The Midwich Cuckoos is a 1957 science fiction novel written by the English author John Wyndham. It tells the tale of an English village in which the women become pregnant by brood parasitic aliens.
The book has been praised by many critics, including the dramatist Dan Rebellato, who called it a searching novel of moral ambiguities, and the novelist Margaret Atwood, who called the book Wyndham's masterpiece. His previous best seller was The Day Of The Triffids.
Ambulances arrive at two traffic accidents blocking the only roads into the (fictional) British village of Midwich, Winshire. Attempting to approach the village, one ambulanceman becomes unconscious. Suspecting gas poisoning, the army is notified. They discover that a caged canary becomes unconscious upon entering the affected region, but regains consciousness when removed. Further experiments reveal the region to be a hemisphere with a diameter of 2 miles (3.2 km) around the village. Aerial photography shows an unidentifiable silvery object on the ground in the centre of the affected zone.
After one day, the effect vanishes, along with the unidentified object, and the villagers wake with no apparent ill effects. Some months later they realise that every woman of child-bearing age is pregnant-even those who are single or not otherwise in relationships with men-with all indications that the pregnancies were caused by xenogenesis during the period of unconsciousness that has come to be referred to as the "Dayout".
When the 31 boys and 30 girls are born, they appear normal, except for their unusual golden eyes, light blonde hair, and pale, silvery skin. These children have none of the genetic characteristics of their mothers. As they grow up, it becomes increasingly apparent that they are, at least in some respects, not human. They possess telepathic abilities and can control others' actions. The Children (they are referred to with a capital C) have two distinct group minds: one for the boys and another for the girls. Their physical development is accelerated compared with that of humans; upon reaching the age of nine, they appear to be sixteen-year-olds.
The Children protect themselves as much as possible using a form of mind control. One young man who accidentally hits a Child in the hip while driving a car is made to drive into a wall and kill himself. A bull that chased the Children is forced into a pond to drown. The villagers form a mob and try to burn down the Midwich Grange, where the Children are taught and live, but the Children make the villagers attack each other.
I was "made" to read this novel by my school. I had no idea that cuckoos lay their eggs in other bird's nests, so I missed the title's meaning. I'd just read To Kill A Mockingbird, which I loved, but was surprised that this was nothing like anything I'd previously read, and after one chapter I was hooked. I couldn't believe this was considered "classic", it was wonderful, modern, and creepy as all hell.
In 1960 it was made into a movie. There were some slight changes. No object on the ground, which worked better, for me. The movie is black and white, and beautiful. The children are incredible, and frightening. It's a superb rendition of the story, but was unfortunately renamed Village Of The Damned, which is a stupid title.
John Carpenter remade the movie in. 1995 under the same title. It's so similar, I couldn't see the point. Also the wigs they had the children wear look ridiculous.
Now it's a British series, under the book's title The Midwich Cuckoos.
I was looking forward to it, but it's awful. The "village" is quite a large town, and it's not remote, or conservative, which makes the events far less shocking. The lead character has been changed to a woman, for no reason. The children aren't identical, but multi-racial, like their parents. They don't have yellow eyes.
I don't understand why it's using the novel's title, as it's completely different and not very interesting. I'm not watching the rest of it. Those complaining that the changes are warranted, are wrong.
The book has been praised by many critics, including the dramatist Dan Rebellato, who called it a searching novel of moral ambiguities, and the novelist Margaret Atwood, who called the book Wyndham's masterpiece. His previous best seller was The Day Of The Triffids.
Ambulances arrive at two traffic accidents blocking the only roads into the (fictional) British village of Midwich, Winshire. Attempting to approach the village, one ambulanceman becomes unconscious. Suspecting gas poisoning, the army is notified. They discover that a caged canary becomes unconscious upon entering the affected region, but regains consciousness when removed. Further experiments reveal the region to be a hemisphere with a diameter of 2 miles (3.2 km) around the village. Aerial photography shows an unidentifiable silvery object on the ground in the centre of the affected zone.
After one day, the effect vanishes, along with the unidentified object, and the villagers wake with no apparent ill effects. Some months later they realise that every woman of child-bearing age is pregnant-even those who are single or not otherwise in relationships with men-with all indications that the pregnancies were caused by xenogenesis during the period of unconsciousness that has come to be referred to as the "Dayout".
When the 31 boys and 30 girls are born, they appear normal, except for their unusual golden eyes, light blonde hair, and pale, silvery skin. These children have none of the genetic characteristics of their mothers. As they grow up, it becomes increasingly apparent that they are, at least in some respects, not human. They possess telepathic abilities and can control others' actions. The Children (they are referred to with a capital C) have two distinct group minds: one for the boys and another for the girls. Their physical development is accelerated compared with that of humans; upon reaching the age of nine, they appear to be sixteen-year-olds.
The Children protect themselves as much as possible using a form of mind control. One young man who accidentally hits a Child in the hip while driving a car is made to drive into a wall and kill himself. A bull that chased the Children is forced into a pond to drown. The villagers form a mob and try to burn down the Midwich Grange, where the Children are taught and live, but the Children make the villagers attack each other.
I was "made" to read this novel by my school. I had no idea that cuckoos lay their eggs in other bird's nests, so I missed the title's meaning. I'd just read To Kill A Mockingbird, which I loved, but was surprised that this was nothing like anything I'd previously read, and after one chapter I was hooked. I couldn't believe this was considered "classic", it was wonderful, modern, and creepy as all hell.
In 1960 it was made into a movie. There were some slight changes. No object on the ground, which worked better, for me. The movie is black and white, and beautiful. The children are incredible, and frightening. It's a superb rendition of the story, but was unfortunately renamed Village Of The Damned, which is a stupid title.
John Carpenter remade the movie in. 1995 under the same title. It's so similar, I couldn't see the point. Also the wigs they had the children wear look ridiculous.
Now it's a British series, under the book's title The Midwich Cuckoos.
I was looking forward to it, but it's awful. The "village" is quite a large town, and it's not remote, or conservative, which makes the events far less shocking. The lead character has been changed to a woman, for no reason. The children aren't identical, but multi-racial, like their parents. They don't have yellow eyes.
I don't understand why it's using the novel's title, as it's completely different and not very interesting. I'm not watching the rest of it. Those complaining that the changes are warranted, are wrong.