She and Francis separately manage to extract from the lichen a new drug, dubbed Antigerone, which slows down the body's ageing process. While Francis uses it only on himself and his immediate family (without their knowledge), Diana founds a cosmetic spa, and builds up a clientele of some of the most powerful women in England, giving them low doses of Antigerone, preserving their beauty and youth. When Francis finds out about the spas, he erroneously assumes that Diana's motive is profit. Diana's aim, however, is actually female empowerment, intending to gain the support of these influential women, believing that if Antigerone became publicly known, it would be reserved only for the men in power. As each scientist wrestles with the implications and practicalities of exploiting the discovery, the world comes ever closer to learning the truth

I think Francis’s pessimism is more warranted. The supply of lichen is very restricted. Who gets to decide who gets the drug? Will it be only the super-rich? Only the influential? What happens to those left behind? Can you imagine the riots in France when the pension age gets raised to 100, when they are having difficulty accepting 64?! How do you decide a pension age if some will be healthy and active at 200, and some run out of puff at the more traditional pension age of 67. And what about those with dementia or long-standing health issues? Long life is not always a boon. What about the young, having to wait an eternity before getting a position/accommodation/meaningful life? We already have overpopulation and a strain on natural resources – will not lichen just tip the balance and destroy the world before our civilisation has time to adapt? Can you imagine the future if men like Trump or Putin had a lifespan of hundreds of years? Lichen does not make you immortal, just slows aging. John Wyndham wrote 7 novels, I have read 6 so far. This is the only one not rated 3 stars. This novel gets all tangled up like someone falling on the floor whilst wildly trying to put their pyjama trousers on. He has a very solid sf idea and he wants to use it to spotlight how women’s lives in particular are crippled and bent out of shape under society’s current rules, and this is all good, but the whole thing seems to be played for laughs….I should say for smirks…and his ghastly elbow-in-ribcage old-fashioned unfunny comic writing will just grind the teeth of modern readers. The plot concerns a young female biochemist who discovers that a chemical extracted from an unusual strain of lichen can be used to slow down the ageing process, enabling people to live to around 200–300 years. Wyndham speculates how society would deal with this prospect.You'll need to clear the area surrounding each sporali of mobs before you'll be able to do potion turn-ins. The reason you are required to clear the "guard" mobs near each turn-in mushroom man is because otherwise the mushroom would eat the turn-in potion and you'll have to restart the quest from scratch. Trouble With Lichenreceived a mixed reception from the members of the reading groups. While some really enjoyed it as a novel with lots of action which posed interesting questions about longevity, others found that it was very much a product of the time in which it was written. Members of the reading groups of different ages, and especially women, thought that Diana’s characterisation and decisions reflected the sexist attitudes inherent in society in the late 1950s/early 1960s.

being just a woman and nothing else does strike me as one of the dead-end jobs. You can't get any promotion in it--not unless you take it up as a courtesan...."What if someone find the true anti-aging formula which enabling people to live to around 200 years? What’re the implications? And what if the resource of it is so rare not all people can get it? How much trust should we place in those we appoint to be its guardians?

Tell a woman: “woman’s place is in the home”, or “get thee to thy kitchen” and she doesn’t like it; but call it “being a good housewife”, which means exactly the same thing, and she’ll drudge along, glowing with pride.” I know one of the factors in my earlier dislike of the novel was that I was expecting something quite different from what I got. That of course is not a factor in my current dislike. I have learned not to evaluate a book based on what I thought it would be rather than what it actually is. This is a lesson I try to impart to my students (and anyone else who wanders past my soapbox while I’m pontificating).

For the past few years I have peppered my reading with rereads from my youth. It has been even more rewarding than I anticipated. So far, my rereads have all been books I enjoyed when I first read them. But this time I decided to reread a book I did not enjoy at all. PDF / EPUB File Name: Trouble_with_Lichen_-_John_Wyndham.pdf, Trouble_with_Lichen_-_John_Wyndham.epub Of course not,’ Diana said patiently, ‘but they don’t feel about it the same way. A man may fear death just as much, but in general he doesn’t resent age and death quite as woman do. It’s as if a woman lives—well, on more intimate terms with life; gets to know it more closely, if you understand me. And it seems to me, too, that a man is not so constantly haunted by thoughts of time and age as woman is. Generalizations, of course, but averagely valid, I think. ...’

There are many flaws in this book, the most blatant of which is not like the other girls , a trend which I tend to hate, but a trend which, is at least well pulled off and relatively subtle in that our heroine is the smart girl . Her trope is smoothed out, the sharp edges dulled by the fact that she truly cares about other women, and by the fact that smart girl was a rare breed in the day she was written. Not that women would have been less intelligent, no, just less inclined to show it, especially in school when it would have gotten them the accolades to press further into a career instead of a housewifery. I also take somewhat exception to the romance in this novel. The way it is presented is probably alluding to Wyndham's own sweetheart and her steadfast adoration through a war. Love at first sight, she was, after all, there for the usual reason - the prospective husband was simply married, with children almost her age. Splari says 'The mephits are laying traps for sporali that venture into these caverns. They have placed piles of tainted lichen in several locations. Once a sporali eats the tainted lichen, they become mindless slaves for the mephits. Will you [help] me?' Why would I do such a silly thing with my limited reading time? Well, let’s say it was an experiment. The only things I remembered about Trouble with Lichen, besides the general premise and a few random details, were that I didn’t like it, didn’t understand it, and couldn’t wait for it to be over.Modern-day readers of "Trouble with Lichen," especially women readers, may be gratified to observe how nicely feminist the author was here, in his penultimate published novel. Diana is shown to be not only beautiful, but something of a genius; always hatching long-range plans for the future, and always with Plans B and C up her well-tailored sleeve. Through her, Wyndham gave the reader some then-novel ideas on a woman’s place in society. Thus: So, next time you are out for a walk look out for lichens – you could be amazed by how abundant they are and how many different colours they come in. Don’t forget – have a look with a hand lens or an inverted pair of binoculars too – that always woos the bairns! There is an excellent guide to Shetland's Lichens which we have copies of - just get in touch.