Steve's Bookshelf 2013

[Karsa Orlong]

Good point. Maybe he could have done it so that

 

 

the dispute he had to go and resolve among the two farmers happened when one of them wrongfully 'took a rock for a walk' and destroyed the others' property.

 

 

Yeah, that would've been the perfect opportunity to set it up!  Even failing that, it could just have been mentioned in a conversation eary on, and someone could've asked him what it meant, and he could smile enigmatically, or something along those lines 

[Karsa Orlong]

Book #58:  The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham

 

 

From Amazon:

 

It started with fireballs raining down from the sky and crashing into the oceans’ deeps. 

 

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. 

 

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.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

I won't say too much about this one, as it's being discussed in depth (with spoilers) over in the Reading Circle.  I've also edited the above blurb as it was so spoilery

 

A few non-spoilery comments:

 

Published in 1955 with the Cold War in full flow and science fiction movies making their presence felt (the original movie version of The War of the Worlds was released two years beforehand - I can imagine it inspiring Wyndham a great deal) The Kraken Wakes is a story of alien invasion on a global scale, yet it's more an examination of how mankind might deal with such a crisis than it is about the aliens themselves.  If the sea is taken away from you as a mode of transport, how do you get the vital cargoes you need to survive?  How do you deal with a foe that lives so deep beneath the waves you can't get anywhere near it (sending Ed Harris down in a silly suit to meet a bunch of jellyfish is not an option!)?  Etc etc.  The two main characters, Mike and Phyllis Watson, are journalists, and their story is told in retrospect.  It's an interesting choice that sometimes makes for sections that are quite dry: it is in the collapse of trade, the economy and society that Wyndham focuses his attention and, whilst it does have its moments of excitement, it won't be for those who want an out and out thrill-fest.

 

This book holds a special place for me.  I'm paraphrasing this bit from my post in the RC thread:

 

When I was 11 or 12, in middle school, our teacher was off for some reason, and the headmaster came to sit with us for one particular lesson.  Instead of teaching us, he decided to read from a book, and the scene he read I found so scary that I never forgot it.  I remember being completely hypnotised by it as he read.  Afterwards, I realised that I didn't know what the book was, but that scene always stuck in my mind.  It was only about 3 years later that I bought The Kraken Wakes.  I think the cover intrigued me.  Pretty soon I was reading that scene, so I rediscovered it more by luck than judgement.  I still found that scene pretty scary all these years later. When the headmaster read it to us it was probably my first encounter with written science fiction, and ranks alongside seeing Star Trek on tv in the early 70s and my folks taking me to see Star Wars on my 12th birthday as one of those moments that shaped my tastes.  

 

I won't go into detail about that bit, but I think it is the scene around which the whole book pivots, and I can imagine Wyndham creating it in his mind and then building the whole novel around it.  It is the most brilliant, chilling part of the book by some distance.

 

The Kraken Wakes is not Wyndham's best novel, but the fact that I still own that paperback, from 1981, the pages yellowed but otherwise in pristine condition, tells you just how special it is to me.

 

 

8/10

[Athena]

Great review ! It sounds like an interesting story.

[bobblybear]

Great review. I can't believe it's October already.....I meant to read it for the Reading Circle but it has completely slipped my mind. Just bought the Kindle version so I can get cracking with it, once I've finished the current drivel I'm reading.

[Little Pixie]

I think I`ve only read the Day of the Triffids and that still scares me.

[pontalba]

I think I`ve only read the Day of the Triffids and that still scares me.

 

Triffids is on my 'favorites of life' list.  I must have read it the first time when I was about 11.  Loved it then, love it now. Hmmmm, what does that say about my growth........lol

[Signor Finzione]

This sounds interesting . . . I read Call of the Cthulhu not that long ago and love scary underwater-type stuff. Also, I love how cute the kraken looks on the front cover.

[Karsa Orlong]

This sounds interesting . . . I read Call of the Cthulhu not that long ago and love scary underwater-type stuff. Also, I love how cute the kraken looks on the front cover.

 

Cute?   

 

Tbh, you're best looking elsewhere if you're looking for something Lovecraftian, as TKW is nothing like that.  Not that I want to steer anyone away from Wyndham, but I don't want to misrepresent it, either 

 

I started A Deepness in the Sky over the weekend.  It's the final book on the much-neglected plan I started back in June.  As with A Fire Upon the Deep, a lot of the ideas in it so far are mind-boggling, but fascinating   

[gardengirl]

I remember my parents buying and reading The Kraken Wakes in the late 1950's [about 1958] and discussing it [with me eavesdropping behind a door]it sounded so scary but fascinating to a child. After that, whenever my Father was getting dressed and clumping about upstairs , my Mother always used to say with a smile 'The Kraken Wakes!' We didn't know what it meant exactly, but knew that something  awful and scary was strirring.   Years later, I read it, and although I liked the book, thought that Day Of The Triffids was his best book by far.

[Karsa Orlong]

Yeah, can't argue with that.  The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos are undoubtedly better books, I'm just fond of this one for the reasons mentioned above

[Signor Finzione]

Cute?   

 

Cutest damn kraken I've ever seen!

 

Tbh, you're best looking elsewhere if you're looking for something Lovecraftian, as TKW is nothing like that.  Not that I want to steer anyone away from Wyndham, but I don't want to misrepresent it, either 

 

You did make it pretty clear in your review that it's more about people's reaction to a crisis than the actual crisis/monsters themselves. No misrepresentation going on in this thread, don't you worry. I've just finished a Scott Lynch novel, so naturally people getting eaten to death by sea creatures is at the forefront of my brain - that's all.   

