A genre-defining tale of first contact by one of the twentieth century's most brilliant--and neglected--science fiction and horror writers, whom Stephen King called "the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced." "In my opinion, [John] Wyndham's chef d'oeuvre . . ...

A genre-defining tale of first contact by one of the twentieth century's most brilliant--and neglected--science fiction and horror writers, whom Stephen King called "the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced." "In my opinion, [John] Wyndham's chef d'oeuvre . . . a graphic metaphor for the fear of unwanted pregnancies . . . I myself had a dream about a highly intelligent nonhuman baby after reading this book."--Margaret Atwood, Slate** * What if the women of a sleepy English village all became simultaneously pregnant, and the children, once born, possessed supernatural--and possibly alien--powers?A mysterious silver object appears in quiet, picture-perfect Midwich. A day later, the object is gone--and all the women in the village, they will come to learn, are now pregnant. The resultant children of Midwich are shockingly, frighteningly other *. Faced with these unfathomable and potentially unstoppable children, the question arises: What will humanity do when faced with the threat of the unknown?