The Secret People

A fun light 'Lost World' style adventure tale that seems everything but original - but considering it was written in 1935 it's probably more original than all the other similar ones I've read :-) Enjoyable entertainment, with a few interesting social comments in the middle when the priestess talks politics with the shaman - especially since it was written shortly before the Second World War.

This was the first novel by the author who later wrote [Day of the Triffids]. It was originally published in 1935 under another pseudonym (John Beynon), and in the author's introduction to the 1964 edition, which is the one I read, he explained that because of changes in the political climate the new edition altered some names of governments and organizations. The action takes place in the desert of northern Africa, which in the 1930s would have involved France, Italy, and the Foreign Legion. By the 1960s that had changed, and for some reason the new edition was updated with names which, I suppose, were designed to be usable in any future editions: the "Government" and the "Patrol Service".

The powers that be have decided to flood the show more Sahara to form an enormous lake with the hopes of causing climate changes which will make the land arable again. The hero and heroine take a private plane (referred to as rocket-fueled and equivalent to a private jet) for a tour by air and the plane goes down. Although unable to fly, the vehicle is watertight and the pair is struggling to make it to land when the ship is sucked into a whirlpool. They end up in a huge area of underwater caves, held by a group of pygmies who have lived underground for millennia. There are other non-pygmies being held also, and given the weight of the newly introduced water above, the caves are beginning to collapse. Drama ensues.

There are inklings of the mature Wyndham, and I enjoyed the read, but even with changes in names the story and language are definitely dated. Still, for the Wyndham fan, there's nothing like reading even the lesser of his works. show less

Early John Wyndham, before his famous novels. This is very Jules Verne-ish, both in its general feel and in its physical setting. A fairly standard plot with run of the mill and uninteresting characters, though the situation of the prisoners is genuinely chilling.

One minor interesting point: it was written in 1935, i.e. before the accession and subsequent Abdication of Edward VIII, but is set in 1964, when Elizabeth the Second, daughter of Edward's younger brother the future George VI, is Queen.

In 1964, Mark Sunnet is a very wealthy young businessman who happens to own (and pilot) one of the first stratoplanes. To impress a girl he's recently met in Algiers, he takes her on a flight to visit the New Sea - a French/Italian venture to flood part of the Sahara - but the plane fails on the return journey, and while they are initially fortunate to crash into the New Sea itself, the flooded region is seeping through into a forgotten network of subterranean caverns and a collapse occurs carrying them down in a whirlpool. They survive this ordeal, only to be taken prisoners by the strange inhabitants - a secret race of pale-skinned pygmies, who have survived below ground for thousands of years, and who will do anything to prevent show more their existence becoming known to the outside world. But with the flood waters rising, the prisoners and their captors appear doomed... One of John Wyndham's earliest books, written in 1935 and published under an alternative version of his own name. Unfortunately, despite being set in what was then the future, it comes across as quite dated - mainly because of the change in attitudes in the intervening years. Not impressed with the treatment of the characters - especially Margaret (the sole woman), and the non-Americans. show less

Again, comparing this novel – its structure and plotting – to a lot of the novels of the last twenty years I have to say that this one is really superior. In terms of novel qua novel, this one is really good. As I consider a list of things about this novel, I do not have many complaints. Characters? solid. Plot? solid. Science fiction stuff? solid. Novel structure? solid. Action and suspense? solid. There are not a lot of weak points here whatsoever. Any complaints would be nitpicking, I think, and overall it was a very imaginative, immersive story that entertained me quite nicely.

Herlezen en viel me een beetje tegen. Mark en zijn net opgedane vriendin Margaret vliegen in een supersonische privé-straaljager over het nieuwe enorme kunstmatige meer in de Sahara (Algerije), storten neer, en dan valt de bodem uit het meer, ze komen via een grottenstelsel bij ondergronds levende mnensen, pygmeeën die vele generaties terug zijn afgesloten van de lucht en leven van paddenstoelen. Door het meer en zijn instortingen wordt hun bestaan bedreigd. Mark wordt bij vele anderen die in de loop der tijd in de grotten terecht zijn gekomen opgesloten, maar Margaret heeft een kat bij zich en deze Pygmeeën geloven in de Egyptische diergoden. Dus kat Bast en priesteres Margaret worden vereerd. De rest van het boek gaat over show more ontsnappingspogingen en gevechten met de bleke aardmannetjes. De 'westerlingen' winnen en alles komt goed. Zelfs de gedode kat blijkt nog te leven (bevredigend maar erg onwaarschijnlijk). eerste boek van John Wyndham en niet zijn beste. show less