The Outward Urge

by John Wyndham, Lucas Parkes

A hard science fiction masterpiece, perfect for fans of Kim Stanley Robinson, by one of the twentieth century’s most brilliant—and neglected—writers, whom Stephen King called “the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced.”What does the future hold for a species torn between exploration—the outward urge—and apparent self-destruction? First published in 1959, The Outward Urge follows members of the Troon family as humanity extends its reach into space. The first vignette follows a Troon to a British space station in 1994; the next to the Moon bases as Earth experiences nuclear war; then to Mars and Venus landings, when Brazil is the only world power; and finally to the asteroids.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook, Anthologies

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was the son of a barrister. After trying a number of careers, including farming, law, commercial art and advertising, he started writing short stories in 1925. After serving in the civil Service and the Army during the war, he went back to writing. Adopting the name John Wyndham, he started writing a form of science fiction that he called 'logical fantasy'. As well as The Day of the Triffids, he wrote The Kraken Wakes, The Chrysalids, The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as Village of the Damned) and The Seeds of Time.

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

🚀
John Wyndham's take on space exploration, the perils and misfortunes that fall upon generations of men, was exciting and thought provoking. I've mentioned before that I love his ideas, but its the point I keep coming back to with what I have read so far. He thinks up these scenarios that impress me a great deal, and then does incredible things with them.

All three narrators were very good as well.

[Troy Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

It's a collection of loosely connected short stories, and the large time jumps, whilst helpful for worldbuilding, don't really make up a continual thread and so don't build tension but rather an anticipation of the next story. In this sense, the novel is quite successful. The characters are reasonably well fleshed out and aren't merely carbon copies of each other.

Wyndham's semi-pessimistic style was a notable contrast to the optimistic works of Asimov and Clarke, carrying with it a grittiness that we might associate with Battlestar Galactica, just with less teenage-angst ridden adults. The Troons are not the infallible heroes of many space family sagas, rather they are any other family with a military tradition - not everyone is a spaceship captain, they despair, triumph, screw up and die just like anyone else. In that, they are very much the average Wyndham hero.

As with his other works, Wyndham was quite pessimistic in terms of mankind's ability to conquer space, portraying it as an extremely risky and slow business (which it is). The first mission to Mars is privately funded, for example. Very much a Cold War novel, all-out nuclear war completely shakes up the balance of power.

Wyndham's other works were far ahead of their time in some areas, even touching on domestic abuse, misogyny, colonialism and racism. The Outward Urge doesn't really deal with any of that, and social commentary is very much in the background.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ad Hoc SF Read

For my birthday, I decided to treat myself to a book by one of my favourite authors, that I had not read for many years. John Wyndham or as it was when I first read the book almost 50 years ago, John Beynon Harris (he had multiple pseudonyms) is an English author well known for his books on the struggle of man to survive against either the forces of nature or some alien life force. Best known for The Day of the Triffids or The Kraken Wakes or even what became the well known 50s film The Village of the Damned, The Midwich Cuckoos, he unfortunately died at the relatively young age of just 65, with many ideas still to write.

This is probably one of his lesser known works and focuses on many generations of one family who inherit the urge to explore space for the betterment of mankind. It is in fact a number of stories really only linked by the historic surname, but an enjoyable novel, none the less.

More Wyndham required to bring me back to my normal reading self !

[Wendle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has five stories set across 200 years, linked by the development and exploration of space, as well as by the Troon family. It is common for Troons to have the ‘outward urge’–that is, to explore space, to go further, to know what else there is out there. And so the Troons are at the forefront of every spaceward progression these stories explore. The first British space station, the first landing on the moon, the first Mars landing, the first Venus landing… I love that Wyndham uses a family to connect the stories. They are more intrinsically linked this way, yet still independent, with so much time passing between them.

The first story had me sobbing by the end of it, despite the fact it was pretty clear what was going to come. For the first story to hit me like that left me already so invested in the rest. I love that while we meet the first Troon, heading to help build the space station, he is a young man, but when we meet his moon station commander son in the second story, he is 50 years old. It’s so clearly not the same story or character development in each chapter; they each have their own heart and meaning. I loved them all, but the first and the last were stand out for me. The Mars landing was a very close third. Just… they’re all brilliant!

A longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel at Words.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘The Day of the Triffids’, ‘the Kraken Wakes’, ‘The Chrysalids’ and ‘The Midwich Cuckoos’ are all brilliant classic Sci-Fi novels. I love these books and consequently John Wyndham is one of my favourite authors of that genre.

