The Paranoid Fifties (The Day of the Triffids, I Am Legend, Time Out of Joint) (Paperback)

~ John Wyndham (Author), Richard Matheson (Author), Philip K. Dick (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is a trade paperback created for the Quality Paperback Book Club. It contains three classic science fiction novels: 1. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham; 2. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson; 3. Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick.

Product Details

• Paperback: 751 pages
• Publisher: Quality Paperback Book Club; 1st edition (1995)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000BUVLKM
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,636,539 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice collection of three fifties classics, December 9, 2005

By	Bookivore "Betty, The Bookivore" (Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews

This a Quality Paperback Book Club collection of three novels that stand well on their own.

First is The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham, the story of an unbelievable menace - plants from outer space. This story works best in print, where you can imagine the scope of the problem after vast numbers of people go blind and the seemingly harmless plants start creeping around.

Second is the horrific I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson, one of the most horrifying vampire stories ever written and according to the cover Stephen King called it 'an inspiration'. I believe it. There's something about the point of view of the last man alive in a world where everyone else has become a vampire - a man who understands all too well what has been happening because he has been doggedly figuring out the scientific details, but the social and emotional details are even more horrifying.

The third and final novel in this collection is Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick. Well before The Truman Show we have the story of a fifties town that has been built and maintained to provide an environment for one man. Victor Nielson has one special talent that he can continue to use even though he has retreated to a delusional state from his life in the late 20th century, and the government is doing everything it can to help him to do it.

One thing that has kept these stories strong is that they're not about specific gadgets, they're about thematic situations that we worry about even though the details change. What if something seemingly harmless comes along and starts destroying the world? What if everything changes and we're the only one left having to deal with and fight the change? What if we're busy doing something vitally important but we're not sure that it's the right thing to do?

Recommended.