on a mild-though-damp September evening, everything goes to sleep. Within a defined circle of countryside, with Midwich roughly at the centre, at 10:17 P.M. Strange events in the peaceful English village of Midwich! So, when it appears that the existence of the golden ones may threaten the existence of humankind-as-we-know-it, do all the normal rules of civilized behaviours apply? (Though Wyndham might not actually use the term I thought he did but I can’t find it on reexamination of the pertinent bits of text.)Īlmost inhumanly beautiful, they are, which encompasses the whole point of this morally wrought tale. The children – perhaps that should be in quotations? – with whom this science fiction – horror? – novel are concerned are definitely lutescent, what with their glossily sheened skin and their beautiful golden eyes. “Of a yellowish colour” is the nuts and bolts definition, but in practice it is generally used to describe an overall golden glow, a tint rather than a deeper dye. Isn’t that a great word? I hardly ever run into it in fiction reading, though it’s a relatively common descriptor in botany and entomology. The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham ~ 1957.
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