Those four novels were stories of the fantastic, killer plants, sea monsters, eugenics and alien invasion. In ‘The Outward Urge’ John Wyndham changed direction slightly, it is more of a straight forward Sci-Fi story, hard Sci-Fi. Because of this his publishers suggested he publish the book as co written with Lucas Parkes to distance it from those books. The joke was Lucas Parkes was John Wyndham, it was an early pen name he had used.

The novel is a history of the future, it covers the years 1994 to 2194. It was originally made up of four short stories, a fifth story was added in later publications, each set 50 years apart. The stories are connected by the Troon family, who’s members have an important part in these stories. Each of these Troons have the urge to travel in space.

The exploration of space is on the surface the main theme of these stories, however and an underlying theme is nuclear war and the threat of the Russians. This of course was the underlying theme of Sci -Fi in general during its golden age, but it was always oblique, Russian threat and invasion being substituted with Aliens and the paranoia it caused. In ‘The Outward Urge’ Wyndham tackles the subject head on.

After the success of his first four novels it is a drop in standards. It just isn’t as inventive or interesting as the other books. Due to its nature the book is fragmented so consequently doesn’t flow. The ideas, even taking into account when it was written, are a little naive and the characters, who are all male, a bit wooden. His vision of the future suggests nothing will change over the years and the conflict between the west and the USSR will continue and escalate into space. This conflict in space is an important part in the novel. His version of the future sees the northern hemisphere devastated by nuclear war allowing Brazil and Australia to become superpowers. However he overlooks the effects of nuclear fallout drifting around the planet. Also some of the ideas don’t seem feasible either, building a space station without other countries knowing about it for example. The silliest part of the book is the fourth story ‘2144 Venus’, in this story there is a rather convoluted passage charting the history of the Troon family since the Mars expedition in part three, followed by a story of rebellion and twisted plots culminating in a bizarre space battle. This is comic book stuff really. And finally chapter 5, the part added on a couple of years after the books initial publication, is probably the most bizarre story of the lot. I have to admit though, I did like that story. It is however a far cry from the the quality of Wyndham’s first four books.

‘The Outward Urge’ seems rather dated now, but you could say that about a lot of the Sci-Fi written during the golden period. However it doesn’t fair any better when you compare it to some of those great works. The main problem is though Wyndham had set the standard with his first four books, they were difficult acts to follow. Having said all that The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction selected it as one of the 10 best genre novels of 1959! A list that included Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘The Sirens of Titan’ and Robert A. Heinlein’s ‘Starship Soldier’. And in conclusion if you read it for what it is, and are a fan of the Sc-Fi on the golden period, then it is worth a read for entertainment value. But if you’ve read the first four Wyndham books, lower your expectations before you read this one.

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of five hard SF stories, connected through the Troon family. Unlike most Wyndham, the antagonist in these stories is man, from other nation states.

It is an interesting world he builds here. The "outward urge" to explore shackled by fellow man. I liked this foray into hard science.

The stories themselves are otherwise disconnected, and the fifth an afterthought, added to late editions. In goodreads parlance, the collection was just okay. Looking forward to better John Wyndham in the future.

[Layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never made a secret of my love of John Wyndham. He lured me into the world of science fiction, a genre I had previously avoided with unjustified prejudice. I always love his narrative voice and measured tone, his imagination, his characters, and his compelling future-based stories. I particularly loved The Chrysalids and the Midwich Cuckoos, but to be honest I’ve enjoyed all of them. So when I tracked down the out-of-print The Outward Urge, I leapt upon it.

To be honest, after all that excitement, I was a bit disappointed. It’s perhaps unfair to review a book I anticipated being so excellent – I feel cheated because it is only good, and hold it against The Outward Urge that it is not another Chrysalids. However, in its own right it is an interesting book. Before the first moon landing, John Wyndham was imagining not just that landing, but landings on Mars, Venus, and the Asteroid Belt. He was imagining the sociopolitical implications, the geopolitical implications, and the personal pull towards the stars – and its consequences. His ideas are ahead of their time, but it’s possible to imagine a world in which they are disturbingly, fascinatingly prophetic. There are a lot of ideas in this little book. What, in my feeling it lacks, is plot and characters. Which is a pretty damning assessment – but I’m making it sound worse than it is.

