Audible has released The John Wyndham Collection Vol 1, brought to life by an all-star cast including Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Pieces of a Woman), Stephen Fry (QI), Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami, The Comey Rule).

The John Wyndham Collection Vol 1 will include four of the science fiction writer’s most popular novels, each performed by a world-class narrator. The Day of The Triffids whisks listeners away to a dystopian world endangered by an aggressive form of plant life, and will be performed by Kingsley Ben-Adir. The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby will narrate Trouble with Lichen, which explores how society might react to the discovery of an antidote to the aging process. The Midwich Cuckoos, which will star beloved audiobook narrator Stephen Fry, is the terrifying tale of a small English village targeted by parasitic aliens. Finally, The Chrysalids follows several inhabitants of an isolated post-apocalyptic island who have to hide their telepathy from the draconian governing officials, and will feature Schitt’s Creek favourite Noah Reid.

Vanessa Kirby said of The John Wyndham Collection Vol 1: “John Wyndham is one of the UK’s best-loved science fiction authors, and it was an honour to bring one of his gripping novels to life. Science fiction has the power to engage with social issues in a unique and powerful way, and the themes tackled in Trouble with Lichen still feel fresh and relevant sixty years on from publication.”

Kingsley Ben-Adir added: “The Day of the Triffids is an iconic piece of science fiction, which has fascinated the public for decades. It was brilliant to reimagine the novel for Audible, and I hope this collection introduces the terror of the Triffids to a whole new audience!”

John Wyndham is one of the UK’s most well-known science fiction writers, with many of his novels being adapted for screen, including The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos, which has been filmed several times under the name Village of the Damned. Wyndham has been noted as an inspiration for prominent authors including David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) and Margaret Atwood, who has acknowledged The Chrysalid’s influence on her classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale.

 

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