The Day of the Triffids
The Day of the Triffids is almost certainly John Wyndham's most famous novel. Its original publication in 1951 (serialised in the magazine Collier's Weekly) established Wyndham's reputation and it has since been filmed (Freddie Francis and Steve Sekely directed a 1962 adaptation starring Howard Keel) and adapted for television. The word triffid itself has entered the English language as shorthand for any rapacious, unwanted plant growth. It brought a new science-fiction genre, the cosy catastrophe, to a mainstream audience for the first time. As befits its' celebrated status, the novel demonstrates Wyndham's usual themes and techniques better than any other of his books.