Of course there are characters – the various members of the Troon family. This book is, ostensibly, their history. But somehow, I didn’t bond with any of them. They felt a bit devoid of personality, a bit interchangeable, a bit lacking in real lives outside their space exploits, save for mentions of their children who will grow up to star in the next chapter. I wondered if it’s because each character only briefly featured in the book but no – my wife gave me Wyndham’s The Seeds of Time for Christmas. In these short stories, the characters were often quite vivid. When the punchline comes at the end of this book, I didn’t even really remember the relevant characters sufficiently to feel excited or intrigued by it.

Similarly the plot – these are five little vignettes, and were apparently published separately, with the final one added as an afterthought to pull it all together. This is quite apparent in the reading of the book. There are frustratingly insufficient links between the vignettes and the last one is therefore rendered a bit confusing – too little too late, an add on rather than a clearly planned twist. There isn’t much of a plot – it’s more a dispassionate recounting of a futuristic history. Which is not what I’d expect of this author.

That said, I love John Wyndham’s writing and imagination. I enjoyed the book. It was very interesting. It was nicely written. I just can’t forgive it for not being The Chrysalids…

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few different stories about mankind pushing further and further out into the cosmos, the common thread being that they're all descendants of the same guy who did a heroic thing on the moon once.

The stories are roughly 40 pages each and TBH I felt like they could've been half that. It takes twenty pages of waffle establishing what's happened on Earth since the last story (there's a few decades between each) and while some people may find the idea of Brazil becoming a superpower interesting, it really doesn't have anything to do with the story at hand.

The book was published in 1959 so some of the things they get wrong are quite funny, like the three main countries involved in the space race are Russia, the US and... Great Britain. There's a certain misplaced charm to that. And the fact that they take cigarettes and booze on the space expeditions. When one guy gets knocked out on Mars, someone else says: "Get the brandy!" LOL

There are some good ideas in here, but I'm afraid they're a bit lost in all the waffle. Not up to Wyndham's usual standard.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Outward Urge is a Science Fiction novel published as being co-written by John Wyndham & Lucas Parkes, but they were different pen-names for the same writer. It is a collection of four linked short stories about different members of the Troon family and their different parts in mankind's exploration of space. It seems that in later editions of this book a fifth chapter was included but my copy is an original 1959 edition and does not have the fifth story. These stories are dated in our time but they were very visionary when this book was first written. In all, it was a quick and enjoyable read. I personally enjoy reading older science fiction from time to time because it is the roots of modern science fiction.

[Chris Moorhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this a generous rating so as to recommend it to other people who have read John Wyndham novels and wonder if it's worth a try. The caveat would be not to be too critical of the science that doesn't make sense outside of 1959. Saying that, it's only necessary to turn a blind eye in a couple of places, so it's not overly obtrusive. For reference, Sputnik was only launched two years before the publication of this book.

Overall, the story is gripping and the theme of following a family over generations for around 250 years is an interesting one. Like with many JW novels, he has thought a lot about the pragmatics of societal shift and politics while including some adventure and drama. At the very least, it gets you thinking about where it might be wrong as well as where it might be right. Would recommend!

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mix of stories about family and exploration.

[Gerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Outward Urge" is made up from five connected short stories detailing the conquest of space, spanning from a then futuristic 1994 up to 2194.
Hard SF in the vein of early Clarke or Asimov, naturally feeling dated by today's standards (Moon stations that still use punch cards for their computers and Venus vegetation, for example).

Enjoyed the first three stories a lot, but the last two fall a bit flat feeling too rushed, with lengthy story intros that stand in stark contrast to the following quick ride towards the punchline.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

For as long as man has existed, there have been those with an inner need to explore. Almost a genetic predisposition, some men are driven to see what is Out There, whether it's across the sea, or to the stars. This is the story of four generations of one family, the Troon family.

In 1994, George Montgomery "Ticker" Troon is part of the group secretly building the world's first space station. One day, a missile shows up, probably from the Soviets, that could easily destroy the station and kill a lot of people. Troon, who was outside at the time, manages to corral the missile, as in the film "Dr. Strangelove." He keeps the missile away from the station, but for him, things don't work out so well.

On the Moon, fifty years later, Michael, his son, runs the British missile station. The Northern Hemisphere, on Earth, is having an all-out nuclear war; the American and Russian Moon stations have been destroyed. The British station has fired only a few of its missiles, and the personnel are very concerned as to why more missiles haven't been launched.

