Audiobook Review: 'The Kraken Wakes' by John Wyndham, narr. by Alex Jennings

How beautifully dramatic and trashy is this cover? I adore it. Anyway, earlier this summer I listened to Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos, which is such a classic and had yet never come across my plate. I adored it, so naturally I was curious to read or listen to more of his books. Then The Kraken Wakes popped up on my Audible sale and here we are, once again adoring the way Wyndham thinks and writes. 

Original Pub. Date: 1953
Audible Pub. Date: 2/10/2011
Audible Publisher: CSA Words

Journalist Mike Watson and his wife, Phyllis, trace it back to the strange showering lights they noticed on the final day of their honeymoon cruise; lights which appeared to land and disappear into the water. Reports mount of similar sightings all over the world. Governments embark on missions to investigate the sea, but ships disappear and diving crews never return to the surface. Something deep in the ocean does not want to be disturbed.

The Kraken Wakes is a tale of humanity’s efforts to resist alien invasion, narrated by Mike who unfolds the story as experienced by the couple - from the earliest signs of trouble, to the conflict between the sea-dwelling creatures and the human world. John Wyndham’s classic science-fiction masterpiece is powerfully brought to life in this unabridged production. His other titles - The Midwich Cuckoos and The Day Of the Triffids - are also published as audiobooks by CSA Word.

Science Fiction from previous centuries is always such a treasure. As Ursula K. Le Guin once wrote, true Sci-Fi isn't predictive, in that it predicts where society will go, but rather descriptive, describing society as the author sees it in their own time, only transplanted elsewhere or with its appearance changed. Because of this, Sci-Fi, in my opinion, is consistently human, no matter when or where it is written. Its authors also often show a very deep awareness of their own cultures and societies, which makes them recognizable even now. I bring this up because so much of how the world, and specifically the UK, deals with the disaster at the heart of The Kraken Wakes reminded me of the ongoing disaster that is the approach to COVID-19. The in-fighting between countries, the way the government takes over broadcasting to get their message across, the way that message is confused, the way scientists get elevated and then sidelined, it all felt familiar. Is it tragic that nothing has changed, or is it rather a sign that as humans we simply are this way? 

Mike and Phyllis Watson are on their honeymoon when they see strange lights. Looking back later, they think this must have been when it all started. Strange lights crashing into the sea, however, turns out to be the least of their issues once ships begin disappearing in the middle of the ocean. When the probes sent after the ships down into the deeps also disappear, or worse, come back fried by electrical currents, it is clear something is deeply wrong in the deep sea. But how do you fight an enemy you have never seen? The Kraken Wakes is a story about survival but unlike some other disaster/survival stories, Wyndham is willing to go all the way. The descriptions of attacks, losses, and confrontations are really gripping and for once this disaster doesn't strike just the UK or just the USA. It truly is a global crisis and I appreciate The Kraken Wakes for its international scope. What I love

The Kraken Wakes for though is Phyllis. She is a delightful character, so delightful she made me wonder whether Wyndham had a wife who was also an utter delight. (In fact, less than 10 years before his death he married Grace Wilson he had known for over 20 years. I hope she was his Phyllis.) The way they work together, their banter and casual sniping, the way they deeply care for each other but remain whole individual characters, it all came together to make me really care for them and hope for their survival. 

As I said in my review for The Midwich Cuckoos, Wyndham truly should be read more widely than I think he is. In many ways he reminds me of H.G. Wells, another Sci-Fi writer from the 19th and 20th centuries, in that I'm consistently awed by their imaginations. Much of what they wrote now feels almost common-place in that it has become definitive, classic, much like Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein. Nonetheless, these books are so worth revisiting for their descriptive brilliance. In The Kraken Wakes I found so much truth about humans and humans in crisis that it was a revelatory reading experience, despite the zany cover. The Kraken Wakes is deeply concerned with the explanations behind what is happening, with scientists trying to find answers. Sometimes the "science" element of Sci-Fi can slow a book down but it works perfectly here where the reader finds themselves equally desperate for answers. It makes for a really gripping read! What also really set The Kraken Wakes apart for me was that it's not just great Sci-Fi, but also that so much of the book is about how you tell a Sci-Fi story. Literally the opening is Mike and Phyllis arguing about the best way to start and structure the book, what quotes to put at the beginnings, etc. Being journalists, they are often concerned about what they're saying and how they're saying it and I found that a really interesting aspect of the novel. Alex Jennings is a bit more of a subdued narrator than Stephen Fry was for The Midwich Cuckoos, but that is hardly surprising. He is a very capable narrator who definitely helps build the tension. He is also a little detached, though. 

I give this novel...

5 Universes!

While Day of the Triffids may be considered Wyndham's masterpiece I must say that The Kraken Wakes has worked its way to the top of my Wyndham-list right now. It has also pushed me down a Wyndham rabbit-hole, so perhaps this ranking will change. Regardless, The Kraken Wakes is a cracking (ha!) read, full of new surprises and fresh disasters, but with a strong pulse of humanity throughout.