Nothing helps me through scary/tough moments like rereading classic horror/science fiction. I grabbed this on the way out the door because I'd felt like rereading it and it's pretty short! I read this when I was a kid after I saw Village of the Damned. I forgot how much I genuinely loved this book!
It's big for me that much of what happens in this book couldn't work against modern backdrops and I have 💯 buy in on what's happening. I leave my reviews relatively spoiler-free if I can because I see reviews as a means to hype others up to check books out that I've read (or avoid them LMAO) but I feel like saying that 'the British reserve' and stiff-upper lip demeanour is not only portrayed perfectly but is also a key antagonist in this book.
The novel itself is absolutely intriguing from start to finish; the children and how they are presented are such an interesting concept that it's no surprise that it had 2 adaptions, a movie sequel and referenced readily on The Simpsons. Most of it's problems can be presented as being 'of the time' which doesn't really bother me too much; though the female voices are surprisingly quiet considering that the driving force of the plot relies on something horrific happening to the women of Midwich.
But if you want a horror/science fiction classic that covers some pretty hard-hitting concepts such as...
What it means to be human
Evolution versus creationism
The nature of evil and what can be done in the name of self-preservation
The politics of colonisation and revolution
Whether scientific dogma overrides religious dogma.