Brazil was the largest country to emerge unscathed from the war, so they sign agreements with the other Latin American countries and create the United States of Brazil. The first manned mission to Mars, with Geoffrey Troon as part of the crew, does not go well. The ship tips over soon after landing, killing one of the three-man crew. The other suffers a serious head injury, and is convinced that Geoffrey is a Martian, ready to do him great bodily harm. He tries to launch the crippled ship, while Geoffrey is outside, but does not get very far. In 2144, Australia launches a secret mission to land on Venus. Brazil, which considers all of space to be one of its provinces, is not happy, and launches a military mission to arrest everyone involved and bring them back to Earth. Troon cousins are on both sides of the conflict.

This is an excellent book. It's an interesting and well done story that will easily keep the reader's interest.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not indicative of the wider Wyndham canon but probably the most ambitious in scope of all his books. It's the story of 200 years in the lives of a spacefaring family at the awkward birth of a future history spanning the inner solar system.

While I'm not a fan of stories that feature families that are just so damned amazing that they dominate a society for generations, this is an interesting tale that posits that some members of this family were present at key junctures in history that are conveniently 50 years apart. That is an outrageous simplification because it really doesn't read as simply as that sentence might have you think. But it's not far off and it does come close to flirting with dangerously ridiculous coincidence at times, although only one really beggars belief (it happens in the final story, if you must know).

What's gratifying about it is the thrust of the future history that Mr Wyndham gives us: it spans the world, encompassing war, peace and colonialism but, tellingly, by the end of this slim volume has really only touched briefly on other planets, indicating that the race for space might be more complex than other authors may have led you to believe.

The annoying thing is that, although there is ample scope for storytelling in the range the author has given himself, we really are given a fairly bland collection of characters: it's quite hard to tell one generation of the family from another (although the story set on Mars is fantastic!) and there are quite a lot of pages devoted to the mechanics of space flight which are actually quite interesting to read but would be more effective if I hadn't spent my formative years on similar tales from Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov.

Despite its impressive ambition this is a book that has "minor work" written all over it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would only recommend to die-hard Wyndham fans, and/or die-hard sci-fi fans.

On the positives, Wyndham follows an interesting theme, that being one family lineage has a seemingly natural propensity--or 'urge'-- to venture to the beyond. This makes for an interesting framework, and it seems plausible, if not curious, that these endeavours should be helmed by members of a distinct line. Just as many actual people in the world possess names that were originally given by nature of a person's craft, 'The Outward Urge' applies that idea in a new setting.

Beyond the ideas of legacy, where the novel tends to become somewhat inert and turgid is during sequences that deal with political motivations, strategy, and/or protocol. Authentic as these details may be considering the circumstances, as a sci-fi read they eventually render excessive and overlong. I feel that as much as 20% of this book could have been excised without affecting any of its merits, particularly during Chapter 2 (The Moon Base) and Chapter 4 (Venus). I say this because if this were the case, a slimmer read would be much easier to recommend, because the best sections of the book are interesting enough.

For the time it came out, it probably read better, but it hasn't stood the test of time as well as other mid 20th century sci-fi novels.

I suppose that I come away from this book mostly wondering about the future political position space will be assigned, if at all. And whether or not Earth politics should exist beyond. These are questions that do not have an answer. It may take as long as the timeline in the book before we have these answers. And by the year 2194, if we're so lucky as to be around, perhaps 'The Outward Urge' may even be regarded as a prescient work--a novel that (apart from what we know of Venus) was far ahead of its time that even I cannot appreciate as much.

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars really, so I will round up...

Interesting hard sf written before the moon landing. Some of the stuff is pretty prescient, some not so much.
This is: Four stories of the Troon family going to outer space. Is an ok book. Will never reread, but I will keep it with my other Wyndham books since I like the guy.

[Ian Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's grand, cosmic ambition here in Wyndham's attempt at a minor epoch, but the story isn't that interesting overall, despite being well-written - not painful enough to warrant a one-star review, but mediocre.

[Hayley Dunning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully constructed, both intimate and overreaching.

[Rita Monticelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scroll down for the English version.


