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Trouble with Lichen

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Trouble with Lichen

By: John Wyndham
Narrated by: Vanessa Kirby
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About this listen

Francis Saxover and Diana Brackley, two scientists investigating a rare lichen, discover it has a remarkable property: it retards the aging process. Francis, realising the implications for the world of an ever-youthful, wealthy elite, wants to keep it secret, but Diana sees an opportunity to overturn the male status quo by using the lichen to inspire a feminist revolution.

As each scientist wrestles with the implications and practicalities of exploiting the discovery, the world comes ever closer to learning the truth....

Trouble with Lichen is a scintillating story of the power wielded by science in our lives and asks, how much trust should we place in those we appoint to be its guardians?

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'.

©1960 John Wyndham (P)2021 Audible, Ltd Adventure Genetic Engineering Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Fiction
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Love hearing John Wyndham’s books being read, they are still very relevant today. Vanessa Kirby did a brilliant job narrating too.

Still very relevant and perfectly narrated

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Listening to this book really brought home to me how very much the world has changed, particularly for women, since it was was released in 1960. The story was thought-provoking and addressed the implications of a scientific discovery making it possible to slow the ageing process so that we could live for several hundred years, I found however that it was set in such a different world to the 21st century, that it was difficult to relate to some of the problems and approaches. That said, I enjoyed the book and the narration was excellent

And thank you Audible for putting it and the other John Wyndham works on the PLUS catalogue. Makes a subscription even more worthwhile..

Very dated, but still well worth the listen.

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It's great to revisit John Wyndham after 60 years or so
The writing style is a bit dated but the them is as fresh as a dose of lichen.
As well as the overall theme I enjoyed the discussions of the sociological implications.
And the narrator was pretty good too.

A great piece of Scifi

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Wonderful story and engagingly performed by Vanessa Kirby. A great listen and one of Wyndham's best.

Beautifully performed by Vanessa Kirby

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No Spoilers!

Three days ago I had no idea this story existed. Now I would swiftly recommend it with delight. It has cemented John Wyndham as one of my favourite authors (as opposed to simply the writer of a single book I thoroughly enjoy).

"Trouble with Lichen" features non-animal life in a manner significantly different to it's better-known sibling "Day of the Triffids". Both novels share a dependence upon their notable vegetation to drive the plot, which is more essentially about humanity itself.

Though at first a little slow to start, the pace picks up quite dramatically after the revelation of the first major plot point, and doesn't particularly slow throughout. There are many thrilling narrative beats, interspersed occasionally with digestible bites of insightful philosophy, all of which build together towards a satisfying climax and whole. Despite misgivings, in the end I found myself quite satisfied with how everything played out. I include the philosophy in this statement, which strikes me as an impressive feat considering that the work was first published in 1960.

Trouble with Lichen has a distinctly British feel, which is pleasantly embellished by the talented narration of Vanessa Kirby. If anything, this enhances the comprehensibility of the text, whether newspaper headline or group conversation. Kirby's skillful use of reservation, boldness, quietly-complex undertones and so much more breathe vibrant life into this wonderful rendition.

This book might not be for everyone, but it is certainly enjoyable for broad audiences, and personally I consider it to be an absolute treat. If possible, do yourself a favour and skip the blurb to add scintillating suspense and mystery.

I loved Triffids; Wyndham excells in this tale too

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An interesting topic of extending our lives and possible repercussions. How would society react?
Great story with believable characters and read well by the narrator.
Would make a good tv series!

Why we should live longer??

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I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It started a little dull but soon found its feet & became an interesting thought experiment. The feminist perspective was refreshing. The ending was a bit of a let down, but only a little. Top narration too.

Intriguing

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I wasn't sure what to expect from the title and the story took a few minutes to get going. Well developed and insightful without populist violent overtones.
I suspect that this classic has been the inspiration for at least several more modern Sci Fi attempts to address the implications of human longevity.

Understated classic British SF

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Came for Vanessa Kirby, stayed for the lichen.

Mainly exposition through conversations on the impact of long life, still relevant today. Beautifully narrated.

A Thoughtful Classic

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Very thought provoking, but I wish the end was left off, just made me confused.

Ending was confusing

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