Customer Reviews

Re-Birth

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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"Rebirth" is in fact the very same book as "The Chrysalids". Someone must have figured the new title would sell better. Either way, it's an excellent book. Reminds me A LOT of "A Night of Watching", the story of Denmark under the Nazis. That was true, this is fiction, but human nature - good and bad - doesn't change. Real villians, real heroes. I always hoped they would go back for the girls. Yes, we need a sequel!

Check out the rating and reviews under "The Chrysalids". Read it soon.

As another reviewer pointed out, this book was also published as "The Chrysalids," but I read it with this cover and title. The contents, I understand, are exactly the same.

In a post-apocalyptic world, nearly destroyed by nuclear war, the remaining humans are still trying to stamp out "abominations," whether that's corn that grows wrong or livestock born with too many legs. The guidance comes from religious texts, and David Strom (age 10 when we meet him) is the son of a very religious man. Except that David and his friends have a unique ability they must keep secret: telepathy.

This book was among the first I read when I discovered science fiction in the early 1980s, and I've read it a half dozen times since. It's a short book, easy to read and an *incredibly* crafted world to fall into. At one level it's light stuff, an easy weekend read when you want something that doesn't require your brain in action. But I've found that it has haunted me. Like the best books, there are scenes that I almost "remember," because they are so well written that I feel as though I experienced them.

Indirectly, this story also makes you consider topics like intolerance, dogmatism -- and the observation that everyone does what he thinks is right. But the ethical issues never get in the way of the story.

It's suitable for young adults (there's a love story but no sex, not even a kiss) so you could feel comfortable giving it to a preteen.

I've loved this book for years. I think you will, too.

When this book was published in the US, the publisher renamed it Rebirth. It's an excellent story about fear and intolerance (anyone who doesn't fit the norm is banished). I read this book in the late 60's, and it's still one of my favorites.
Since the writer, who's real name was John Benyon Harris is deceased, I doubt that there will be a sequel.

Hi all. Many of us regard Chrysalids as John Wyndham's greatest book, and as one of the classics of sci-fi, or more accurately, speculative fiction. It combines a driving narrative with wonderful, complex commentary on intolerance, fundamentalism of all kinds, and fear of evolution (among other things). I like Wyndham's other work, especially Midwich Cuckoos, but this book is so lighter of touch, so much more inventive, and so much more moving it's almost hard to believe the same man wrote it.

So what does this have to do with Re-Birth? In 1955, when Re-Birth/Chrysalids was released, it was released under the title Re-Birth in the U.S., then under the title Chrysalids in the U.K. a few months later (interesting, given Wyndham's greater popularity in the U.K.). The two versions have some very interesting differences: nothing hugely significant in terms of plot, but very intriguing for lovers of the book in terms of theme. Eventually the book seemed to come to be known as Chrysalids most everywhere, though editions known as Re-Birth, with the altered text, survive. This one on Amazon is one of those.

SO. . .

A. If you love Chrysalids, it's worth picking up a copy of Re-Birth to see the differences. It's particularly interesting to ponder WHY Wyndham made the changes he did for the two different audiences. (Or perhaps the changes were forced on him by editors?)

B. If you teach Chrysalids (as I do), be aware that the books are NOT identical.

C. It's a great book under any name, and you'll love it if you love thoughtful fiction--don't let the sci-fi label put you off, it's pretty far from standard sci-fi.

D. English Departments in Canadian secondary schools love to teach this book: just check out the sales rankings on Amazon's Canada site. Just a fun fact!

Thanks and good night :-).

oneverystreet