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Night of the Big Heat
An excellent read - DH.
126 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
3 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
John Lymington
28 books9 followersJohn Lymington is a pseudonym for author John Newton Chance.
John Newton Chance was born in London in 1911 and educated at a private school there. He went to a Technical College with the intention of becoming a Civil Engineer, but left that to become a Quantity Surveyor. While surveying, he began to write for the BBC, and on his twenty-first birthday gave up all honest work to become a writer. The first novel was published in 1935, was hailed as a masterpiece and, like so many such, grossed more glory than gain. But it established the writer's career, which he has followed ever since with the exception of the four war years. When his war ended, he and his wife came to live in Hampshire where their first son was horn. Seventeen books later a second son arrived, and six books further on, the third came along. Among the books of the time there were a number for children, and the adult stories were published here, in America and on the Continent; some were filmed and a number broadcast.
source: his autobiography Yellow Belly
He would eventually write over 160 books under several names. Pseudonyms used by Chance throughout his career included:
John Drummond, John Lymington, David C. Newton, and Jonathan Chance. He was also one of the writers who used name the Desmond Reid which was one of the many personas responsible for the 'Sexton Blake' series that spanned decades.
John Newton Chance was born in London in 1911 and educated at a private school there. He went to a Technical College with the intention of becoming a Civil Engineer, but left that to become a Quantity Surveyor. While surveying, he began to write for the BBC, and on his twenty-first birthday gave up all honest work to become a writer. The first novel was published in 1935, was hailed as a masterpiece and, like so many such, grossed more glory than gain. But it established the writer's career, which he has followed ever since with the exception of the four war years. When his war ended, he and his wife came to live in Hampshire where their first son was horn. Seventeen books later a second son arrived, and six books further on, the third came along. Among the books of the time there were a number for children, and the adult stories were published here, in America and on the Continent; some were filmed and a number broadcast.
source: his autobiography Yellow Belly
He would eventually write over 160 books under several names. Pseudonyms used by Chance throughout his career included:
John Drummond, John Lymington, David C. Newton, and Jonathan Chance. He was also one of the writers who used name the Desmond Reid which was one of the many personas responsible for the 'Sexton Blake' series that spanned decades.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 20, 2020
Even though there's no movie tie-in cover, when I spotted this decaying pocketbook gem in a secondhand bookshop in Oklahoma City a few years back, I nabbed it assuming that it was the inspiration for the non-Hammer but Hammer alumni film of the same name directed by Terence Fisher and featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Indeed it was, or is, as the case may be. First published in '59, this is the 1969 US edition (the film was made in '67) so a totally uncoordinated effort was made to link book and film apparently.
I found this to be a tight little sci-fi thriller with very little to complain about. The plot, as in most good sci fi, is only an excuse to delve into the human concerns--here raw impulses versus normal, social behavior, and the traditional "how a group of people respond under life-threatening pressure" motif. So, yeah, one part The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Island of Dr Moreau, one part Night of the Living Dead, re-frame as an alien invasion, shake well, and serve over ice--ice being my metaphor for the very terse and effective writing style of Mr. Lymington (who seems to have invented this nom de plume to cash in on the success of fellow Brit John Wyndam).
I won't go into the events or characters as "that would be telling" (to quote the intro to my favorite British TV series) and boring anyway, but it all works pretty well here. One thing I did note, in terms of literary tradition, is that the novel breaks its through-narrative occasionally to add short chapters of the related adventures of side characters, and this reminded me of James Herbert's Brit horror thrillers I read as a teen back in the 1970s, The Rats and particularly The Fog. I had to wonder if Herbert didn't get this technique from this novel--and if the theme of The Fog wasn't also lifted from the dreaded heat and cloudy haze that acts as the backdrop and preface to alien invasion here (and which prompts the characters to "lose it" as it were and fall back on instincts they didn't know they had).
I gave the film a slight re-watch last night after finishing this and noted that they exaggerated a few things, and botched a couple of others--the novel seems written with low-budget film in mind since a) almost all of it happens in a pub (only one set needed!) and b) it's 90% dialogue (the script is ready, Mr. De Mille). Still, it's an ok little film too--but, as usual, the novel is better at getting that atmosphere of the creeping unknown. I also re-watched Fisher's Horror of Dracula recently, to compare with the recent Gaddis/Moffat Dracula on netflix and was shocked at how bad Fisher is with atmosphere. There, as here, he sets way too much of the action in sunny daylight!
