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The Midwich Cuckoos

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The Midwich Cuckoos

By: John Wyndham
Narrated by: Stephen Fry
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About this listen

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
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A cozy arm chair sci-fi that slowly and steadily notches up the anxiety as it goes along. Such a great story, Wyndham's best in my opinion, and although I had misgivings at first because of his comedic performances, Stephen Fry does an excellent job in this drama/soft thriller. I think this story would appeal to everyone regardless of your usual genre preferences, it just has a way of getting its hooks into you and keeping you listening.

If you liked children before, you won't after this

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Excellent narration obviously! Stephen Fry’s voice is the perfect choice for John Wyndham’s words. Exactly the right amount of creepy for this chilling tale.

Classic Science Fiction

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On top of perhaps being Wyndham’s second best book, Stephen Fry’s narration was spot on in capturing the sensibilities of the period.

Cracking performance by Fry

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I loved the complexity of the language, The dialogueis refreshing and the story is quirky and interesting.

Engaging and refreshing.

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I really enjoyed this, it kept my interest even through parts where I was guessing what would happen. The storytelling is wonderfully crafted right up to the very last line. Stephen Fry's narration delivers the tale in the manner in is worthy of. I can see how it's a classic of the genre, glad I found it.

Fabulous!

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