The Kraken Wakes buy John Wyndham

The plot follows a couple of journalists documenting strange happenings in the deep sea, which turn out to be caused by alien forces. Their goal is to compile their findings into a book. As journalists, they gain significant insight into government actions, providing readers with a comprehensive overview of reactions at both individual and macro levels.

The aliens are quite insidious—never seen, with their origin and level of intelligence (if any) remaining a mystery. They are known only by their acts of violence against humanity.

The book feels slow—definitely not a thriller. It’s a slow burn, taking its time to delve into deep-sea terminology in rather scientific detail. It also thoroughly explores how, as a society, we struggle to come together due to innate distrust, overwhelming bureaucracy, and plain old ignorance.

I know this book is about deep-sea alien monsters, but in today’s world, it reads so much like an AI takeover. It scares me a little. Can we survive alongside another being that’s more intelligent than us? Is coexistence possible, or will one inevitably dominate the other, much like we have subjugated all other animals?

It is curious how relevant this book is to this day.

My rating and favorite quote:

“Can you imagine us tolerating any form of rival intelligence on earth, no matter how it got here? Why, we can’t even tolerate anything but the narrowest differences of views within our own race.”
3.5/5