It’s probably not your typical Halloween read since it’s not really scary per se but it will certainly make you uneasy. I find them interesting because they often include interesting philosophical dilemmas and thought-provoking ideas nested within unsettling tales. One warning though as you would expect for the era the women in the novel are not actually well developed as characters. Who would like this? I would recommend this to those who enjoy their science fiction with a bit of depth and those who like eccentric English characters. Overall this was an engaging book that asks, “what would you do?” As we read, we ask whether the government would be brave enough to do the right and moral thing. Wyndham raises questions about what right and wrong and about morality. The best parts for me were the philosophical discussions about what the presence of the children meant and how to deal with the children. There was a real sense of community spirit and the village acted together to face adversity. It was interesting watching how the village of Midwich reacted to the pregnancies and the resultant children and how they chose to deal with what had happened. On surface this may appear to be a straightforward tale of alien invasion but it is actually much more than that and is filled with philosophical questions.

This was my third Wyndham book and while Day of the Triffids remains one of my favorites, Midwich Cuckoos is definitely a great read. The Midwich Cuckoos is the classic tale of aliens in our midst, exploring how we respond when confronted by those who are innately superior to us in every conceivable way.īook Worm’s Thoughts: 4 stars.

They grow up too fast and their minds exhibit frightening abilities that give them control over others and brings them into conflict with the villagers just as a chilling realisation dawns on the world outside. The resultant children of Midwich do not belong to their parents: all are blonde, all are golden eyed. A day later the object is gone and everyone awakens unharmed – except that all the women in the village are discovered to be pregnant. Synopsis from the book cover: In the sleepy English village of Midwich, a mysterious silver object appears and all the inhabitants fall unconscious. Check out what we thought of the book and scroll down to see my top ten list of Halloween reads.

Happy Halloween! I’m a bit of a whimp when it comes to reading horror or scary books so this year I was pleased with the book Book Worm and I selected for our Halloween read: Midwich Cuckoos.

The midwich cuckoos book review