Un interessante presente e futuro alternativo

Nel 1959, quando questo libro venne pubblicato per la prima volta, non eravamo ancora andati sulla Luna (ci saremmo andati ben dieci anni dopo) e la conquista dello spazio era vista come una normale estensione della cosiddetta guerra fredda. Questo scenario tutt’altro che ottimistico fa da sfondo alla storia di una famiglia di astronauti che si dipana per duecento anni.
Il pessimismo di Wyndham, che avevo già visto nel suo romanzo post-apocalittico “Il giorno dei trifidi”, contrasta con l’ottimismo di molti altri autori della fantascienza ormai definita classica che immaginavano gli essere umani viaggiare nello spazio a distanza di pochi decenni e che, se fossero ancora vivi, sarebbero delusi di sapere che non siamo ancora neppure arrivati di persona su Marte.
Al contrario, in “Uomini e stelle” la conquista dello spazio procede lentamente, molto più che nella realtà, ed è legata a doppio filo a eventi di natura bellica. Con salti di cinquant’anni, l’autore ci racconta quattro avventure spaziali di uomini appartenenti alla famiglia Troon (inglesi, come l’autore), cui si aggiunge quella in aviazione del nonno del primo di questi astronauti. Attraverso le loro storie ci viene illustrato un futuro grigio che per noi è, fortunatamente, alternativo, in cui l’astronautica è lo strumento di una guerra distruttiva che porta a stravolgere gli equilibri politici del nostro pianeta. Ogni storia reca con sé un atmosfera cupa e si risolve in un finale deprimente, fatta eccezione per l’ultima, che termina con una nota positiva.
L’esercizio speculativo di Wyndham sembra quasi un monito agli uomini del suo tempo. È come se l’autore avesse sublimato i suoi peggiori timori all’interno di questo romanzo nel tentativo di trovare, alla fine del tunnel, una luce di speranza. Per riuscire ad apprezzarlo oggi, soprattutto alla luce delle attuali conoscenze scientifiche che evidenziano l’ingenuità della scienza narrata nel romanzo, bisogna provare a mettersi nei panni dell’autore, che a poco più di un decennio dall’inizio della guerra fredda teme per il futuro del mondo e prova a immaginare cosa succederebbe, se i suoi peggiori timori si realizzassero.
Leggere questo romanzo in un certo senso mi ha fatto sentire bene, poiché i presupposti su cui si basa non esistono più e il suo sviluppo drammatico al giorno d’oggi sembra addirittura assurdo, ma allo stesso tempo mi ha indotto a riflettere su come la percezione del mondo e del futuro possa cambiare drasticamente col passare dei decenni.


An interesting alternative present and future

In 1959, when this book was published for the first time, we had yet to go to the Moon (it would happen ten years later) and the conquest of space was seen as a normal extension of the so-called Cold War. This far from optimistic scenario is the background to the story of a family of astronauts unravelling for two hundred years.
Wyndham’s pessimism, which I had already seen in his post-apocalyptic novel “The Day of the Triffids”, contrasts with the optimism of many other authors of the now-defined classical science fiction who imagined human beings travelling in space a few decades later; if they were still alive, they would be disappointed to learn that we are still struggling to go to Mars.
On the contrary, in “The Outward Urge” the conquest of space proceeds slowly, much more than in reality, and is closely linked to events of a warlike nature. With leaps of fifty years, the author tells us about four space adventures of men belonging to the Troon family (English, as the author), plus the one of an aviator during the WWII, who was the grandfather of the first of these astronauts. Through their stories we are shown a grey future that for us is, fortunately, an alternative one, in which astronautics is the tool of a destructive war that leads to upsetting the political balance of our planet. Every story brings with it a gloomy atmosphere and is resolved in a depressing ending, except for the last one, which ends with a positive note.
The speculative exercise of Wyndham seems almost a warning to the men of his time. It is as if the author had sublimated his worst fears within this novel in an attempt to find, at the end of the tunnel, a light of hope. To be able to appreciate it today, especially in the light of current scientific knowledge that highlights the ingenuity of the science narrated in this novel, we must try to put ourselves in the shoes of the author, who a little more than a decade after the beginning of the Cold War fears for the future of the world and try to imagine what would happen if its worst fears became true.
Reading this novel in a sense made me feel good, because the assumptions on which it is based no longer exist and its dramatic development nowadays seems absurd, but at the same time it has led me to reflect on how the perception of the world and the future can change dramatically over the decades.

