The Day of the Triffids

In1951JohnWyndhampublishedhisnovelTheDayoftheTriffidstomoderateacclaim.Fifty-twoyearslater,thishorrifyingstoryisasciencefictionclassic,toutedbyTheTimes(London)ashaving“alltherealityofavividlyrealizednightmare.”BillMasen,bandagesoverhiswoundedeyes,missesthemostspectacularmeteoriteshowerEnglandhaseverseen.Removinghisbandagesthenextmorning,hefindsmassesofsightlesspeoplewanderingthecity.HesoonmeetsJosella,anotherluckypersonwhohasretainedhersight,andtogethertheyleavethecity,awarethatthesafe,familiarworldtheyknewameretwenty-fourhoursbeforeisgoneforever.Buttosurviveinthispost-apocalypticworld,onemustsurvivetheTriffids,strangeplantsthatyearsbeforebeganappearingallovertheworld.TheTriffidscangrowtooversevenfeettall,pulltheirrootsfromthegroundtowalk,andkillamanwithonequicklashoftheirpoisonousstingers.Withsocietyinshambles,theyarenowpoisedtopreyonhumankind.Wyndhamchillinglyanticipatesbio-warfareandmassdestruction,fiftyyearsbeforetheirrealization,inthisprescientaccountofColdWarparanoia.