The Midwich Cuckoos

By: John Wyndham

Narrated by: Stephen Fry

In the sleepy English village of Midwich, a mysterious silver object appears and all the inhabitants fall unconscious. A day later the object is gone, and everyone awakens unharmed - except that all the women in the village are discovered to be pregnant.

The resultant children of Midwich do not belong to their parents: all are blonde, all are golden eyed. They grow up too fast, and their minds exhibit frightening abilities that give them control over others and brings them into conflict with the villagers just as a chilling realisation dawns on the world outside....

The Midwich Cuckoos is the classic tale of aliens in our midst, exploring how we respond when confronted by those who are innately superior to us in every conceivable way.

About the author: John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Benyon Harris was born in 1903, the son of a barrister. He tried a number of careers including farming, law, commercial art and advertising, and started writing short stories, intended for sale, in 1925. From 1930 to 1939 he wrote stories of various kinds under different names, almost exclusively for American publications, while also writing detective novels. During the war he was in the Civil Service and then the Army. In 1946 he went back to writing stories for publication in the USA and decided to try a modified form of science fiction, a form he called 'logical fantasy'.

©2008 John Wyndham (P)2021 Audible, Ltd

Very good book. Good, but inappropriate, narrator.

Wyndham should be read along with Asimov, Orwell, Bradbury, and the other great 20th century science fiction authors. The Midwich Cuckoos finds him in fine form. Perhaps not his best structured novel, but a good one nevertheless. Unfortunately, Stephan Fry’s narration style would better fit lighter fare such as Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster novels. That shouldn’t stop you from giving this audiobook a listen.

A Timely Story

Sci-fi is not my favorite genre but Stephen Fry is one of my favorite actor/ narrators, so I took a chance. I’m glad I did. The story is well-written and Fry is the perfect narrator for all the characters and the concerns and concepts that they express.

Holds up amazingly well 70 years on

I first read this book 50 years ago. Some books don't age well, but I think this one did. Fry is a fun narrator although I think I would have preferred a younger man in the role.

great!

Fascinating! Although a little winded, kept me thoroughly entertained. Looking for more novels like this.

As important now as when it was written It has been filmed at least twice Narrator suited the material well

Dealt with philosophical, political, social, and marital aspects of issue
Still relevant today
Many questions remain

This should be in every listen/read list.

The writing is fantastic. It’s an incredibly timeless reminder of humanity’s stupidity and logic. Within about five minutes of listening I came to the conclusion that Stephen Fry should narrate every book.

Classic sci-fi at it’s absolute best.

This novel is a timeless classic. It’s so much more complex and interesting than it’s movie counterparts. The existential dread is palpable but so is the human compassion. I can’t believe I waited so long to read this. I grew up watch both versions of Village of the Damned and they will always hold a special place but they have a fraction of the depth or complexity. I miss this kind of sci-fi.

Recommended

A classic, pure and simple. This story has lost very little to the years. Much better than the movie,

Stephen Fry is outstanding

Great story but the pace of the narrative is slow. But then John Wyndham wrote in a different era.

Stephen Fry’s performance is outstanding. He brought the characters to life. This more than made up for the slow pace of the narrative.

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable
experience.

Loved it

Great narration
And captivating story that took me 2 days to listen to would highly recommend it