John Wyndham Books In Order

Although John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris also wrote under several other pseudonyms, his works as John Wynham were some of his most successful, and established him as a serious science fiction writer. Below we list all of the John Wyndham books in order including two that were published posthumously.

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1. The Day Of The Triffids – 1951

The Day Of The Triffids was the first novel written under the pseudonym John Wyndham and gave Wyndham his first taste of commercial success. Later adapted for a wildly successful TV series it is arguably his best known and most successful novel.

Centered around the character, Bill Masen, this is a post-apocalyptic novel describing a world where almost the entire population watched a spectacular meteor shower which subsequently rendered them blind.

Due to hospitalisation, Bill was one of the few that didn’t watch the meteors, however a blind population is not the only thing the world has to contend with- there are also The Triffids.

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2.The Kraken Wakes – John Wyndham Books In Order

The Kraken Wakes is the second book published under the John Wyndham name. It was published in 1953 and was originally published in the US as Out Of The Deeps. The title of The Kraken Wakes is a reference to Tennyson’s sonnet, The Kraken.

The central characters in the novel are two journalists, Mike and Phyllis Watson who observe what appears to be a gradual but escalating invasion of the earth by aliens.

The books focus is on how humanity responds to a threat to its very existence and the ways in which it does and doesn’t unite to respond to that threat.

3. The Chrysalids – John Wyndham

Cited by many as their favourite of John Wyndham’s novels, this is the story of a post nuclear apocalyptic, puritanical society and was published under the name John Wyndham in 1955. It is one of our selections for the best dystopian novels of all time

In the novel, society has regressed and any type of physical deformity is not tolerated. Instead it is described as an ‘abomination’ and those afflicted are cast out as babies and left to die.

The novel centers around David, a child growing up in this world and his own secret difference that he must hide. A book about intolerance it highlights how easily humans can be manipulated into bigotry, but ultimately has a hopeful denouement.

4. The Midwich Cuckoos – John Wyndham

The Midwich Cuckoos, published in 1957 and twice filmed as ‘Village Of The Damned’ is a classic science fiction book in the form of aliens amongst us.

One evening, everyone in the fictional village of Midwich becomes simultaneously unconscious and those who approach the village are similarly afflicted. A day later, life returns to normal, except that every female in the village is pregnant.

When the babies are born, they appear normal, except that they all look similar with golden eyes and blonde hair and their parents, ultimately are not human. The plot then follows the threat they pose to humanity and how humans ultimately deal with that threat.

5. The Outward Urge – John Wyndham & Lucas Parkes

John Wyndham The Outward Urge was first published with four chapters in 1959. A fifth and final chapter was added and the book republished in later versions. Although the novel was written under the names John Wyndham & Lucas Parkes these were actually both pen names of Wyndham. It was published under these names as it was stylistically significantly different from other John Wyndham novels being a straightforward science fiction, space novel.

Set in the future, from 1994 to 2194, it tells at 50 year intervals of the exploration of the solar system in a fictionalised form.

6. Trouble with Lichen – John Wyndham Books In Order

Trouble with Lichen, published in 1960, tells the story of two scientists to discover, accidentally, a form of lichen that prevents cellular ageing and extends human lifespan to between 2-300 years. Although they both make the same discovery their response to this discovery, and how it should be handled, is very different.

The book explores the themes of feminism and longevity- and whether a vastly extended life span is ultimately something that humanity should both strive for or could live with. Although one of Wyndham’s lesser known novels its themes are still very relevant 60 years later.

7. Chocky – John Wyndham

Chocky, published in 1968, was John Wyndham’s last novel as he passed away in 1969.

Chocky tells the story of Matthew, a young boy with an imaginary friend named Chocky. At first, Matthew’s parents don’t find this puzzling or unusual, but it soon becomes clear, from the questions that Chocky poses that Chocky is not a normal, run of the mill, imaginary friend.

Made into a number of highly successful children’s series on television in the 1980s, Chocky is still a thoughtful and captivating look at the untapped possibilities of the mind and our interactions with other. Steven Spielberg currently owns the movie rights to Chocky.

Posthumous Books:

• 1. Web
• 2. Plan For Chaos