I found this to be a tight little sci-fi thriller with very little to complain about. The plot, as in most good sci fi, is only an excuse to delve into the human concerns--here raw impulses versus normal, social behavior, and the traditional "how a group of people respond under life-threatening pressure" motif. So, yeah, one part The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Island of Dr Moreau, one part Night of the Living Dead, re-frame as an alien invasion, shake well, and serve over ice--ice being my metaphor for the very terse and effective writing style of Mr. Lymington (who seems to have invented this nom de plume to cash in on the success of fellow Brit John Wyndam).
I won't go into the events or characters as "that would be telling" (to quote the intro to my favorite British TV series) and boring anyway, but it all works pretty well here. One thing I did note, in terms of literary tradition, is that the novel breaks its through-narrative occasionally to add short chapters of the related adventures of side characters, and this reminded me of James Herbert's Brit horror thrillers I read as a teen back in the 1970s, The Rats and particularly The Fog. I had to wonder if Herbert didn't get this technique from this novel--and if the theme of The Fog wasn't also lifted from the dreaded heat and cloudy haze that acts as the backdrop and preface to alien invasion here (and which prompts the characters to "lose it" as it were and fall back on instincts they didn't know they had).
I gave the film a slight re-watch last night after finishing this and noted that they exaggerated a few things, and botched a couple of others--the novel seems written with low-budget film in mind since a) almost all of it happens in a pub (only one set needed!) and b) it's 90% dialogue (the script is ready, Mr. De Mille). Still, it's an ok little film too--but, as usual, the novel is better at getting that atmosphere of the creeping unknown. I also re-watched Fisher's Horror of Dracula recently, to compare with the recent Gaddis/Moffat Dracula on netflix and was shocked at how bad Fisher is with atmosphere. There, as here, he sets way too much of the action in sunny daylight!
April 13, 2014
"Everything looks normal," he said. "But the trouble is it doesn´t feel normal."
In einem kleinen Dorf auf einer englischen Insel angesiedelt betreibt der Schriftsteller Richard Cullum mit seiner Frau Frankie einen Pub. Bald stoßen eine junge attraktive Sekretärin, ein geheimnisvoller Gast und ein spekulationsfreudiger SF-Autor dazu und es kann losgehen.
Offenbar weltweit, besonders aber auf dieser Insel steigt die Temperatur immer weiter an, bald ist buchstäblich der Siedepunkt erreicht. Eine geschlossene Wolkendecke behindert Radio- und Funkwellen, man fühlt sich wie in einem Dampfkochtopf, und das Militär empfängt im weißen Rauschen nicht chiffrierbare Signale. Kein Wunder, dass die Eingeborenen unruhig und reizbar werden.
Unser kleines Grüppchen harrt im Wirtshaus aus und "erlebt" den Großteil des Geschehens indirekt durch Mutmassungen und Mauerschauberichte mit. Obwohl alles auf Vermutungen beruht, vielleicht auch gerade deshalb, wachsen Paranoia und Furcht stetig. Man ist überzeugt, dass außerirdische Insekteninvasoren mittels eines Radio-Transmitterstrahls, der für den Temperaturanstieg verantwortlich ist, auf die Erde gebeamt werden (Jahre vor Star Trek!), um hier auf der Insel ihre Überlebenschancen auszukundschaften.
Wenn die Überlebenden schließlich das Wirtshaus verlassen, um im nahegelegenen Militärstützpunkt Zuflucht zu suchen, erinnert die Fahrt mit dem Auto dorthin sehr an Hitchcocks DIE VÖGEL und die klaustrophobisch-paranoide Stimmung überträgt sich auf den Leser.
Einiges an NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT erinnert an Ballard und Wyndham, aber deren Klasse wird bei weitem nicht erreicht und große Literatur darf hier nicht erwartet werden. Aber gerade der sprunghafte Erzählstil und die sonderbar fragmentarischen Dialoge haben teilweise doch auch einen Reiz und passen zur Weltuntergangsstimmung.
NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT ist ein kammerspielartiges Endzeitszenario, dass nach einer Low-Budget-Verfilmung förmlich schreit, da die Invasoren nicht gezeigt werden bzw. nur als schemenhafte Figuren erscheinen, so dass der Produzent ganz ohne sfx auskommen könnte.
