1. Is religious extremism an unavoidable part of an apocalypse? 

2. Uncle Axel explains that each society believes its inhabitants are the true form of humanity. Does this mean those who are different will always be outsiders at best? 

3. Could Anne have successfully lived as a “normal” person if Alan had not been murdered? 

4. What are your thoughts on the lectures from the Woman from Sealand? Is her ideology really different from the religion of Waknuk? 

5. Are David, Rosalind, and Petra going to find a safe, prosperous life in Sealand? 

       Unlike my other book reviews, I am going to do a deep dive into The Chrysalids, that will be three parts. I know this summary is long, but I wanted it to be so thorough that readers could follow along with Part 2 and 3 of my review even if they haven’t read the book. 

       The novel begins with the main protagonist, David, having prophetic dreams of an advanced city built by the “Old People”. He is the grandson of Waknuk’s founder, and the son of its incredibly devout preacher. Naturally, David wants to avoid his toxic home environment, (and his father’s wrath) so he spends a lot of childhood playing by the river. One afternoon, he comes across a young girl, Sophie, and the two quickly become best friends, despite her birth defect. Sophie has 6 toes. By refusing to report her and her parents, David is committing treason. Eventually, another boy (Alan Ervin) discovers Sophie and does report her to the authorities. David manages to warn her family, who makes a desperate attempt to escape. When he arrives home, his father whips him mercilessly until he confesses the Wender’s plans to flee. He believes when they were captured, they were all killed for their “crimes”. 

       After the events with Sophie, David desperately wants to run away from Waknuk; however, his Uncle Axel convinces him to wait until he is better able to fend for himself. As his only positive role model, Uncle Axel contributes to David’s religious disillusionment, telling him stories of his time as a Sailor. His vivid descriptions of other civilizations emphasize that in each society, the inhabitants believe they are the “true form” of humanity, and consider other forms unnatural monstrosities. Resigned to waiting until he is older to run away, David and the other telepaths take every precaution to avoid discovery. 

       Years later, David’s Aunt Harriet arrives begging for his mother’s help. The two woman gave birth within the same week. His sister, Petra, was born a healthy baby girl and received a certification from the Inspector with no issues. His nephew was not so lucky. Desperate to save her baby and avoid the punishment for giving birth to a third “defective” baby in a road, Harriet begs to borrow Petra to secure a certification for her own child. Emily staunchly refuses. The next morning, his aunt’s body is discovered floating in the river after she drowned herself (presumably with her newborn son). David fully realizes his family would not hesitate to turn him in if they found out what he really is. He cannot even trust his own mother. 

       During the harvest years later, Petra wanders off and almost drowns. She absolutely panics, sending out a distress signal telepathically that is so powerful it’s painful. David and Rosalind (who is also a telepath) are the closest to her and manage to pull her out of the water. They emphatically claim they heard her screaming to avoid detection, and are relieved that everyone believes them. 

       Petra has Telepathic powers far more evolved than the others. Her thoughts are projected so intensely, it’s overwhelming (and physically painful). She can effortlessly communicate with telepaths on the other side of the world. But most alarmingly, she is able to read “behind thinks” (personal, private thoughts), which is not something that others are capable of doing. Collectively, the group decides not to tell Petra until she is old enough to understand her situation. 

       Each of the telepaths handles living in secrecy in their own way. David is still plotting his escape to the Fringes. Michael incessantly complains about all the things he will miss out on that “normal” people get to experience. Anne is in denial. After falling in love with Alan (yes the same one who reported Sophie), she begins to distance herself. Once married, she cuts herself off entirely, refusing to communicate telepathically. For months their marriage seems to be going smoothly, then one morning Alan is found dead in a field, shot with an arrow in what appears to be a hunting accident. A pregnant Anne hangs herself and leaves a not outing all the telepaths for the Inspector, that is luckily intercepted by Rachel. It’s revealed Anna had told Alan everything and he was planning to Blackmail the group. To protect them all, Uncle Axel murdered Alan. 

       Despite narrowly avoiding detection through Anne’s note, the telepaths are discovered. Katharine and Sally are taken to be “interrogated” by the Inspector, where they are tortured with hot irons until they confess to being Mutants. Determined to protect Rosalind and Petra, David leaves Waknuk in the middle of the night. With the help of Rosalind’s Great Horses, the trio manages to escape to the Fringes. As they travel, Petra is contacted by the enigmatic Woman from Sealand, who believes she is some sort of messianic figure. The WFS organizes a “rescue” mission to save them from persecution and bring them back to her telepathic society in a “flying machine.” They just have to survive until she can get to them. 

