Rating: 
Summary: Horrible book
Review: i as a yr 9 student and have been forced to read this as the compulsary skool curriculum. this book is not one of those action packed, fire fight, action hero type novels. all in all this was THE most devastatingly lowest of low sci-fi novels i have eva read.
Rating: 
Summary: Sick of Brave New World, but need something equally deep?
Review: First, a warning. This is not a work for anyone looking a laser beam sci-fi thriller, or Mad Max Road Warrior "after the Bomb" book. Or if you're some High School kid who only picked it up 'cos "teacher made me"... drop it now and get on with getting that Cheer Leader's phone number. Wyndham's visionary and literary genius is best shown in this, his finest work. His better known novel, Day Of The Triffids, superb as it is, pales by comparison. The Chrysalids is a novel that ends on a positive, but very credible note: it has none of the self-indulgent anti-Romanticism of Neuromancer, nor the saccharine 'utopia-ism' of Star Trek at its worst. The story itself, cunningly weaves many levels of understanding. As a sci-fi pageturner, we have a story set in the future where a boy conceals his telepathy from a neo-Luddite Fundamentalist community bent on destroying even the slightest physical deviation. There's adventure aplenty here for those who like a damn good yarn! But as a polemic against the excesses of any kind of Fundamentalism whether'scientistic' or 'anti-scientistic', the novel reaches its heights. It is a watershed for any sensitive reader, professional or layman, who is agonising over the tensions our world faces today. This novel, first published in 1955 stands as a worthy "mirror" companion to Huxley's Brave New World. Huxley's dystopia displays the evil false religion of unquestioned Technophilia, and the flaws of barbaric Romanticism. Wyndham's novel is less hampered by Huxley's sophisticated intellectual style; his conflicts are more urgent and pressing, his characters better drawn, warmer and more 'human'. We feel the poignancy and pathos in the suffering and death of unhappy, 'deformed' Sophie. We appreciate the honesty, courage, tenacity and good commonsense of David. He is a worthy hero, and one with whom we quickly side. And these characters of Wyndham's struggle in a post nuclear holocaust world that is chillingly credible. So much of it is so close to our own daily truths. The underlying truths of The Chrysalids reveal Wyndham's keen intelligence and wisdom in Man's ways. Some people will always try to suppress the hand of Nature; to freeze progress and forever keep Mankind a crawling grub. Some will try to seize the wings of immortality through artificial wombs of technology. And others still, will allow Nature to work her own miracles and, while living and letting live, will successfully emerge into the joyous flight of a body free from a limited mind. Wyndham's positive ending, for his heroes escape to a land where the last of these ideologies prevails, makes The Chrysalids a novel full of hope and promise.
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Summary: Still controversial after all these years
Review: This book is like a child's question, so seemingly simple and innocent. Why? says the child, Why? Why? Why? The answers to many children's questions are dangerous and upsetting, as are the ideas in this book. On the face of it this is a simple science fiction story. It is skillfully and simply told; a quick and enjoyable read. On the face of it there is an unremarkable little adventure story here which earns the genre of science fiction by dealing with telepathy in a post acpocalytic world. The pacing and dynamics of the book hold the reader and the story moves itself. This, however, is not a simple tale of or for children, and there is almost no way in which it can be read as such by anyone with average intelligence. This is a devastating critique of religious zeal and blind faith of any kind. It is a horror tale of intolerance of the worst kind. Here is a society in which parents will kill their own children to maintain the purity of an ideal based on only a few words passed down through the generations. This is an equally devastating critique of hidebound adherence to the rule of law. Here is a society which enforces law without regard to the temperance justice, mercy or common sense can bring. A child can read this book and feel the injustice revealed page by page. A sensitive child can find assurance in the ending that somewhere out there are others like him or her who will be welcoming of their "differences". An adult can read the book and be given the gift of a clear eyed look at rigid ideology. Published also as "Rebirth" this book was seen in the 50's as a condemnation of Communism. It is a condemnation of Communism in so far as Communism is a blind faith commitment. Today the universal quality of the critique behind the book is more clear. What is amazing is the ease with which this little story inspires the reader to question the validity of social forms and values, perhaps it does so because it is so simple and clear and fast to read. I am not surprised some reviewers don't like the book. This book challenges the very heart of literal beliefs whether they be religious, scientific, legal or moral. It is a text that such bigots have reason to fear. All the more reason for the rest of us to read it and wonder at their existence. "Why?".
Rating: 
Summary: So much potential... most of it wasted.
