Reading 1001 discussion

read 2014
Review: This is a story a science fiction story. A family; mother, father, adopted son and daughter who live in England. One day, the father notices his son having a sort of debate with noone. He is just turned 12 but all of a sudden seems to have an invisible friend like his sister did when she was small. The father and mother both deal with this situation in their own ways but also are obviously very loving and supportive of their son. The theme is that of aliens or extraterrestrials and their interaction with others. Another theme included a critique of wasteful use of finite energy sources with inefficient engines. “Most of your power is being used to build machines to consume power faster and faster, while your sources of power remain finite.” The author also briefly touched on the dangers. The government and/or big business wanting to take advantage of a small boy and an alien to the point that they kidnapped him and did medical procedures without the knowledge or permission of his parents. Its simple little story both entertaining and fun. It was written in the early years of environmental concerns and big brother government.

First words: It was in the spring of the year that Matthew reached twelve that I first became aware of Chocky.

Last words: They had made a nice job of it. It looked just as if it had always been inscribed: Awarded to Chocky for a valorous deed.

Rating: I liked this story, it was easy to read but simple almost written more on a child’s level. I liked it 4 stars worth but really it is probably a 3 star book and really doesn’t belong on the 1001 list.

I read Chocky by John Wyndham for a Diversity Challenge but I thought I would add my thoughts to the review area.
Chocky was a very entertaining read and was a unique science-fiction tale as it played with the concept of having an open mind about aspects of the world that you simply can not verify.
I am over 40 so this was supposed to be my reading about a young character but really it was about a family in which the young character was visited or rather inhabited by either a separate entity or the boy's own active imagination. What made the book such a delight was the 11 year old boy was such a normal boy and the parents acted in a very constrained and rather normal way to extreme circumstances. It has a decidedly old fashioned patriarchal family structure which was mostly something I would groan and ignore. The author was old when he wrote the book and it was his last book to be published before he passed away. I think Wyndham did an excellent job of capturing some memory or hidden cache of youthful open mindedness in both the 11 year old and the father in the book. It is really a wonder that this youth is what Wyndham needed to bring to life before he died.

I agree with Kristel that it isn't an amazing book worthy of the list but it was an enjoyable read.

This was a fun and fast read, a welcome change from the slog that is Melmoth the Wanderer. I find it fascinating that, in 1968, Wyndham knew our dependence on fossil fuels was a huge problem. I'm not sure it deserves to be on the Boxall 1001 books list, but I'll take a clever, short book any day of the week.


⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

This is a gentle piece of science fiction. David and Mary notice their adopted son Matthew appears to be arguing with someone invisible and they assume he has an imaginary friend. However, other incidents make them uncomfortable and they try to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

The way the author shows the impact of Chocky on this polite restrained British family is delightful. The style is really straightforward but the narrative is compelling. Given this book was written in the late 60s, it’s surprising how the issues Wyndham raises are still relevant, such as our reliance on fossil fuels and the way private enterprise deals with scientific discovery.

This book lacks some of the dramatic action scenes and chilling malevolence of Wyndham’s earlier books, but it is thought provoking and engaging.

I've read this before, years ago, but read it again for the Book of the Month. So I knew who/what Chocky was from the beginning, but I think we are supposed to guess pretty soon and witness rather than share the confusion of the parents. Of course, the parents wouldn't guess - they don't know they are in a science fiction novel!

I found the children and Chocky very engaging. The adult characters seemed dated, especially the main character's patronising attitude to women (his wife and her sisters), but I didn't think that the author shared that attitude, because he didn't give male gender to a more intelligent life form or have the characters assume it was male. At the same time, as others have said, there are some startlingly up-to-date ideas about use of fossil fuels.

I enjoyed this again, but not as much as some of John Wyndham's other books, and I'm not surprised it was quickly taken off the list while The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos remain. My personal favourite is The Crysalids, which has never been on the list, but I may only like that so much because I first read it at an impressionable age.

read June 2026

I’ve read quite a few Wyndham novels over the course of my life. Reading Chocky now makes me think I would like to revisit his oeuvre. I listened to his read by Daniel Weyman, who did a very good job.

I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. Of course, it’s Wyndham, so you know it is not what it appears on the surface. The Gore’s are an ordinary English family from the mid 1960s. Mary is a stay at home Mom, David works in the City, and they have a son (adopted) and a daughter. We start with a typical family story of raising children, which morphs into something more complex. Does the son have an imaginary friend or a mental illness? It becomes clear to all that it is not the case of a run of the mill imaginary friend. Be warned, there is a horrible human being in this story though.

I am very glad I finally read this, although it is a little depressing that as a species we haven’t really improved our position from that described (that Chocky wants to improve) in a 58 year old speculative fiction novel. 4*

I also listened to the audio version read by Daniel Weyman which I really enjoyed, great voice and pace of reading. I gravitated towards this little family especially Matthew. I was emotionally invested in the story and looked forward to listening to it. I finally read a book that I really enjoyed!
4.5 stars