The Chrysalids
- 200
- Pages
- about 3.5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Chrysalids” is a compact, thought-provoking classic about intolerance, set in a post-apocalyptic society that fears anything different. Wyndham follows children growing up with an ability their community would persecute as blasphemy, and his picture of religious zeal strikes some readers as uncomfortably current. Others are left uneasy by the final part.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Chrysalids is a science fiction novel by British writer John Wyndham, first published in 1955 by Michael Joseph. It is the least typical of Wyndham's major novels, but regarded by some as his best. An early manuscript version was entitled Time for a Change.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.6 across 207 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 58% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Classics average of 7.7. That is how 7.6 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.7 | 9 | 4% |
| Hardcover | 7.5 | 198 | 96% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Chrysalids?
It has 200 pages — shorter than 93% of the ranked books in Classics.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Classics — with scores between 7.6 and 7.7, closest to this book.
