The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham

This was the book selected for me in the recent Classics Club Spin. For once, I’ve managed to finish my book before the deadline (4th October). The Kraken Wakes was published in 1953 and, like most of John Wyndham’s other books, is a classic science fiction novel. It’s narrated by Mike Watson, who works as a reporter for the EBC (a fictional rival to the BBC). At the start of the novel, Mike and his new wife Phyllis, also a reporter, are on their honeymoon on a cruise ship in the Atlantic when they spot something odd in the sky: five bright red lights descending towards the sea and disappearing beneath the water. As more and more sightings like this are reported, it becomes clear that these fireballs are not just falling at random – they are heading for the deepest waters in the world, which suggests that some kind of plan is under way. When ships mysteriously begin sinking while trying to cross these deep sea areas, panic spreads across the world. Many people blame the Soviet Union,…