Wyndham wrote dozens of short stories. His three most popular collections are; The Seeds of Time, Consider Her Ways and Others, and Jizzle.
You can also select your favourite short story in the Polls section.
The Seeds of Time
Several of these stories deal with the consequences of time travel. Today some of this may seem a little tired, due to the extensive consideration that has since been given to the topic in film and television, but Chronoclasm and Pawley's Peepholes still entertain. Martian life is also a theme in Time to Rest and The Dumb Martian. Wyndham's Martians are presumably evolved from Earthlings. Perhaps the most noteworthy chapter is Survival, a story with cinematic potential. Alice Morgan, is the pregnant central character, who against her mother’s wishes voyages into space. As fatal misfortune envelopes the mission, she is prepared to go to any lengths to ensure the survival of her foetus.
Consider Her Ways and Others
The title story, which may qualify as a novella, is mainly set in a world populated entirely by females, and is, according to many critics his finest short story. It certainly has an eerie twist. The volume also contains Random Quest, an offbeat, romantic time-travelling comedy that was made into an early Seventies film (starring Joan Collins), and a recent BBCFour one-off drama.
Jizzle
Jizzle (no innuendo intended though there is a sexual element) is a collection of quirky tales of the unexpected. The title story is about an exceptionally talented portrait-painting monkey called Giselle, or Jizzle to the drunken man who purchases her down the pub from a 'big negro'. The other episodes are an eclectic assortment of science-fiction, folklore, and the generally inexplicable. I was struck by Chinese Puzzle, a story set in Wales, in which all characters seem to speak like a Welsh Yoda 'An interesting egg that is' etc. As I read Chinese Puzzle I was aware of the absurdity of the subject matter, but on reflection felt that it was actually a very logical fantasy, the same is true of More Spinned Against. Confidence Trick and The Wheel (see The Chrysalids) also resonate.
