Review: Trouble With Lichen by John Wyndham

Why, oh why, did I never read this book before? It's been on shelves in the house forever, and it's always stuck me for mentioning lichen in the title, but somehow I'd never picked it up. Truthfully, the only reason I did this time is because it was the thinnest book on my "not library books that I should read" pile, and I wanted something light to tuck into my purse.

My inexplicable reticence aside, I loved this book. Right from the get-go: the main character as a young woman, not understanding the societal pressure to marry off and choosing instead to go into biochemistry - oh, and her parents wish her well despite not feeling they understand it, so no pointless angst there. It's speculative fiction about a discovery that grants extended life, and the social consequences, and it's brilliant. I'm sure I'm being pointlessly effusive here, since the rest of you probably read this, but I was very struck by it.

I enjoyed Wyndham's prose, as well. I appear to have skipped his work previously (including the more famous The Day of the Triffids, though I'm familiar with the plot), so I don't know if this is true all the time, but I got the feeling that he loved the way words and phrases sound - almost into neglecting whether the point came across, as long as the phrase sat well. It's got an older feel to it (legitimately, I presume - published 1960), and it's sits nicely with the sort of detachment that the main character has. Other than the language, being older really doesn't do it any harm - the concepts are viable in current times as well. I didn't particularly consider the age of the setting with a few exceptions (so many newspaper clippings, so little internet).

Since I know you've probably read them, did I miss out similarly by skipping his other novels? My basic knowledge of the plots says that Day of the Triffids is a lot more horror (maybe not something I'm always in the mood for) and The Chrysalids is also more action oriented. I don't think I'm familiar with any others.