Booklist

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

This is a classic "end of the world" novel written in 1951. In the story, strange lights in the night sky render most of the world's population blind. If that weren't problem enough, genetically engineered plants called "triffids" are now roaming the earth unchecked and killing people with their deadly stingers. Through all this, Bill and Josella, who find each other amid the chaos, struggle to survive.

This is a pretty straightforward sci-fi account of a post-apocalyptic scenario. I enjoyed it but found it to be a bit slow at times. I wondered why the title of the book mentions the triffids when they aren't a major menace in the book until the very end. Perhaps the book should have been titled Blind Spot or something like that. Anyway, this book has spawned a movie (from 1962 which I haven't seen) and a BBC series (haven't seen that either) but I am not curious to see both. A modern author, Simon Clark, has written a sequel called Night of the Triffids which I may pick up one day.

The main reason I picked up this book is because it's considered a classic of sci-fi and I want to read more of those classics that I missed growing up. I also enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction and wanted to add this one to my collection. All in all, it was a pleasant experience and I think I may try another of Wyndham's novels, The Kraken Wakes.