The human race is content on war to make things go their way. The joke of World War Three is real as little things can unstable countries (like a movie) making two very powerful countries go head to head.  Humans are destructive creatures that one day will destroy each other, and the planet with it. After a major war only parts of the land are not deadly with radiation, saving the few people who live there. Three hundred years after the Great War the society is quite different that before the bombs hit.

David lives in a very strict community, where God was the boss and it was up to everyone (especially his dad) to obey him. The biggest message “God” gave out was: “Watch thou for the mutant! The Devil is the father of deviation. Blesses are the norm.”  Mutants to them, was the most deadly thing on earth. If an animal was a mutant (four legged chicken, or two headed cow) they were slaughtered, a yield of unusual crops were burned, but a person? They were sent to the Fringe. In David’s community there was the place itself, surrounding the community was the Fringe; a place where they sent mutants as it is a place God does not rule. Outside of the Fringe was the Badlands, given its name as nothing can live there (due to the high radiation levels) His community is in Labrador, Newfoundland, the only place he ever known, which is quite a shame that he had to leave because of his family.

David was born to know that mutants were sent by the devil. His childhood friend, Sophie, was not evil, she was actually quite nice. The only issue with her was for her sixth toe on each foot. Just because she had an extra little toe, doesn't mean she is the Devil’s child, right? This was the first time David started questioning his family methods. David had to keep Sophie’s secret from his father as if he found out they would banished. That is not the only secret David had to keep from his father. On the outside David looked like any other kids, he had five fingers, five toes, two arms, legs, eyes, and ears, but on the inside he is a mutant. David and eight other children have telepathic abilities, able to send “think thoughts” to each other up to five miles away.  David lives in fear each day of being caught, and what would happen if he was. He urges the others to be careful too, but as they grew up together some took different paths than the others. David grows up quite a bit throughout the book (mentally and age wise) and learn to think for himself question what God truly thinks is a mutant.

John Wyndham is a 1955 dystopian writer that not many people know about. They story lines follow a similar style that most of the new popular dystopia books today has, with its major issue being about religion. As David’s community is more into the Amish times, social status (like in the Hunger Games) or skills (like Divergent) does not matter so much. What matters if you are a mutant or not. The mutants are what we called birth defects happen in our world today. The reason why in this novel is so common to bore a mutant child is because of the high levels of radiation in the ground. The part I did not like about the book was how he ended it. He wrote himself into a corner and had no choice but to finish it. I would suggest anyone looking for a book report this as there is no movie for it or a sequel.