24-04-2025
Triffids on the rampage? Keep calm and have another brandy
The first thing you notice is the drinking. John Wyndham's 1951 novel,The Day of the Triffids, isn't just a classic example of a speculative dystopia, it is a testament to the restorative, energising and life-enhancing qualities of booze.
You recall the basics of the story: twentysomething Bill Masen wakes in hospital on the morning he is due to be discharged and finds that everyone else — doctors, nurses, fellow patients — has gone blind after watching the previous night's comet-induced lightshow. Seemingly the solitary sighted person amid the confusion, Bill knows exactly what he needs. A drink. A big one. Masen's first act in this terrifying new world is to find a pub and to steady his nerves with the help of several
