Trouble with Lichen

By: John Wyndham

Narrated by: Vanessa Kirby

Francis Saxover and Diana Brackley, two scientists investigating a rare lichen, discover it has a remarkable property: it retards the aging process. Francis, realising the implications for the world of an ever-youthful, wealthy elite, wants to keep it secret, but Diana sees an opportunity to overturn the male status quo by using the lichen to inspire a feminist revolution.

As each scientist wrestles with the implications and practicalities of exploiting the discovery, the world comes ever closer to learning the truth....

Trouble with Lichen is a scintillating story of the power wielded by science in our lives and asks, how much trust should we place in those we appoint to be its guardians?

About the author: John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Benyon Harris was born in 1903, the son of a barrister. He tried a number of careers including farming, law, commercial art and advertising, and started writing short stories, intended for sale, in 1925. From 1930 to 1939 he wrote stories of various kinds under different names, almost exclusively for American publications, while also writing detective novels. 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, a form he called 'logical fantasy'.

©1960 John Wyndham (P)2021 Audible, Ltd

Great British sci-fi

The book most explores the consequences of the effects of the drug and how it would play out politically. Whyndam is a great author

Another Wyndham Gem

This is the sixth Wyndham novel I've read and it had a different feel than the others, most of which I would say could be classified as his usual "soft apocalypse" science fiction. I thought Trouble with Lichen was slower than some of his other novels but overall I enjoyed it very much and thought the ending was satisfying. Plus, Wyndham showed again how ahead of his time he was - this science fiction novel written in 1960 had a female protagonist which was unusual at the time.

In Trouble with Lichen, Diana Brackley a biochemist, discovers that a certain Chinese lichen had strange anti-aging effects on milk while working at in a lab. She and another biochemist Francis Saxover, run separate experiments in private and discover independently that the lichen was able to slow the cellular metabolic rate and extend the lifespan of living creatures injected with it.

Both biochemists initially keep the news to themselves and use their discovery in different ways: Francis keeps it to his family and Diana opens a beauty salon to treat primarily wealthy women in London. But secrets are hard to keep and what happens to Francis and Diana and their lichen once knowledge of it gets out?

The novel spends more time focused on Diana's storyline and the end of the novel has some surprising twists and turns.

I listened to the audiobook which was superbly narrated by English actress Vanessa Kirby. It was a short novel, only about seven hours in audio, and not my favorite Wyndham work but the strong ending sold me.

Lichen

I found this book very interesting, since it is about the fountain of youth found in lichen. I believe most of us want to live forever and the science fiction is more truth than fiction. excellent narration

Wow. Just a Great Read/Listen

I read the book 30 years ago. Fantastic. Very excited Audible offers the unabridged audiobook. Just as intriguing a listen now as it was a "can't put down" read back 30 years ago!