[Bert Bruins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fun thing about reading older sci-fi is that you are reading history about the future, which makes for some odd observations. So in a 1950s Arthur C Clarke story we see astronauts using tube-post (you know, the aged system that department stores and banks used to move messages across buidlings) on board of an interstellar craft. In this collection of stories about "conquering" our solar system, cigarettes are happily lit on space stations and on the moon (by the moon-station's doctor...).

John Wyndham used to write for 1930 US sci-fi magazines, and in this 1959 outing he harks back to this glorious period (again, history and future inter-mixing). Sci-fi here, for me, becomes nostalgia, the time when old fashioned male heroes were imagined to go upwards rather than "go west". Star Trek is only just around the corner....

Wyndham's great imagination is at display here, if on a conservative subject. This being 1959, instead of just having 2 space super powers (the USA and the USSR), here Britain gets a look in and a dynasty of space obsessed males (the Troons) take centre stage as they progress from earth satellites to the asteroid belt. The only women in the story are left-behind widows and the already mentioned smoking doctor on the moon.

So the book is of its time, as is to be expected. If Margaret Atwood cannot get beyond her laudable feminist and green understandings of the world in 2020, why should we expect something different from a 1950s sci-fi author? Wyndham speculates about a northern hemisphere being destroyed by a (long-postponed) nuclear war, and the southern hemisphere left more or less intact, with Brazil and Australia becoming dominant powers in the future. There is talk of 2 "African risings" and a mention of exploring nuclear devastated Italy after a 100 years or so to see if anything can be salvaged from the nuclear devastation. The story lines are gripping and give plenty of room for thought. These days it is just rare to come across such one-dimensional positive male leads in a novel such as the Troon family are here. Times change, and so does sci-fi.

[Darryl Sloan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of five stories set over a couple of centuries, charting the space race. The book was written before spaceflight, and relies on making speculative predictions about believable technology. So there are no warp drives, no teleports, no aliens, etc. Given the time of publishing, Cold War tensions feature heavily, and human territoriality is to the fore.

Interestingly, in Wyndham's vision, World War III happens, and we get to observe it from a surviving moon station. Brazil ends up becoming the dominant world power, because the northern hemisphere is destroyed with radiation. Brazil then claims all of space as its territory. Sadly, all too believable an attitude; I'm reminded of Donald Trump talking about American dominance in space. In Wyndham's story, conflict arises when Australians make it to Venus before the Brazilians.

For the most part, Wyndham succeeds in blending human drama into this multi-century mini-saga. Drama centres around successive generations of the Troon family, beginning with Ticker Troon who, in the first story, is involved with the construction of the first space station. That story was the best of the bunch. Unfortunately, I felt that the stories went progressively downhill as I worked my way through the volume.

Writers are generally urged to show rather than tell, in their prose - pulling the reader into the thick of the drama rather than summarising the details. There's quite a bit of tell in this one. But I don't mind, actually. In the hands of a modern author, this saga might have been expanded to 1,000 pages from its 200. And it wouldn't have been any better for that.

"The Outward Urge" is worth a read, but it isn't Wyndham at the top of his game. That said, I have no doubt that 1960s readers would have got a lot more out of this, reading it at a time when the surface of Venus was still unknown and one could feel excited about the possibility of finding life beneath its clouds.

[Mike Stone, · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There Once Was A Family Named Troon, Determined To Go To The Moon"

These five stories were written in the 1950s, and cover the conquest of space through the eyes of a single family, British-Officer-Class in origin, named Troon, which manages to be always at the leading edge of it.

The first story covers the building of the space station, and the intrusion of Cold War politics on a timeline where the Soviet Union didn't fall. The second is on the Moon when the Cold War has turned hot.

The third portrays the first, Brazilian, Mars expedition (fortunately, the destruction of the northern hemisphere in WW3 hasn't slowed down the conquest of space by more than a hiccup), while the fourth covers Brazil's effort to keep space as a monopoly, and the resistance which this generates.

The fifth story is (for me at least) unintentionally humorous. Without giving away too much, it focuses on one particular Troon, who has developed a psychological problem which disqualifies him from being given command of a spaceship. Unfortunately, this means he is effectively barred from space (a fate worse than death for one of his family background) because "you can't ship a Troon as crew". Evidently, for one of this eminent race to go up as anything less than skipper is as unthinkable as putting the Prince of Wales into the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. Space has been conquered, the northern hemisphere blasted into radioactive desert, yet the British class system - or at least this space age variant of it - has come through without a scratch. Wyndham was very much a man of his time, and this is mentioned in a throwaway line without any explanation being thought necessary. It is just assumed that the (British) readership would understand.

