer of YA, and that other writers/journalists/publishers consider it easier/less important than popular or literary fiction? Thanks in advance!

I've finished Dead in the Water this morning, and started Mr Knightley's Diary for my Jane Austen challenge. For the same challenge, I'm also about halfway through listening to Mansfield Park, and although for the most part I'm enjoying it, I do find that the narrator is affecting different voices for the different characters, and her choices for the heroine Fanny, and her aunt Lady Bertram, are grating on my nerves a bit. You'd think I'd have got used to it after eight hours!

No, it was from the bakery, but it has given me the idea that I could bake it myself!

A lemon and pistachio slice

Pleased to see some more readers of The Kraken Wakes! I'm going to try and answer the questions later on. I've read a couple more chapters of Dead in the Water, but hoping to settle down with it for a couple of hours this evening. We had a day out today and found a couple of 1970s Beano annuals in a second hand book shop (both of which OH actually remembers owning, but they were a bit early for me), so I'm dead excited to read these, as they have some of my favourites in.

It's been a while but I think I remember him hiding under the table or on a food trolley or something similar at the witches conference, but I couldn't say for definite as its been about 10 years!

You're welcome. There was a film version of it too, with Angelica Houston. If that helps

That sounds like it could be The Witches by Roald Dahl to me.

Hand bags at dawn it is! Actually ... thinking about it ... I've seen the size of your handbag, so maybe we'll just discuss it over coffee

Yay! I finished Valentine Grey in the early hours of this morning, and have now started Dead in the Water by Carola Dunn, the next Dairy Dalrymple book.

^Yes, I would definitely agree with the Tomorrow When The War Began series - I've read the first three and they were excellent! I'll be looking into the Victor Kelleher books now, so thanks, Ingrid

It is assumed that you have read the book before reading posts in this thread, as the discussion might give away crucial points, and the continuous use of spoiler tags might hinder fluent reading of posts. Welcome to the October 2013 Reading Circle. The theme for this month was WATER and the chosen book is: THE KRAKEN WAKES by John Wyndham Synopsis (from the back cover): It started with fireballs raining down from the sky and crashing into the oceansdeeps. 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 . . . Questions for discussion (please answer as many or as few as you wish): 1. Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it? 2. Did you have a favourite character? And a least favourite? 3. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? 5. Was this the first book you've read by this author, and has it encouraged you to read more? 6. The book opens with Rationale where Mike and Phyllis the book he is thinking of writing. Did you feel it took away the sense of peril to the two leads throughout the story, as you knew they had survived? 7. Also in Rationale, Phyllis suggests an opening for the proposed book, using an excerpt of poetry, but Mike has decided that he prefers The Kraken by Tennyson. Which did you prefer? 8. The "kraken" itself was relatively unknown throughout the book, and the effect of its actions on the human race took precedence. Did you find it believable as a villain, for want of a better word, or did you think it was less important and that the purpose of the story was more about how man would cope in a global crisis? 9. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? 10. Would you recommend the book to others?

I've started Valentine Grey by Sandi Toksvig and I'm about half way through so far, and it's pretty good.