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  • (Tears) The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    From James Nicoll@3:633/10 to All on Sun Jul 5 13:32:52 2026
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Dimensional Traveler@3:633/10 to All on Sun Jul 5 08:51:27 2026
    On 7/5/2026 6:32 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    For a relatively small country Britain seems to have a lot of insidious invasions.

    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Sun Jul 5 12:13:16 2026
    Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
    On 7/5/2026 6:32 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    For a relatively small country Britain seems to have a lot of insidious >invasions.

    Don't be putting down my Martian friends with the heat rays. They are good guys, just misunderstood. And those Triffid plants just want to be friends with your tomatoes.
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From James Nicoll@3:633/10 to All on Sun Jul 5 18:39:14 2026
    In article <112duhu$16gni$1@dont-email.me>,
    Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
    On 7/5/2026 6:32 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    For a relatively small country Britain seems to have a lot of insidious >invasions.

    Islands are logical place to start invasions. At least Britain's
    visitors are not radioactive like Japan's.
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From BobbieSellers@3:633/10 to All on Sun Jul 5 12:25:32 2026
    On 7/5/26 11:39, James Nicoll wrote:
    In article <112duhu$16gni$1@dont-email.me>,
    Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
    On 7/5/2026 6:32 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    For a relatively small country Britain seems to have a lot of insidious
    invasions.

    Islands are logical place to start invasions. At least Britain's
    visitors are not radioactive like Japan's.

    It is the reputation of the former British Empire that has
    attracted them.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Sun Jul 5 17:53:36 2026
    James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:
    In article <112duhu$16gni$1@dont-email.me>,
    Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
    On 7/5/2026 6:32 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    For a relatively small country Britain seems to have a lot of insidious >>invasions.

    Islands are logical place to start invasions. At least Britain's
    visitors are not radioactive like Japan's.

    A viewing of Quatermass And the Pit will show this is not always the case. --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sun Jul 5 23:39:10 2026
    On Sun, 5 Jul 2026 08:51:27 -0700, Dimensional Traveler wrote:

    For a relatively small country Britain seems to have a lot of
    insidious invasions.

    ?Airstrip One?.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Charles Packer@3:633/10 to All on Wed Jul 8 07:58:11 2026
    On Sun, 5 Jul 2026 13:32:52 -0000 (UTC), James Nicoll wrote:

    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    Along with "Childhood's End" by Clarke and "The First Men" by
    Howard Fast, do we have a cluster of stories written around the
    same time about efforts to raise a brood of exceptional
    children?

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From James Nicoll@3:633/10 to All on Wed Jul 8 13:23:59 2026
    In article <pan$333c5$88c968c4$2769a826$cf7706c0@cpacker.org>,
    Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
    On Sun, 5 Jul 2026 13:32:52 -0000 (UTC), James Nicoll wrote:

    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    Along with "Childhood's End" by Clarke and "The First Men" by
    Howard Fast, do we have a cluster of stories written around the
    same time about efforts to raise a brood of exceptional
    children?

    Oh, there's bunches and bunches of eerie/genius kid stories from
    the early Baby Boom.
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Wed Jul 8 10:14:19 2026
    Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
    On Sun, 5 Jul 2026 13:32:52 -0000 (UTC), James Nicoll wrote:

    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    Along with "Childhood's End" by Clarke and "The First Men" by
    Howard Fast, do we have a cluster of stories written around the
    same time about efforts to raise a brood of exceptional
    children?

    Childhood's End was 1953. The First Men was 1960.

    The Boys from Brazil didn't come out until 1976, and I think Village
    of the Damned doesn't really count...
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Don@3:633/10 to All on Wed Jul 8 16:23:45 2026
    James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    Excerpt:

    The Children, thirty boys and twenty-eight girls, have
    some minor anatomical peculiarities. Otherwise, they
    could be regular children. However, it becomes apparent
    they are mentally profoundly different from humans.

    This story shares some elements with Tamara White's short story
    CATHEDRAL where:

    Genetically engineered geniuses, designed to solve all of
    the world?s problems so the average people don?t have to
    bother with such concerns as curing cancer and preventing
    plagues.

    For the sake of efficient exploitation Proctors keep their young
    charges on a short leash. The geniuses glow with self-pride in the
    knowledge of their far superior intelligence. Yet, in the end, the
    Proctors' pride is greater.

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. veritas _|_ telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. liberabit |
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' vos |


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Tony Nance@3:633/10 to All on Wed Jul 8 14:42:52 2026
    On 7/5/26 11:51 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 7/5/2026 6:32 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    For a relatively small country Britain seems to have a lot of insidious invasions.


    Like Cabot Cove's murder rate, that is.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From BCFD 36@3:633/10 to All on Wed Jul 8 12:02:25 2026
    On 7/8/26 11:42, Tony Nance wrote:
    On 7/5/26 11:51 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 7/5/2026 6:32 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    For a relatively small country Britain seems to have a lot of
    insidious invasions.


    Like Cabot Cove's murder rate, that is.
    Or Midsomer County, which is on the island in discussion. Even bloodier
    than Cabot Cove.

    --
    ----------------

    Dave Scruggs
    Senior Software Engineer - Lockheed Martin, et. al (mostly Retired)
    Captain - Boulder Creek Fire (Retired)
    Board of Directors - Boulder Creek Fire Protection District (What was I thinking?)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Charles Packer@3:633/10 to All on Thu Jul 9 07:32:18 2026
    On Wed, 8 Jul 2026 13:23:59 -0000 (UTC), James Nicoll wrote:

    In article <pan$333c5$88c968c4$2769a826$cf7706c0@cpacker.org>, Charles
    Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
    On Sun, 5 Jul 2026 13:32:52 -0000 (UTC), James Nicoll wrote:

    The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

    A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

    Along with "Childhood's End" by Clarke and "The First Men" by Howard
    Fast, do we have a cluster of stories written around the same time about >>efforts to raise a brood of exceptional children?

    Oh, there's bunches and bunches of eerie/genius kid stories from the
    early Baby Boom.


    Yes, I had in mind the decade of the 50's. Is there a keyword for that
    in the ISFDB so I could get a complete inventory?


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)