The Day of the Triffids

The Day of the Triffids is a 1951 post-apocalyptic novel by the English science fiction author John Wyndham. After most people in the world are blinded by an apparent meteor shower, an aggressive species of plant starts killing people. Although Wyndham had already published other novels using other pen name combinations drawn from his real name, this was the first novel published as "John Wyndham."

For other uses, see The Day of the Triffids (disambiguation).

The Day of the Triffids
First edition hardback cover
AuthorJohn Wyndham
CountryEngland
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction, post-apocalyptic science fiction
PublisherMichael Joseph
Publication date
December 1951
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages304 (first edition, hardback)
ISBN0-7181-0093-X (first edition, hardback)
OCLC152201380
Preceded byPlanet Plane 
Followed byThe Kraken Wakes 

The story has been made into the 1962 feature film of the same name, three radio drama series (in 1957, 1968 and 2001) and two TV series (in 1981 and 2009).[1] It was nominated for the International Fantasy Award in 1952 and in 2003 the novel was listed on the BBC's survey The Big Read.[2][3] It was the inspiration for the zombie movie 28 Days Later.[4]

Summary

The protagonist is Bill Masen, a biologist who has made his living working with triffids—tall, venomous, carnivorous plants capable of locomotion. Due to his background, Masen suspects they were bioengineered in the U.S.S.R. and accidentally released into the wild. Because of the excellent industrial quality of an oil produced by and obtained from the triffids, the result is triffid cultivation around the world.

The narrative begins with Bill Masen in hospital, his eyes bandaged after having been splashed with triffid poison from a stinger. During his convalescence he is told of an unexpected green meteor shower. The next morning, he learns that the light from the unusual display has rendered any who watched it blind (later in the book, Masen speculates that the "meteor shower" may have been orbiting satellite weapons, triggered accidentally). After unbandaging his eyes he finds the hospital in chaos, with staff and patients without sight. He wanders through a chaotic London full of blind inhabitants and slowly becomes enamoured of wealthy novelist Josella Playton, whom he rescues after discovering her being forcibly used as a guide by a blind man. Intrigued by a single light on top of the Senate House in an otherwise darkened London, Bill and Josella discover a group of sighted survivors led by a man named Beadley, who plans to establish a colony in the countryside. They decide to join the group.

The polygamy implicit in Beadley's scheme appalls some group members, especially the religious Miss Durrant—but before this schism can be dealt with, a man named Wilfred Coker stages a fire at the university and kidnaps a number of sighted individuals, including Bill and Josella. They are each chained to a blind person and assigned to lead a squadron of the blind, collecting food and other supplies, all the while beset by escaped triffids and rival scavengers.

Soon Masen's followers begin to fall sick and die of an unknown disease. When he wakes one morning to find the survivors have left him, he returns to the University Tower to seek Josella but his only lead is an address left behind by Beadley's group. Joined by a repentant Coker, Masen drives to the address, a country estate called Tynsham in Wiltshire. He finds part of the Beadley group, now led by Miss Durrant, who eventually tells him that Beadley went to Beaminster, in Dorset, a few days before he arrived. There has been no sign of Josella.

Masen and Coker decide to follow Beadley to Dorset. They find small groups of blind and sighted people along the way but no trace of Beadley. Eventually they decide to separate, Coker returning to help at Tynsham, while Masen heads for the Sussex Downs after remembering a remark Josella made about friends she had there.

En route, Masen rescues a young sighted girl named Susan, whom he finds trapped alone at home, while her young brother lies dead in the garden, killed by a triffid. He buries the boy and takes Susan with him. A few days later, during a night of heavy rain, they see a faint light in the distance. Upon reaching it, they discover Josella and her friends.

They attempt to establish a self-sufficient colony in Sussex with some success but they are constantly under threat from the triffids, which mass around the fenced exterior. Several years pass, until one day a representative of Beadley's faction lands a helicopter in their yard and reports that his group has established a colony on the Isle of Wight. Durrant's talk of Beaminster was a deliberate attempt to throw Masen off on his journey to find Beadley. While Bill and the others are reluctant to leave their own settlement, the group decide to see the summer out in Sussex before moving to the Isle of Wight.

