A
science-fiction novel by
John Wyndham, first published 1953. Currently published by
Penguin,
ISBN 0-14-001075-0.
The novel deals with alien invasion in a new and refreshing way. Aliens descend from the skies and inhabit the deepest trenches of our oceans, from whence they proceed to bring humanity to the brink of extinction.
Like most of his other works, the books is quintessentially set in 1950s Britain... the odd mention of a cine camera, raging anti-Communism, and atomic bombs beings dropped willy-nilly and with total recklessness - all rendered in glowing Technicolour with Wyndham's inimitable wit - permeate the story. Personally, I love the way it fluidly builds from tiny beginnings to a world-shattering climax, so gradually as to be unnoticable. When I returned to the book after having read it all the way through, I opened it at a random page and thought it was a different story.