The Day of the Triffids
by John Wyndham, Marcel Battin, Cover by Andy Bridge · first published 1951
50% recommend50% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Early post-apocalyptic novel in which most people go blind and aggressive plants start eating them. Valued for its thoughtful take on morality and society, and as a gateway to the genre.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
When Bill Masen wakes up blindfolded in hospital there is a bitter irony in his situation. Carefully removing his bandages, he realizes that he is the only person who can see: everyone else, doctors and patients alike, have been blinded by a meteor shower. Now, with civilization in chaos, the triffids - huge, venomous, large-rooted plants able to 'walk', feeding on human flesh - can have their day.The Day of the Triffids, published in 1951, expresses many of the political concerns of its time: the Cold War, the fear of biological experimentation and the man-made apocalypse. However, with its t
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depends on the subgenre :) Superhuman: Slan by A.E. Van Vogt More Than Human by Theodore STurgeon Odd John by Olaf Stapledon Post Apocalyptic: The Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham Earth Abides by George R. Stewart A Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember Space Opera/Adventure: any of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks The Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't…
on “Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?” ↗…- Merchants of Doubt - Dead Wake - Man's Search for Meaning - Evicted - The New Jim Crow - Night Sci-fi: - We - The Sirens of Titan - Hyperion - Stories of Your Life - Frankenstein - The Day of the Triffids - Childhood's End Fantasy: - The Stormlight Archives - The First Law Trilogy - The Lord of the Rings Literature: - The Stranger - Dubliners - Things I've Learned from Dying - The Things They…
on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗Big science fiction fan 1. Revelation Space 2. Hyperion 3. The Postman 4. The Day of the Triffids 5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos [3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman [4] -…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books?” ↗* John Wyndham: The Day of the Triffids. One of the minor themes is the relationship between morality and society. I read it as a teenager, and it made me think about the issue in a way I'd never done before. * Adolous Huxley: Brave New World.…
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction.…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗Challenge that: Day of the Triffids is not largely forgotten! And nor is anything else by John Wyndham; Trouble with Lichen is also terrific.
on “X Minus One: 1950s Science Fiction Radio Programs Available to Listen (2011)” ↗I haven't read any of the above, but while we're on the topic of dangerous fictional flora, I can recommend: The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
on “New carnivorous plant discovered in Pacific Northwest” ↗By the way, John Wyndham (author of The Day of the Triffids. Mentioned in the article) also wrote a novel titled, "The Kraken Wakes". Which is a hilarious, messed up and excellent piece of scifi full of early 20th century flavorful goodness.
on “Falsehoods programmers believe about names – with examples (2018)” ↗Just read “The Day of the Triffids” by John Wyndham (1951)[1]. It’s a great, classic horror sci-fi novel where plants can hear and talk to each other. Big influence for “Annihilation” and “28 Days Later.” Gotta love it when some crazy…
on “Plants don’t have ears. But they can still detect sound” ↗This is a theme in several John Wyndham stories -- I’m thinking Day of the Triffids and especially The Kraken Wakes. He often seems to get looked down on today for writing “cosy catastrophes” about plucky English survivors, but his books have a lot more going on than that.
on “Before Skynet and the Matrix, This 50-Year-Old Movie Predicted the Rise of AI” ↗…the book again to see if it landed differently and nope. Still thought it was awful. I did enjoy a few of the assigned books. Canticle for Leibowitz, Brave New World, Lost Horizon, Frankenstein, and Day of the Triffids are a few I remember positively. Teachers know kids will use AI to write essays and I bet more than a few teachers use them to grade, so there's probably no point in assigning a single book for everybody…
on “How “The Great Gatsby” took over high school” ↗Starship Troopers Day of the Triffids
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗…is a pleasure to read classics like "The Fireman" by Ray Bradbury, which eventually became Fahrenheit 411, in their original versions. One, now largely forgotten, novel I enjoyed from that period is "Day of the Triffids".
on “X Minus One: 1950s Science Fiction Radio Programs Available to Listen (2011)” ↗> I’m not sure the danger posed by space based weapons (such as laser systems) is any more significant than future earth bound weapons. I know this is a glib response but: have you ever read "The Day of the Triffids" (if not - you should, great book). I would hope that, this time, we would have learned lessons from the world war, cold war and other conflicts and just go about our progression into a Space Faring…
on “Launch of secret US space ship masks even more secret launch of new weapon” ↗Same author, another mind blowing book, especially then: " Day of the Triffids". one of the first apocalypse books. Makes you always think twice when looking up at the Aurora Borealis, like a few days ago.
on “Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?” ↗