Their plans are hurried by the arrival of the militaristic representatives of a new despotic and self-appointed government, who arrive in an armoured car. Masen recognises the leader as a ruthless young man he had encountered on a scavenging expedition in London and whom he had watched cold-bloodedly execute one of his own party who had fallen ill. The latter plans to give Masen a large number of blind people to care for, and use on the farm as slave labour; he will also take Susan as hostage. Feigning agreement, Masen's group throw a party, during which they encourage the visitors to get drunk. Creeping out of the house whilst the visitors are fast asleep, they disable the armoured car by pouring honey into the fuel tank and drive through the gates, leaving them open for the triffids to pour in. The novel ends with Masen's group on the Isle of Wight, determined one day to destroy the triffids and reclaim their world.

Publication history

In the United States, Doubleday & Company holds the 1951 copyright. A condensed version of the book also was serialized in Collier's magazine in January and February 1951. An unabridged paperback edition was published in the late 1960s, in arrangement with Doubleday, under the Crest Book imprint of Fawcett Publications World Library.[5]

Influences

Wyndham frequently acknowledged the influence of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (1897) on The Day of the Triffids[6] — Wells's working title had been The Day of the Tripods.

The triffids are related, in some editions of the novel, to brief mention of the theories of the Soviet agronomist and would-be biologist Trofim Lysenko, who eventually was thoroughly debunked. "In the days when information was still exchanged Russia had reported some successes. Later, however, a cleavage of methods and views had caused biology there, under a man called Lysenko, to take a different course" (Chapter 2). Lysenkoism at the time of the novel's creation was still being defended by some prominent international Stalinists.

During the Blitz, Wyndham was a firewatcher and later member of the Home Guard. He witnessed the destruction of London from the rooftops of Bloomsbury. He described many scenes and incidents, including the uncanny silence of London on a Sunday morning after a heavy bombardment, in letters to his long-term partner Grace Wilson. These found their way into The Day of the Triffids.[7]

Critical reception

The book has been praised by other science fiction writers. Karl Edward Wagner cited The Day of the Triffids as one of the thirteen best science-fiction horror novels.[8] Arthur C. Clarke called it an "immortal story."[9] Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas praised it, saying "rarely have the details of [the] collapse been treated with such detailed plausibility and human immediacy, and never has the collapse been attributed to such an unusual and terrifying source."[10] Forrest J Ackerman wrote in Astounding Science Fiction that Triffids "is extraordinarily well carried out, with the exception of a somewhat anticlimactic if perhaps inevitable conclusion."[11]

Brian Aldiss coined the disparaging phrase cosy catastrophe to describe the subgenre of post-war apocalyptic fiction in which society is destroyed save for a handful of survivors, who are able to enjoy a relatively comfortable existence.[12] He singled out The Day of the Triffids as an example and described Triffids as "totally devoid of ideas."[13] However, some more recent critics have argued against this view. Margaret Atwood wrote: "one might as well call World War II—of which Wyndham was a veteran—a “cozy” war because not everyone died in it." [14]

John Clute commented that the book was regularly chosen for school syllabuses as it was "safe."[13] Robert M. Philmus called it derivative of better books by H. G. Wells.[13] Groff Conklin, reviewing the novel's first publication, characterised it as "a good run-of-the-mill affair" and "pleasant reading... provided you aren't out hunting science fiction masterpieces."[15]

Cultural impact

According to director Danny Boyle, the opening hospital sequence of The Day of the Triffids inspired Alex Garland to write the screenplay for 28 Days Later (2002).[16]

The short story "How to Make a Triffid" by Kelly Lagor includes discussions of the possible genetic pathways that could be manipulated to engineer the triffids.[17]

Adaptations

Film adaptations

Game adaptations
  • Prázdninová škola Lipnice, a non-profit organisation that pioneered experiential education summer camps in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, developed an outdoor game based on the story.[23]
  • The Italian version of the 1983 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons "Shambling Mound" Fantasy Adventure Figure by TSR, Inc. named the creature Il Trifido dinoccolato "The slouching Triffid."

