DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS - Penguin Modern Classics

The Day of the Triffids, published in 1951, expresses many of the political concerns of its time: the Cold War, the fear of biological experimentation and the manmade apocalypse. However, with its terrifyingly believable insights into the genetic modification of plants, the book is more relevant today than ever before. When Bill Masen wakes up blindfolded in hospital, there is a bitter irony in his situation. Carefully removing his bandages, he realizes that he is the only person who can see: everyone else, doctors and patients alike, have been blinded by a meteor shower. Now, with civilization in chaos, the triffids -huge, venomous, large-rooted plants able to 'walk', feeding on human flesh - can have their day.