In einem kleinen Dorf auf einer englischen Insel angesiedelt betreibt der Schriftsteller Richard Cullum mit seiner Frau Frankie einen Pub. Bald stoßen eine junge attraktive Sekretärin, ein geheimnisvoller Gast und ein spekulationsfreudiger SF-Autor dazu und es kann losgehen.
Offenbar weltweit, besonders aber auf dieser Insel steigt die Temperatur immer weiter an, bald ist buchstäblich der Siedepunkt erreicht. Eine geschlossene Wolkendecke behindert Radio- und Funkwellen, man fühlt sich wie in einem Dampfkochtopf, und das Militär empfängt im weißen Rauschen nicht chiffrierbare Signale. Kein Wunder, dass die Eingeborenen unruhig und reizbar werden.
Unser kleines Grüppchen harrt im Wirtshaus aus und "erlebt" den Großteil des Geschehens indirekt durch Mutmassungen und Mauerschauberichte mit. Obwohl alles auf Vermutungen beruht, vielleicht auch gerade deshalb, wachsen Paranoia und Furcht stetig. Man ist überzeugt, dass außerirdische Insekteninvasoren mittels eines Radio-Transmitterstrahls, der für den Temperaturanstieg verantwortlich ist, auf die Erde gebeamt werden (Jahre vor Star Trek!), um hier auf der Insel ihre Überlebenschancen auszukundschaften.
Wenn die Überlebenden schließlich das Wirtshaus verlassen, um im nahegelegenen Militärstützpunkt Zuflucht zu suchen, erinnert die Fahrt mit dem Auto dorthin sehr an Hitchcocks DIE VÖGEL und die klaustrophobisch-paranoide Stimmung überträgt sich auf den Leser.
Einiges an NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT erinnert an Ballard und Wyndham, aber deren Klasse wird bei weitem nicht erreicht und große Literatur darf hier nicht erwartet werden. Aber gerade der sprunghafte Erzählstil und die sonderbar fragmentarischen Dialoge haben teilweise doch auch einen Reiz und passen zur Weltuntergangsstimmung.
NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT ist ein kammerspielartiges Endzeitszenario, dass nach einer Low-Budget-Verfilmung förmlich schreit, da die Invasoren nicht gezeigt werden bzw. nur als schemenhafte Figuren erscheinen, so dass der Produzent ganz ohne sfx auskommen könnte.
September 17, 2014
Apparently this was made into a movie... I can totally see it.(or perhaps it's a novellization?) Wikipedia says it was a book written with intent to make a TV show/movie, for what that's worth.
The main story is that it's really hot, and people are grumpy, confused, and not themselves. It turns out that the spiders and old drunk saw one night were not actually pink elephants, but the prelude to an alien invasion.
The aliens were using radio waves as transporters, and the heat was a by-product (perhaps intentional, no one ever is sure). The book focuses on the local pub owner (who is also a writer... probably the author himself in British form), his wife, his temporary secretary, and a couple locals that get dragged in.
Most of the book is spent describing how it's really hot... this could easily be a short story... it gets old fast. The sub plot of the secretary trying to steal the main character from his wife fizzles... as does just about everything. The story ends when the alien spider thingys (no clear consensous if they're intelligent, or bugs, or something in between) as burn up in a fireball when it gets too hot and a corn field or something goes up. The invasion, or test, or whatever it is (again, the character's don't know) ends and all goes back to normal.
It's really a horror story with the small sci-fi element of the scary monsters in dark corners being aliens, but they could have easily been demons, vampires, or whatever with little change. Pretty formulaic story, but it kept me turning the pages until the end.
The main story is that it's really hot, and people are grumpy, confused, and not themselves. It turns out that the spiders and old drunk saw one night were not actually pink elephants, but the prelude to an alien invasion.
The aliens were using radio waves as transporters, and the heat was a by-product (perhaps intentional, no one ever is sure). The book focuses on the local pub owner (who is also a writer... probably the author himself in British form), his wife, his temporary secretary, and a couple locals that get dragged in.
Most of the book is spent describing how it's really hot... this could easily be a short story... it gets old fast. The sub plot of the secretary trying to steal the main character from his wife fizzles... as does just about everything. The story ends when the alien spider thingys (no clear consensous if they're intelligent, or bugs, or something in between) as burn up in a fireball when it gets too hot and a corn field or something goes up. The invasion, or test, or whatever it is (again, the character's don't know) ends and all goes back to normal.