 

I started A Deepness in the Sky over the weekend.  It's the final book on the much-neglected plan I started back in June.  As with A Fire Upon the Deep, a lot of the ideas in it so far are mind-boggling, but fascinating   

 

Well done for sticking with your list - congratulations in advance!

 

I remember my parents buying and reading The Kraken Wakes in the late 1950's [about 1958] and discussing it [with me eavesdropping behind a door]it sounded so scary but fascinating to a child. After that, whenever my Father was getting dressed and clumping about upstairs , my Mother always used to say with a smile 'The Kraken Wakes!' We didn't know what it meant exactly, but knew that something  awful and scary was strirring.

 

This made me chuckle - what a sweet story.

[Little Pixie]

Triffids is on my 'favorites of life' list.  I must have read it the first time when I was about 11.  Loved it then, love it now. Hmmmm, what does that say about my growth........lol

 

I think it shows you had good taste at an early age.

[pontalba]

I remember my parents buying and reading The Kraken Wakes in the late 1950's [about 1958] and discussing it [with me eavesdropping behind a door]it sounded so scary but fascinating to a child. After that, whenever my Father was getting dressed and clumping about upstairs , my Mother always used to say with a smile 'The Kraken Wakes!' We didn't know what it meant exactly, but knew that something  awful and scary was strirring.   Years later, I read it, and although I liked the book, thought that Day Of The Triffids was his best book by far.

Agreed.

 

Great story.

 

I think it shows you had good taste at an early age.

 

And, here are your cookies.....    Thank you.... /giggle/

[Karsa Orlong]

And, here are your cookies.....    Thank you.... /giggle/

 

You come into my house and hand out cookies and don't give me any??

 

You're barred

 

[Little Pixie]

Agreed.

 

Great story.

 

 

And, here are your cookies.....    Thank you.... /giggle/

 

Hee ! How kind.   You also have very good taste in cats, and erm, that`s a very nice dress you`re wearing ?   

 

I read a lot of The Saint books when I was around 10; they proved to be the entry level for goodies like the Raymond Chandler books. I don`t know that my tastes have changed much.   

[pontalba]

You come into my house and hand out cookies and don't give me any??

 

You're barred

 

Oh, poor darling!  Here are yours.......   Now, remember.  Sharing is caring.

 

Hee ! How kind.   You also have very good taste in cats, and erm, that`s a very nice dress you`re wearing ?   

 

I read a lot of The Saint books when I was around 10; they proved to be the entry level for goodies like the Raymond Chandler books. I don`t know that my tastes have changed much.   

 

Ha ha!  Good try, but I'm still in my jammies. 

 

I loved Roger Moore as The Saint. 

[Little Pixie]

Ha ha!  Good try, but I'm still in my jammies. 

 

Ah, so close.

 

I loved Roger Moore as The Saint. 

 

The George Sanders films for me. I also liked him in the Falcon films, as written by Stuart Palmer,who also wrote the lovely Hildegarde Withers books.

[pontalba]

Ah, so close.

 

 

The George Sanders films for me. I also liked him in the Falcon films, as written by Stuart Palmer,who also wrote the lovely Hildegarde Withers books.

I loved George Sanders, he was the epitome of elegance.  I'd forgotten he did the films!

[Karsa Orlong]

Oh, poor darling!  Here are yours.......   Now, remember.  Sharing is caring.

 

That's what I thought, but I had to ask for them      Thanks, though.  Maybe I won't bar you 

 

 

 

Funny you should mention George Sanders - nice unintentional link to John Wyndham, as he starred in the 1960 version of 'Village of the Damned' (The Midwich Cuckoos) 

 

 

Totally unrelated, I saw there's this rather nice hardback boxed set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings coming out in a couple of weeks.  Quite tempting, even though I already own the books 

[gardengirl]

That's what I thought, but I had to ask for them      Thanks, though.  Maybe I won't bar you 

 

 

 

Funny you should mention George Sanders - nice unintentional link to John Wyndham, as he starred in the 1960 version of 'Village of the Damned' (The Midwich Cuckoos) 

 

 

Totally unrelated, I saw there's this rather nice hardback boxed set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings coming out in a couple of weeks.  Quite tempting, even though I already own the books 

Yes, they would look good on the bookshelf.

[Signor Finzione]

I already own each of those books twice . . . but that boxset is BEAUTIFUL.

[Timstar]

They are nice, but I already have a couple of really gorgeous editions (well I bought them for my wife). The 50th anniversary of LOTR and 75th of the Hobbit.

 

But you can also get matching Simarillion and Children of Húrin which I really want which I want to get her as a present!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Signor Finzione]

They are nice, but I already have a couple of really gorgeous editions (well I bought them for my wife). The 50th anniversary of LOTR and 75th of the Hobbit.

 

But you can also get matching Simarillion and Children of Húrin which I really want which I want to get her as a present!

 

Very attractive books there Tim. You your wife must be very proud of them.

 

I wish I could do this with my husband, but he just doesn't do books at all. He thinks that reading the plot summaries on Wikipedia means that he's read the entire Song of Ice and Fire series.

[Timstar]

Very attractive books there Tim. You your wife must be very proud of them.

 

She loves them! but she also has her tattered reading copies for easy use

 

 

I wish I could do this with my husband, but he just doesn't do books at all. He thinks that reading the plot summaries on Wikipedia means that he's read the entire Song of Ice and Fire series.

 

.....   

[Karsa Orlong]

He thinks that reading the plot summaries on Wikipedia means that he's read the entire Song of Ice and Fire series.

 

 

To be fair, that's the best thing to do with the last couple of books