Radio adaptations
Character195719682001
Bill MasenPatrick BarrGary WatsonJamie Glover
Josella PlaytonMonica GreyBarbara ShelleyTracy Ann Oberman
CokerMalcolm HayesPeter SallisLee Ingleby
Col. JacquesArthur YoungAnthony VicarsGeoffrey Whitehead
Michael BeadleyJohn SharplinMichael McClain
Ms. DurrantMolly LumleyHilda KrisemonRichenda Carey
Dr. VorlessDuncan McIntyreVictor Lucas
SusanGabrielle BluntJill CaryLucy Tricket
Denis BrentRichard MartinDavid Brierly
Mary BrentShelia ManahanFreda Dowie
Joyce TailorMargot MacalisterMargaret Robinson
TorrenceTrevor MartinHayden Jones
  • There were readings of the novel in 1953 (BBC Home Service – 15 × 15 minutes, read by Frank Duncan)
  • Giles Cooper adapted the novel in six 30-minute episodes for the BBC Light Programme,[24] first broadcast between 2 October and 6 November 1957. It was produced by Peter Watts.[25]
  • A second version of Cooper's adaptation, for BBC Radio 4, was first broadcast between 20 June and 25 July 1968. It was produced by John Powell, with music by David Cain of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.[26][27]
  • It was adapted in Germany in 1968 by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) Köln (Cologne), translated by Hein Bruehl.[28] Most recently, it was re-broadcast as a four-episode series on WDR5 in January 2008.
  • It was adapted in Norway in 1969 by Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK), translated by Knut Johansen, and most recently re-broadcast as a six-episode series on NRK in September and October 2012. The Norwegian version is also available on CD and iTunes.[29]
  • There were readings of the novel in 1971 (BBC Radio 4 – 10 × 15 minutes, read by Gabriel Woolf)
  • A 20-minute extract for schools was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 21 September 1973, adapted and produced by Peter Fozzard.
  • There were readings of the novel in 1980 (BBC Radio 4/Woman's Hour – 14 × 15 minutes, read by David Ashford)
  • An adaptation by Lance Dann in two 45-minute episodes for the BBC World Service was first broadcast on 8 and 22 September 2001. It was directed by Rosalind Ward, with music by Simon Russell. Episode 2 was originally scheduled for 15 September 2001, but was rescheduled due to the September 11 attacks. Each episode was followed by a 15-minute documentary on the book.
  • There were readings of the novel in 2004 (BBC7 – 17 × 30 minutes, read by Roger May)

Television adaptations
  • A television serial version was produced by the BBC in 1981 and repeated on BBC Four in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2014. It starred John Duttine as Bill Masen.
  • In December 2009, the BBC broadcast a new version of the story, written by ER and Law & Order writer Patrick Harbinson.[30] It stars Dougray Scott as Bill Masen, Joely Richardson as Jo Playton, Brian Cox as Dennis Masen, Vanessa Redgrave as Durrant, Eddie Izzard as Torrence, and Jason Priestley as Coker.[31][32] An estimated 6.1 million people viewed the first episode.[33] In this version the Triffids originally evolved in Zaire, and their oil is used as an alternative fuel, averting global warming. The elements of repopulating the Earth and the plague were overlooked in this adaptation; another difference in the plot was that the Earth was blinded by a solar flare rather than a meteor shower.

Sequels

Simon Clark wrote a sequel, The Night of the Triffids (2001), set 25 years after Wyndham's book. Big Finish Productions adapted it as an audio play in 2014.[34] The dramatisation featuring Sam Troughton was later broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in June 2016.

