Review: The Kraken Wakes - John Wyndham

The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham
My rating: 8 of 10 stars

These year I am trying to hear some stories to maximize my time. I am not in favour of either ebooks and audiobooks. The first is know to all, the second in my opinion, since I am doing something else at the same time, it usually doesn't capture my attention as a book, so it can be a bit frustating. But, in this case, I really enjoy hearing this short novel.


It all begins, as a couple of reporters on vacation, start seeing some objects are falling on the sea. After some investigation it seems a lot of objects have fallen but all on deep waters. After some ships are sunk a nuke sea war start to develop.

The first act of retaliation this begins start sunking several ships. At this time most western civilization dealock in the cold war, start throwing guilt to each side. Most people believe that this things that are happening are the works of communists.

The second wave of retaliation start as this beings start kidnaping people from the earth. Again a response from humankind. The third and final wave, the aliens start melting the ice caps rising the water several meters. As a human sonic weapon start to kill the aliens, humankind starts to rebuilt their new world, with less habitants and less non-flooded areas.

The main characters are just there. But they are neither interesting or development. The main purpose of this tale is indeed, the plot itself.

In the end we get this incertain of what expects humankind. Its strange that along the book people are not convice of alien begins but as acts of communists. The second interesting bit is that the aliens went into the deep sea, so I think that both species could co-existed but humankind is not an Good species, xenophobic atittutes is what most writers of sff portrait humankind. If we can't tolerate someone with different skin, religion or sexual preferences, how can we tolerate a different species altogether?

Good Wyndham tale. Very good, indeed. In the vein of Triffids but imagine War of the Worlds a bit more updated.

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