       Approaching the Fringes camp, they are taken prisoner in an ambush and brought to their leader. Coincidentally, it’s David’s uncle, Gordon (or the “Spider Man”) who was ostracized during childhood when his limbs began to grow abnormally. Before he could be sterilized, his mother helped him escape. Gordon vehemently believes he’s the rightful “heir” of Waknuk, and resents Joseph for holding this position. He’s spent his life fantasizing about revenge and plans to use his new hostages as bait to trap the Waknuk militia pursuing them. After he’s laid his plans out like a Bond villain, Gordon turns his attention to Rosalind and becomes infatuated by her intact fertility. Enraged by his advances, David attacks him and he’s kicked out of the camp. The guards are ordered to shoot him if he attempts to sneak back in, but they don’t follow through. Instead, they beat him unconscious and stuff him under some bushes. 

       David wakes up as he’s dragged back into camp by a mysterious woman who turns out to be the very-much-alive Sophie. She takes him to her cave in the cliff wall, then saves Rosalind and Petra from Gordon’s tent, killing the henchmen guarding them in the process. Michael reports: the Waknuk militia is staging an attack on the Fringes people, and a violent battle erupts at the base of the cliff. All they have to do is remain hidden until the Woman from Sealand can whisk them away to safety. 

       Watching from above, David witnesses the death of his father, Gordon, and Sophie right before the “flying machine” from Sealand arrives. The plan sprays a thin web-like substances on the battlefield that wraps around everyone, constricting and hardening until it suffocates them. The four telepaths are the only survivors. Michael desperately wants to return to Rachel, the only telepath remaining in Waknuk still alive, but there’s not enough fuel. Heroically, he decides to stay behind and reunite with her so together they can travel to Sealand another way. The book ends on a “note of hope” as the plane touches down in Sealand, the city David dreamed of as a child. 

Before I started writing, I looked up The Chrysalids, just to make sure I wasn’t about to echo all the other reviews that already exist. (There’s just not much of an audience for a new review that’s only repeating the other dozens that have already been written and I don’t want to waste my time.) 

       Surprisingly, there wasn’t that much information about the book online that I found from a cursory Google Search. I just found it off for a novel that is a post-apocalyptic classic; a genre that is usually analyzed extensively. (i.e. 1984)

        What I did find discussing the themes in the book was not accurate at all. I could not have asked for a more perfect example of why it’s so important to read a book and think for yourself instead of accepting some bullshit from Google AI. For example, Google gives the summary of the themes of the book as: 

       “The Book is a warning against blindly following rigid beliefs, and instead encourages critical thinking and evaluating one’s own actions and beliefs. It also explores the horror of discovering that your community views you as an alien.” 

       These themes are somewhat present in the novel if you apply a certain degree of misinterpretation. It doesn’t necessarily “encourage critical thinking” but I could see how someone would come to that conclusion if they weren’t paying of critical thinking. There is actually no point where David in the religious doctrine and in the end, the Woman from Sealand is guiding him. He’s not thinking for himself, he’s essentially following orders. 

       When it comes to the main protagonists being considered “alien” by their community, that does actually happen. But it is such a small moment in the book it’s not a “Major Theme.” 

       Outside of personal blogs, the only other mention of the themes in the novel was this Enotes blurb: 

       “The Theme of acceptance in The Chrysalids is a central to the narrative, highlighting the struggle against prejudice and fear of the unknown. Characters who are different, such as those with telepathic abilities, face discrimination, but the story ultimately advocates for understanding and embracing diversity, emphasizing that true humanity lies in accepting and valuing differences.” 

       This is such a delusional take that it’s difficult for me to believe we read the same book. What the actual fuck? Never, not once, EVER does this book promote diversity. It emphasizes that each isolated society believes they are the “true form” of humanity to the extent they reject those who are different. The Woman from Sealand gives an entire lecture about how the telepaths are the next rung in human evolution and the people of Waknuk are fighting against their inevitable extinction. She has so little respect for those who are different from her that she literally kills everyone involved in the battle at the Fringes. Like what part of her casually committing genocide brings to mind “accepting and valuing differences”? Because I must have missed it. Then in the end, the main characters leave the society where they are outcasts to go to Sealand where EVERYONE ELSE IS EXACTLY LIKE THEM.