In 2020, English science fiction and fantasy author John Whitbourn published a sequel, entitled The Age of the Triffids. Set in the Isle of Wight ‘Colony’ in the lead-up to the Millennium, it details the rallying of survivors from across Britain for one last attempt to defeat the triffid threat. For copyright reasons, the book is not for sale outside Canada and New Zealand.[35]

References
  1. http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=series&genre=Drama&series=The%20Day%20Of%20The%20Triffids
  2. Locus Index to SF Awards Archived 26 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  3. The Big Read, BBC, April 2003, archived from the original on 18 October 2012, retrieved 31 October 2012.
  4. Kaye, Don (28 April 2015). "Exclusive: Ex Machina writer/director Alex Garland on 'small' sci-fi films, sentient machines and going mainstream". Syfy Wire.
  5. Wyndham, John (April 1970), The Day of the Triffids (paperback ed.), Fawcett Crest, title page, 6th printing.
  6. Morris, Edmund (2003), Introduction
  7. Binns, Amy (October 2019). HIDDEN WYNDHAM : life, love, letters. GRACE JUDSON PRESS. ISBN 9780992756710.
  8. Christakos, NG (2007), "Three By Thirteen: The Karl Edward Wagner Lists", in Szumskyj, Benjamin (ed.), Black Prometheus: A Critical Study of Karl Edward Wagner, Gothic Press.
  9. Clarke, Arthur C. "Sir. Arthur Charles Clarke". Retrieved 21 June 2018. Another writer that I knew very well was John Benyon Harris, better known as John Wyndham, whose 1951 The Day of the Triffids seems an immortal story. It's often being revived in some form or another. John was a very nice guy, but unfortunately suffered from an almost fatal defect for a fiction writer: he had a private income. If he hadn't, I'm sure he'd have written much more.
  10. "Recommended Reading", F&SF: 83, August 1951.
  11. "Book Reviews", Astounding Science Fiction: 142, August 1951.
  12. Aldiss, Brian W. (1973). Billion year spree: the history of science fiction. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-297-76555-4.
  13. Boluk, Stephanie; Lenz, Wylie (2011). Generation Zombie: Essays on the Living Dead in Modern Culture. McFarland. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-7864-8673-1.
  14. Atwood, Margaret (8 September 2015). "The Forgotten Sci-Fi Classic That Reads Like a Prequel to E.T." Slate Magazine. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  15. Conklin, Groff (August 1951). "Five Star Shelf". Galaxy Science Fiction: 99.
  16. Kermode, Mark (6 May 2007). "A capital place for panic attacks". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
  17. How to make a triffid, Tor, November 2012, archived from the original on 14 June 2013.
  18. Meikle, Denis (2008). A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer (revised ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780810863811.
  19. Sangster, Jimmy (1997). Do You Want It Good or Tuesday? From Hammer Films to Hollywood! A Life in the Movies: An Autobiography. Midnight Marquee Press. pp. 43–45. ISBN 9781887664134.
  20. "The Day of the Triffids". IMDB. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  21. McNary, Dave (23 September 2010). "3D triumph for 'Triffids'?". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  22. "Cinema Today Review" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
  23. Zapletal, Miroslav (1990). Zlatý fond her [Golden collection of games] (in Czech). 1. Prague: Mladá fronta.
  24. Street, Seán (21 April 2015). Historical Dictionary of British Radio. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 104. ISBN 9781442249233.
  25. "Patrick Barr in 'THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS' - Light Programme - 23 October 1957 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  26. "The Day of the Triffids: Part 1: The End Begins". BBC Genome Beta. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  27. "The Day of the Triffids: Part 6: Strategic Withdrawal". BBC Genome Beta. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  28. Milner, Andrew (14 November 2012). Locating Science Fiction. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. pp. Chapter 4: Radio Science Fiction and the Theory of Genre. ISBN 9781846318429. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  29. Barratt-Due, Else; Myhre, Nan Kristin (6 September 2012). "Nostalgisk grøss" (in Norwegian). NRK. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  30. "Coming to the BBC in 2009... The Day of the Triffids". BBC. 27 November 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  31. "The Day of The Triffids attracts all-star cast to BBC One". BBC Press Office. 11 February 2009. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  32. Walker, Tim (3 January 2010). "The Day of the Triffids, BBC1/Tsunami: Caught on Camera, Channel 4". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  33. "'Triffids' remake brings in 6.1 million". TV News. Digital Spy. 3 January 2010. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  34. "1. The Night of the Triffids - The Night of the Triffids - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  35. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/171274982X
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