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the_prickly_reader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
linziflower's review
1.0
I think this is going to be my lowest rated book of the year to be honest, DNF’d at 86 pages....
The premise of this books seems so intriguing, a serial killer killing people that look like the main characters fiancée, and then she disappears but this never really takes off.
The writing is jarring and doesn’t really flow and then the sci-fi element came in and I was just so confused as that wasn’t what I was expecting at all.
To be honest when the author shelved it in 1951 I think that’s where it should have stayed not published 60 years on. I don’t get it.
The premise of this books seems so intriguing, a serial killer killing people that look like the main characters fiancée, and then she disappears but this never really takes off.
The writing is jarring and doesn’t really flow and then the sci-fi element came in and I was just so confused as that wasn’t what I was expecting at all.
To be honest when the author shelved it in 1951 I think that’s where it should have stayed not published 60 years on. I don’t get it.
innerweststreetlibrarian's review
3.0
Once again, JW has incorporated some interesting philosophical and ethical pondering into a nightmarish view of the future (albeit a future set in the 1970s). What would the world be like if it was run by the matriarchy, but that matriarchy is also based on a megalomaniac Aryan eugenicist fantasy?
What are the ethical implications of human cloning and mass reproduction? Will human society move to a model more akin to a termite colony? Will men become completely redundant?
This story reminded me a fair bit of the tv series Orphan Black, but with bonus Nazis and flying saucers. Because of course that’s where flying saucers come from!
Even though the themes are distasteful (particularly the kissing cousin incest storyline and the gross racist/fascist elements), I found this an interesting, well paced read. Not his best work, and I can see why it wasn’t published until quite recently.
What are the ethical implications of human cloning and mass reproduction? Will human society move to a model more akin to a termite colony? Will men become completely redundant?
This story reminded me a fair bit of the tv series Orphan Black, but with bonus Nazis and flying saucers. Because of course that’s where flying saucers come from!
Even though the themes are distasteful (particularly the kissing cousin incest storyline and the gross racist/fascist elements), I found this an interesting, well paced read. Not his best work, and I can see why it wasn’t published until quite recently.
beliboville's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pandemoniumpizza's review against another edition
3.0
I'm always excited to read John Wyndham's novels but this one took me such a long time to read. I started this book in March 2018 and got into the first few chapters but eventually, I felt like putting the book down for a bit because it just read like a typical noir and that's not really something I typically enjoy. Fast-forward to December 2018 and I finally pick the book back up. It took me to about 90 pages into this book before I started to actually get into the story. There were a few parts of this book that I found to be quite predictable but once I got past those parts I was quite enjoying reading through to see where the story would end. I always enjoy the endings to John Wyndham's books as they're quite thought-provoking, this one was no exception. I would say that this is not my favourite of John Wyndham's books but it is to be expected given that this one was rejected by publishers initially and was only published 40 years after John Wyndham's death.
helensbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Plan for Chaos starts off like an American hardboiled detective story, but it doesn't quite hit the mark. Speaking as an English person that has never been to America, the Americanisms don't feel right and the language is confusing. I had to read some paragraphs a few times before I could make sense of them.
When it moves from America it settles down into a decent story, with some interesting sci-fi inventions, a lot of them that are actually around today. Though the idea of clones is so common these days that it was hard for me not to want to shout at Johnny Farthing for not realising straight away.
From there it slows down into a lot of philosophising about war and the base instincts of the human race. While this is interesting, and a lot of it is scarily relevant today, it is quite slow. I also felt a bit like I was missing something because I don't know much about 1950's politics, and the book doesn't talk much about the world political atmosphere.
The ending is anticlimactic. There is more action towards the end, but Johnny always seems to be a bit out of it. He hears about things afterwards or watches other people doing things. It's frustrating to read and makes what could be an interesting story into a dull one.
John Wyndham's attitude towards women in this book is dated, yet progressive for its time. He shows over and again that women can be intelligent. Johnny Farthing spends most of the book not knowing what is going on, and with no idea of what he should do next. When he does attempt action, his efforts are misguided and cause more problems than they solve.
In contrast, Johnny's fiancee Freda seems very intelligent, she understands their situation and spends a lot of her time explaining things to Johnny that he just can't see. A lot of the other women in the book are also shown to be intelligent, and to be capable leaders.
This is nice to read, but at the same time, he also portrays women as all having the shared goal of settling down with a stable family and as many children as possible. This is one of the main themes in the book and is repeated all the way through. The men in the book have no interest in children or family at all. It's irritating, but it was written in the 1950's and it does better than most books from that time.
If you're new to John Wyndham I wouldn't recommend you start with this. It has a dodgy start and sketchy pacing and it's not one of his best. If you are already a fan it is worth reading as there are some interesting ideas in there that are still relevant today.
When it moves from America it settles down into a decent story, with some interesting sci-fi inventions, a lot of them that are actually around today. Though the idea of clones is so common these days that it was hard for me not to want to shout at Johnny Farthing for not realising straight away.
From there it slows down into a lot of philosophising about war and the base instincts of the human race. While this is interesting, and a lot of it is scarily relevant today, it is quite slow. I also felt a bit like I was missing something because I don't know much about 1950's politics, and the book doesn't talk much about the world political atmosphere.
The ending is anticlimactic. There is more action towards the end, but Johnny always seems to be a bit out of it. He hears about things afterwards or watches other people doing things. It's frustrating to read and makes what could be an interesting story into a dull one.
John Wyndham's attitude towards women in this book is dated, yet progressive for its time. He shows over and again that women can be intelligent. Johnny Farthing spends most of the book not knowing what is going on, and with no idea of what he should do next. When he does attempt action, his efforts are misguided and cause more problems than they solve.
In contrast, Johnny's fiancee Freda seems very intelligent, she understands their situation and spends a lot of her time explaining things to Johnny that he just can't see. A lot of the other women in the book are also shown to be intelligent, and to be capable leaders.
This is nice to read, but at the same time, he also portrays women as all having the shared goal of settling down with a stable family and as many children as possible. This is one of the main themes in the book and is repeated all the way through. The men in the book have no interest in children or family at all. It's irritating, but it was written in the 1950's and it does better than most books from that time.
If you're new to John Wyndham I wouldn't recommend you start with this. It has a dodgy start and sketchy pacing and it's not one of his best. If you are already a fan it is worth reading as there are some interesting ideas in there that are still relevant today.
rogerb's review against another edition
3.0
H had acquired this as part of the Wyndham project, and it came to the top of my pile.
It's classic apocalyptic Wyndham, but much inferior to all the others I have read or re-read. To his credit, he knew this as he chose not to publish it and it only emerged [very] posthumously in 2009. Very odd to learn that he was writing Triffids at the same time.
It's very post-war (late 40s), and that backdrop does not influence his others anywhere near as much - with the distance of 80 years it grates rather badly. The language and the characters are much less persuasive than in other books, and it's very laboured - the last 30pp were a real effort to get through, and the very end a trite disappointment.
But 3 stars since he was a good writer and it's not that bad! As I say, to hos credit that he let it on the shelf.
It's classic apocalyptic Wyndham, but much inferior to all the others I have read or re-read. To his credit, he knew this as he chose not to publish it and it only emerged [very] posthumously in 2009. Very odd to learn that he was writing Triffids at the same time.
It's very post-war (late 40s), and that backdrop does not influence his others anywhere near as much - with the distance of 80 years it grates rather badly. The language and the characters are much less persuasive than in other books, and it's very laboured - the last 30pp were a real effort to get through, and the very end a trite disappointment.
But 3 stars since he was a good writer and it's not that bad! As I say, to hos credit that he let it on the shelf.
stephybara's review against another edition
2.0
A sort-of mystery, a sort-of commentary on gender and eugenics, this had promise but didn't really go anywhere. I loved the premise but got bored about halfway through.
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