The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
An Unabridged audio reading by Robert Powell
This story was first Published in book form in 1956
The book is set in a future affected by (I presume) a Nuclear apocalypse. The wider World is an unknown, records of history lost and only a form of the Bible surviving.
Areas of cultivated and settled land are edged by the Badlands. These are inhabited by Mutations..both of plant and animal types. Further afield ...who knows.
The story opens with David Strorm a child living in a settlement called Waknuk. It at first appears to be a pleasant rural setting. David's father is a Farmer of some social standing.There are no machines, but there are horses and buggies, blacksmiths and bows and arrows, some guns (but they are scarce), candles etc are the order of the day. Overshadowing all is a puritanical and unforgiving "God fearing" religion which orders everyone's existence.
The women wear dresses with a cross sewn upon their breasts. Walls in homes are decorated with warning texts. Prayers are a daily occurrence. David's father is a God fearing tyrant who rigidly rules his family and is not afraid to whip his son for any transgression for example incidentally 'wishing for another hand' results in a brutal beating.
To be different in this society is an unforgivable crime and invokes instant damnation. Mutated crops are burned, mutated animals slaughtered. Babies must be certified before they are considered human. No certification equals no future. If your difference is discovered at a later stage then your Human certification is revoked and you are deprived of the ability to have children and abandoned into the badlands to eke out an existence. You become a human horror and awful warning.
However unbeknownst to his Family David has a secret . He is different.....he may look normal but he can communicate with his mind...and there are others like him. They must stay invisible to survive...is this even possible or their only choice?
This book explores many ideas, survival, the idea of difference, kindness, cruelty, human interaction.
The reading is about 7 hours long.
Robert Powell has a clear and enjoyable to listen, to voice.
I enjoyed this story as much today as when- long ago- I first read it. I still have my battered Penguin copy. John Wyndham explores human responses to situations, often catastrophic/ ones. He always draws clear pictures in my head.
His books never seem too long and never invoke in me a wish to skip or stop reading.
They are enjoyable, quite fast reads that leave me wanting more.....this audio readings was great.
A side benefit to the audio form being I can do chores whilst listening (and not be guiltily curled up in a corner with my nose in a book)
Now my only problem is....which book shall I choose next ? I'd like to listen to The Trouble with Lichen but so far I have found no sign of any unabridged recording .... if you hear of one I'd love to know!
The Mountain in the distance is Bold it's 7,522 feet high 
It was warm in the Sun..so the collie would have a good roll every so often.
The lake will fill over the Summer and all this side bank will be under water.
It was a beautiful Sunny day and we had a long walk over the lake and along the Lake side trail and being rather unfit [and cough cough needing to lose a few pounds] I am now ready to collapse in a big heap and do nothing.
They think the dog is crackers.
