The Outward Urge
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A hard science fiction masterpiece, perfect for fans of Kim Stanley Robinson, by one of the twentieth century’s most brilliant—and neglected—writers, whom Stephen King called “the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced.”
What does the future hold for a species torn between exploration—the outward urge—and apparent self-destruction?
First published in 1959, The Outward Urge follows members of the Troon family as humanity extends its reach into space. The first vignette follows a Troon to a British space station in 1994; the next to the Moon bases as Earth experiences nuclear war; then to Mars and Venus landings, when Brazil is the only world power; and finally to the asteroids.
John Wyndham
John Wyndham (1903-69)
John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was the son of a barrister, who started writing short stories in 1925. During the war he was in the civil service and then the army. In 1946 he went back to writing stories for publication in the USA and decided to try a modified form of science fiction, which he called 'logical fantasy'. As John Wyndham, he is best-known as the author of The Day of the Triffids, but he wrote many other successful novels including The Kraken Wakes, The Chrysalids and The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as Village of the Damned).
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