Book excerpt: John Wyndham created some of the most intriguing and intelligent science fiction of the 20th century. Some of his works were set in post-apocalyptic landscapes. His best known works include The Day of the Triffids (1951), filmed in 1962, and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957), which was filmed in 1960 as Village of the Damned, in 1995 under the same title, and again in 2022 in Sky Max under its original title. But some readers consider that The Chrysalids was really his best. The ideas in The Chrysalids are echoed in The Handmaid's Tale, whose author, Margaret Atwood, has acknowledged Wyndham's work as an influence. Wyndham also wrote several short stories, ranging from hard science fiction to whimsical fantasy. The Day of the Triffids The Kraken Wakes The Chrysalids The Midwich Cuckoos The Outward Urge Trouble with Lichen Chocky