Taking refuge in their old holiday home in Cornwall, Mark Watson decides to write a book detailing exactly how human kind has been defeated not by aliens fighting from the sky but from aliens fighting from the deep.This is the second book this year I have read that has kept me awake at night with an uneasy dread. The way that Wyndham builds up tension is incredible, starting with unexplained fireballs and building up to the almost destruction of the world. By having a journalist tell the story you get enough information to keep you hooked but it isn't bogged down unnecessary exposition (sorry Basil!) There are some genuinely scary moments, especially with the sea tanks and the way that governments ponder and delay while The Kraken Wakes.
"Running, or at least hurrying, figures were still scattering over the Square in all directions, but no more were emerging from the street. Those who had reached the far side turned back to look, hovering close to doorways or alleys into which they could jump swiftly if necessary. Half a dozen men with guns or rifles laid themselves down on the cobbles, their weapons all aimed at the mouth of the street. Everything was much quieter now. Except for a few sounds of sobbing, a tense, expectant silence help the whole scene. And then, in the background, one became aware of a grinding, scraping noise; not loud but continuous."