Review: Alright, like many people here, I was told to read this book for language class. No, that doesn't mean I'm an immature little kid who hates reading everything except Goosebumps books. The reason I don't like this book much is that, as I meantioned in my title, it has lost potential. But first things first, The idea: Nothing Original. The idea of Earth after some great disaster has been replayed in Science Fiction countless times. So has telepathy. The writing: Some grammatical errors are present. Other than that the style would have been ok if the story could accomodate it. The potential: to create a broad epic chronicling the life story of the main character and the information he finds about the other parts of the world he lives in. The potential used: about 1/5 of that. Compared to what it could have been, this book is like an introduction. It gets right up to the point where it has the potential to become an epic, but unfortunatly the author broke into the temptation facing so many other authors and decided to put in a rush ending that is only worthy of a kids' book. The lessons learned: Well, if you're not smart enough to see through the "lessons", it teaches you how cold-blooded murder can be justified (that's the final point made in the book). The validity of the story: Not big. Somehow, it seems, this book seems to both promote Christianity and diss it at the same time. The details of this statement are difficult to explain, but that is what the book does. No Sci-fi book should do that in my opinion. Final Word: Combine Sci-fi with 18th century and you get this book. If you like that combination, go ahead and buy it. You might also like it if you've never read anything beyond Teenager-classed books. If you've read Lord of the Rings, however, you'll find that this book is 1/20th of that trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: inadvertantly amusing
Review: Clearly there is a divergence of opinion about this book, but if you are considering buying it consider also why our host tolerates unfavorable reviews at all. It knows that "fan" is short for "fanatic", that authors and musicans attract energetic (or otherwise unengaged) partisan proponents, and thus that most reviews will be favorable and inflated. The most suspect favorable reviews here are those that praise this book's litary qualities, for the long and short of it are that it has none. (Aesthetically this is pretty much the equivalent of daytime TV. If you haven't seen it for some time, the unabashedness of its banality can fascinate you briefly.)
Rating:
Summary: Best book ever
Review: "The Chrysalids" is one of the best science fiction books in my opinion. John Wyndham is a brilliant writer, and it's a pity he hasn't had a lot more recognition. I loved the premise of humans trying to preserve themselves in a post-nuclear world teeming with mutation. The main characters were very sympathetic and interesting. I am totally surprised by people who didn't like "The Chrysalids". Were they reading the same book? The book is a literary feast filled with great imagery, especially the descriptions of the Fringes and the Badlands. The way those people think of the Old People is enough to give us a superiority complex (to a point). Like the detractors of "Lord of the Rings",the people who belittle "The Chrysalids" are clearly in the minority. This book is amazing. Read it now!
Rating:
Summary: sad
Review: I would just let this alone--used bookstores are littered with this sort of stuff--but it's rather disconcerting to discover that public school teachers are actually assigning children to read it. It has no literary merit whatsoever, and those persons who can't see this are welcome to enjoy it nevertheless, but they should not be teaching English.
Rating:
Summary: BORING!
Review: I had to read it for my ENGLISH class. I never really actually read it I skipped all the part where he talks about the "Old-People" and when David talked with his uncle. And all that "thought-shape" thing. Ugh! So boring. I never got to finish the book and I'm not intesrested into knowing how it ends.
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Summary: History Repeating Itself
Review: The future society depicted in "The Chrysalids" is still suffering the after-effects of a disaster sent by God, which all but destroyed the ancient world of the Old People. The survivors called the disaster Tribulation. No one knows why it happened, but the narrator, David, attributes it to "a phase of irreligious arrogance", which God, in his anger, punished. Only a few legends of the Old People remain. Centuries (millenia?) have passed, and the descendents of the Old People continue to pick up the pieces. "The Chrysalids" is a book that deals with the issue of normality. Basically, to be considered normal you have to be in the majority. In the world David describes anything "not right" is deemed an "Offence" or a "Blasphemy". Mutants are seen as the spawn of the devil and must be destroyed to preserve the true image. (Throughout history people have always needed someone to persecute for the world's ills.) The reader will probably have guessed that this is a world after a nuclear holocaust. But we don't actually know for sure. Other reviewers have criticised the scientific validity of radiation and its effects. For all we know it could have been a weapon even more powerful than an H-bomb that caused Tribulation. (Who knows what scientific marvels the 21st century will bring? No one imagined nuclear weapons at the start of the 20th.) I like the way the book has a go at the self-righteousness of religion. How much cruelty and suffering has been inflicted on innocent people in the name of religion? The way mutants are treated in "The Chrysalids" is reminiscent of the witch hunts in 18th century Europe. As a matter of fact, the future described in this book resembles the 18th century. There is no technology and David describes the world as someone in the 18th century would see it, hence the formal language, unused by people today. This would be one of John Wyndham's greatest novels. One of the best of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provocing.. but horrible!
Review: While this novel (which I happened to read in Grade 10 English) made one think... it also was also very critical of the relligous beliefs of today.. our teacher told us of how it was a satire on Christianity... and I found it very dissapointing...
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