Still, don't let that put you off. They are nice, unpretentious stories and make a good read. Enjoy.

[C.A. A. Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why this particular John Wyndham title has another name next to it. That of another author name, he once used, disguised as a collaborator for this pieced together novel.

The Outward Urge is basically a good story, but because I have been spoilt by his many other titles, this does not compare. It is very well written but it is in sections. Small episodic stories of a family spanning many generations. The Toon family.

It is like a set of comic strip stories revised and well written. In a strange way, it works. However, because this is very different in style from normal John Wyndham stories, I can't rank it against his other excellent stories. It could not even stand on a podium alongside his better known novels.

It may sound a little harsh, because The Outward Urge is quality written and the short stories are good.

If you have never read John Wyndham before, I would not start with this novel. It should be at the end of the line. I would recommend if you are a John Wyndham fan and have already read many of his works. I liked it. But not like his other works.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book! I’m a fan of Wyndham’s other works and I found this in a charity shop so I thought I’d give it a try; my expectations weren’t that high since this isn’t one of his popular/well-known books and as far as I can tell it’s no longer in print. I don’t like it as much as others of his, but still enjoyed it. Unlike most Wyndham novels, there are absolutely no aliens, rather the science-fiction aims to be “realistic” projections of how humans may expand into the solar system. Lucas Parkes is described as a “technical advisor” but in reality Parkes was Wyndham’s pen name! There are 5 separate stories set in different time periods, following generations of the Troon family. The best one in my opinion is Mars 2094.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Outward Urge is different from Wyndham’s usual style, being five separate stories linked by one family – the Troons, each generation of whom feel an urge to explore space. It starts in the future of 1994, with the following four chapters taking place every 50 years, and with each chapter covering a different location, including the Moon, Mars and Venus. Obviously it’s dated by modern standards – in it the first moon landing doesn’t take place until the early 21st century. I wouldn’t say I love science fiction, but I do very much enjoy the vintage stuff (Wells, Verne…) and I’m am a big fan of Wyndham’s writing, and although this had a very different feel, and felt a little disjointed, I still thought it was an enjoyable read.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe even 4,5 stars, I really liked this one! I was a bit cautious because of the low rating but the description of the short stories following several members of of the Troon family over 5 generations and their part in space exploration was very intriguing. My favorites were the first and last short stories. The first story even had me shed a few tears and the last one was brilliant, especially when you finally figured out what was actually going on. However, the 4th story left me a little confused.
It is also very interesting to see how Wyndham imagined space exploration, as this book was released in 1959 and of course some things are very different.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel consisting of five linked short stories set over the course of a few centuries. Wyndham wrote this during the late '50s space race and the overriding theme is of mankind's desire to push ever further outwards - hence the title. As usual, his intelligent grasp of humanity and what makes it tick is what makes this compelling. The first story reveals heroism in orbit, while the second depicts warfare on the Moon. The third examines fragile psychology on Mars while the fourth explores political machinations on Venus. The fifth is set back on Earth and tackles an aspect of the science vs. religion debate. It's all brisk, terse, varied and engaging.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written before the moon landings but after Sputnik, this book attempts to predict the space race by charting the family tree of the fictional "Troon" family - a space dynasty the follows in the wake of one of the early space heroes.

Imagine if Neil Armstrong's son was the first to travel to mars, and his grandson the first to set foot on Venus, and so on.

Right on the money in some areas, and miles off on others, it beautifully captures the great hopes of space travel at time when so much was unknown.

Highlight for me was Venus being portrayed as essential a drizzly Scunthorpe.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written between the first Sputnik and the moon landing , this novel is a interesting story of space exploration from the point of view of a family of astronauts over several generations, as they go to the moon, then beyond. Manned lunar stations would be set up by the Americans, Russians and British (where the government had actually rejected funding a manned spaceflight programme before this book was written, at least according to Wikipedia).

[Steventhesteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventurous, multi-generational story of one family's obsession to boldly go where no-one has been before, and smoke cigarettes in spaceships.

Seriously though, it's a series of connected stories across time showing the progression of mankind into the solar system, AND their penchant for smoking cigarettes in spaceships. Plus cryo storage, very forward thinking for sci fi of it's age, but then it's Wyndham, and that's what he did.

STOP SMOKING IN CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE ENVIRONMENTS YOU FOOLS