It's really a horror story with the small sci-fi element of the scary monsters in dark corners being aliens, but they could have easily been demons, vampires, or whatever with little change. Pretty formulaic story, but it kept me turning the pages until the end.
March 30, 2014
I've been wanting to read this book for about twenty-five years now, since the first time I saw Island of the Burning Doomed on the Sci-Fi Channel and it became one of my favorite British science fiction flicks. Unfortunately, this paperback was either unavailable or outrageously priced, until a week ago when I noticed one for 99-cents on Amazon.
John Lymington's story is very similar to the movie, and in many ways more logical (at least at the climax). His main characters aren't the usual cardboard cut-outs you often get in genre adventures. Patricia and the Callums are well written and have personality.
The movie had taken some definite liberties with the menaces, and they're much more frightening in the book, as their nature and even size is much different and again more logical. Their appearance on the island in the middle of the heat wave (in the summer, and not the winter as in the movie - another bit of illogic that the movie had) create a very confined feeling ... you can almost feel the stifling heat yourself.
I'd have to say this book was worth the wait to read.
John Lymington's story is very similar to the movie, and in many ways more logical (at least at the climax). His main characters aren't the usual cardboard cut-outs you often get in genre adventures. Patricia and the Callums are well written and have personality.
The movie had taken some definite liberties with the menaces, and they're much more frightening in the book, as their nature and even size is much different and again more logical. Their appearance on the island in the middle of the heat wave (in the summer, and not the winter as in the movie - another bit of illogic that the movie had) create a very confined feeling ... you can almost feel the stifling heat yourself.
I'd have to say this book was worth the wait to read.
June 16, 2017
After seeing the film with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, I wanted to read the book. It is a very fun read. The characterizations are fairly light, aside from the 3 lead characters, but engaging. The overall plotline is fairly standard 50s British sci fi fare. Alien creatures described as large spiders or crabs are sent to a British island via radio waves. It is surmised an intelligent race of aliens sent the enormous insects to prepare for an invasion. The spiders warm the mien temperature to a barely tolerable level for humans. The people living on the island struggle to discover what is going on and how to survive it. A short, entertaining read along the lines of John Wyndham's Day of the Triffids.
November 10, 2025
Excellently crafted story
Characters are relatable and developed well. Story has a steady pace with a well crafted atmosphere, the ending felt a little disappointing given how well everything else had been constructed. Enjoyable read none the less.
Characters are relatable and developed well. Story has a steady pace with a well crafted atmosphere, the ending felt a little disappointing given how well everything else had been constructed. Enjoyable read none the less.
January 21, 2018
Lethargic pace and too many characters to keep track of. The movie was better.
July 25, 2019
Mostly people bickering about the heat. An alien invasion that’s barely observed or described.
April 2, 2012
Another enjoyably tense, fast paced Lymington sci-fi horror book, this time about an alien invasion preceded by a broiling heat wave which is actually a travel beam directed at earth (specifically upon a tiny island community) and within the beam are flesh searing/eating alien spider creatures sent first by a higher intelligence to rid our planet of humans. Lymington creates such an uncomfortably sweaty atmosphere with this one, I actually had to open the windows a few times and gasp for some air. This story was also remade into the cool 1967 film "Island of the Burning Doomed" starring Cushing and Lee.
August 10, 2016
Well done thriller about aliens mucking with the weather on an isolated island outside of Great Britain. I remember seeing the film adaptation starring Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing as a young man and that is what prompted me to pick up this neat little paperback. An enjoyable science fiction story.
December 6, 2023
Vague
Not enough information about the Spiders. Kept expecting to get a good appearance of the spiders but not nothing. A lot about heat and hushing noises. No real appearance of the Spiders. Couldn't wait to finish book. Book cover picture deceiving. Very disappointed 😞
Not enough information about the Spiders. Kept expecting to get a good appearance of the spiders but not nothing. A lot about heat and hushing noises. No real appearance of the Spiders. Couldn't wait to finish book. Book cover picture deceiving. Very disappointed 😞
January 1, 2011
Book #22 for 2010. It only took me, what, four years to read this short little book? It's not the worst thing I've ever read, but yeah, it was a tough slog.
September 6, 2014
A really good science fiction story where you can not guess the ending.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews