The Science Fiction Novel - John Christopher

The forecasted snowfall last night turned out to be rain. The temperatures have risen from earlier in the week and we're now in for a few days of wind and rain. Welcome to winter in the Valley.

I spent the morning reading and dozing, managed to make some headway on a few books. It's been a lazy, sleepy sort of start to the day. The dogs weren't thrilled about going for a noon time walk, but the rain had died down enough so it wasn't too bad. We've got figure skating on the tube today, the Canadian championships. At the moment Jo is watching reruns of one of her favorite shows, The Closer.

Anyway with that preamble, now to get on with my daily look at the Science Fiction novel. 

The Science Fiction Novel - John Christopher

Sam Youd (AKA John Christopher)

Born Sam Youd in 1922 in Lancashire, Youd wrote under many pseudonyms, one of the being John Christopher. He died in Bath, Somerset in 2012. He used Christopher for his Sci-Fi novels and collections. He also wrote under Christopher Youd, Samuel Youd, William Godfrey, and others. 

He was best known for his Sci-Fi for which he was awarded the Guardian Prize in 1971. He wrote Sci-Fi short stories from 1951and his first novel under the name Christopher was The Year of the Comet in 1955. His second novel, The Death of Grass (1956) was his first major success as an author. In 1966, he began writing Sci-Fi for juniors with his Tripods trilogy. From 1954, as John Christopher, he wrote 20+ novels and collections.

I've read two of Christopher's books so far and have one more on my book shelf. I'll highlight those below.

a. The Lotus Caves (1969).











"I imagine The Lotus Caves by John Christopher would be classified as Young Adult now, but either way it's an interesting little Sci-Fi story. It features Marty and Steve, two teenagers who have grown up on the Moon in the Earth settlement there. Marty's best friend has been recently sent back to Earth for school, so Marty begins to hang out with Steve, an orphan.

They get in trouble for a prank they perform in the Bubble, where the colony resides and then decide to take a Crawler out to explore one of the early settlements. This leads them to explore further and they crash their vehicle and find themselves in contact with an alien mind in an underground cave system.

Is the mind benign or threatening? What will happen to Marty and Steve? That you have to find out. All in all it was a readable, interesting Science fiction novel, nothing outstanding but an easy, entertaining read. I enjoyed. (3 stars)."

b. The Death of Grass (1956).

"The Death Of Grass by John Christopher was written in 1956 and in some ways reminds me of John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids and The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

It's a grim, tense dystopic story. A virus, the Chung Li virus, has affected the grasses (read rice, grass, etc) of China and other Asian countries. The story is told from Britain, where the main group that we will follow, track the disaster that is occurring from the comfort of their lives. 100's of millions are dying in China, there are riots, panic. John and David Custance and John's friend Roger Buckley follow the news and try to prepare for the future. Roger is a government spin doctor so has inside information and tries to guide John. David lives in a valley in northern England and wonders what to do with his grain crops.

Of course, efforts to contain the virus fail and threaten the whole world. This begins a journey by John and Roger and their families to get to David's sanctuary. For the shortness of the story, there is a lot of impact and Christopher packs a lot of punch into the story. The characters are transformed by the events and once again Christopher tries, and I think successfully, to show their attitudes and how they are forced to adjust them to the new situation.

Everything happens in a very short time frame once the disaster strikes but don't let that fool you. The story is tense, at times scary and will leave you somewhat uncomfortable. Very powerful and worth reading. (4.5 stars)"

c. The Caves of Night (1958).











"Five people enter the Frohnberg caves, three men and two women. In the glare of the Austrian sunshine, the cool underground depths seem an attractive proposition – until the collapse of a cave wall blocks their return to the outside world. Faced with an unexplored warren of tunnels and caves, rivers and lakes, twisting and ramifying under the mountain range, they can only hope that there is an exit to be found on the other side.

For Cynthia, the journey through the dark labyrinths mirrors her own sense of guilt and confusion about the secret affair she has recently embarked upon. And whilst it is in some ways a comfort to share this possibly lethal ordeal with her lover Albrecht, only her husband Henry has the knowledge and experience that may lead them all back to safety.

But can even Henry’s sang froid and expertise be enough, with the moment fast approaching when their food supplies will run out, and the batteries of their torches fail, leaving them to stumble blindly through the dark?But can even Henry’s sang froid and expertise be enough, with the moment fast approaching when their food supplies will run out, and the batteries of their torches fail, leaving them to stumble blindly through the dark?"

The complete list of John Christopher's stories is available at this link.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. See you tomorrow.