Science Fiction

Trouble with Lichen

Trouble with Lichen

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  • Create Date：2022-07-25 06:52:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：John Wyndham
  • ISBN：0593450140
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Summary

A "sharp， amusing story" （The Guardian） about the fountain of youth and its implications for women's rights， by one of the twentieth century's most brilliant--and neglected--science fiction and horror writers， whom Stephen King called "the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced。"

"It was a genius move for John Wyndham to center an age-slowing narrative on women， who are still today pressured to remain youthful-looking forever， or succumb to social invisibility。 。 。 。 Wyndham was uniquely gifted at skewering humankind's foibles while maintaining a shred of hope that our better angels would prevail。"--Kate Folk， from the introduction

What if humans discovered the secret to prolonged life？

Francis Saxover and Diana Brackley， two biochemists investigating a rare lichen， separately discover that it has a remarkable property: It slows the aging process almost to a halt。 Francis， realizing the horrifying implications of an ever-youthful wealthy elite， decides to keep his findings a secret。 But the younger and more daring Diana sees an opportunity to overturn the male status quo and free women from the career-versus-children binary--in short， a chance to remake the world。

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Reviews

Hayley Wells ，

The blurb read something along the lines of ‘A scientist discovers an anti-ageing lichen and uses it to inspire a feminist revolution…’ - sounds cool right？ At best the ‘feminism’ in this book is lacking and dated; at worst it actually perpetuates misogynist myths。There’s great potential for interesting plot points here: why should the rich live longer， while the poor work themselves to early graves？ How would this discovery actually disrupt society and power structures？ Would it lead to a murde The blurb read something along the lines of ‘A scientist discovers an anti-ageing lichen and uses it to inspire a feminist revolution…’ - sounds cool right？ At best the ‘feminism’ in this book is lacking and dated; at worst it actually perpetuates misogynist myths。There’s great potential for interesting plot points here: why should the rich live longer， while the poor work themselves to early graves？ How would this discovery actually disrupt society and power structures？ Would it lead to a murder business for those who regret their decision？ Wyndham does touch on these things but never really follows through， instead remaining in the plummy and rather boring world of the cosmetic industry its dealings with the press。 。。。more

Tetiana ，

Наукова фантастика， салон краси， багато маніпулювання суспільною думкою， та і взагалі подання інформації на фоні боротьби за право існування наукового відкриття。 Цікаво， місцями весело， кінцівка насправді є лише початком。

Kenny Boyd ，

My favourite Wyndham book so far， of the recent re-reads。 The story is interesting and thought provoking with philosophical questions that are highly interesting and pertinent even 70-80 years after publication （I assume）。I felt that it had aged the best of those I have read recently （Midwich Cuckoos & Kraken Wakes） with fairly forward thinking feminist philosophies and not as many “problematic” statements as I had experienced in the other two。Next？ probably The Chrysalids

Rueben ，

3。5

Diane Hernandez ，

The premise of the Trouble with Lichen is great。 A modern fountain of youth is found。 How will it be shared with the public？ How will it impact human society overall？I had some serious problems with the prose。 It has long wordy sentences throughout。 Clearly， the author never met an adverb， adjective or comma that he didn’t like and couldn’t put to work。 I’ve read， and loved， the author’s more famous science fiction works like The Midwich Cuckoos and Day of the Triffids。 But the Trouble with Lich The premise of the Trouble with Lichen is great。 A modern fountain of youth is found。 How will it be shared with the public？ How will it impact human society overall？I had some serious problems with the prose。 It has long wordy sentences throughout。 Clearly， the author never met an adverb， adjective or comma that he didn’t like and couldn’t put to work。 I’ve read， and loved， the author’s more famous science fiction works like The Midwich Cuckoos and Day of the Triffids。 But the Trouble with Lichen， despite its blunt force feminism， was just not very good。 It was a slow slog。 Therefore， I have to give it only 2 stars。Thanks to Modern Library and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book。 。。。more

Tarrah ，

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in return for an honest review。What would you do if someone offered to extend your life for five years？ 20？ 150？ What would the consequences of that extended life be？ These are two of the themes explored in "Trouble with Lichen"。 The main characters， Diana and Francis， take different approaches to newfound longevity: Francis for personal gain and Diana for female empowerment。 Diana knows that if this anti-aging compound was offer Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in return for an honest review。What would you do if someone offered to extend your life for five years？ 20？ 150？ What would the consequences of that extended life be？ These are two of the themes explored in "Trouble with Lichen"。 The main characters， Diana and Francis， take different approaches to newfound longevity: Francis for personal gain and Diana for female empowerment。 Diana knows that if this anti-aging compound was offered to the world at large， the men in power would have it reserved only for their benefit。 Overall， this book was well written and timely as society continues to search for the fountain of youth and agism continues to be at the forefront of many beauty campaigns and throughout social media。 。。。more

Shaz ，

Three and a half starsA compelling read， somewhat weak ending。，This is unrelated to the actual story but I have this sense that Wyndham had strange ideas about women but there sure are a lot of female characters in this 1960 sci-fi book which is appreciated。

Steventhesteve ，

Well now this was interesting。 This was written by a man at the end of the 50's， and could be said to precede second wave feminism。 The motivation for Diana in making life longer for people （and women in particular） is less about prolonging the lives of individuals， and more about making people take the long view， not settling for the rights， prejudices， and living conditions of their parent's generation but actively seeking to make a better， fairer life for all。Obviously there's parts of this t Well now this was interesting。 This was written by a man at the end of the 50's， and could be said to precede second wave feminism。 The motivation for Diana in making life longer for people （and women in particular） is less about prolonging the lives of individuals， and more about making people take the long view， not settling for the rights， prejudices， and living conditions of their parent's generation but actively seeking to make a better， fairer life for all。Obviously there's parts of this that don't hold up so well， but the public reaction to news of such a discovery is spot on。 Incredulity and disbelief giving way to mass desire and hysteria for a thing previously thought impossible。 I doubt the news would be handled any differently if this discovery were made in real life today。 。。。more

Rusty Ray Guns ，

A cool what if story 。Taking place is a mid century world that stumbles across a Lichen with the properties or drastically slowing the aging prosses 。It explores the moral environmental and social political impact of such a discovery and plays out in well written story with great characters。

Alexandra Pearson ，

I was hoping there'd be more about the actual lichen， to fit in with my research， but this is such an interesting book in terms of sexual politics。 I was hoping there'd be more about the actual lichen， to fit in with my research， but this is such an interesting book in terms of sexual politics。 。。。more

Kerri ，

Review soon！

Bookbee ，

By no means my favourite John Wyndham novel but still enjoyable enough that I've read it numerous times。 By no means my favourite John Wyndham novel but still enjoyable enough that I've read it numerous times。 。。。more

Harrison Webster ，

This is a story about a rare lichen that， once developed into adrug known as an antigerone and injected， can prolong the life of any subject by 200 years。 The discovery of the lichen's properties is made by two scientists: The aspirational young Diana Brackley and the veteran biochemist Francis Saxover。 Francis seeks to hide the discovery， realising it will be too harmful to society; however Diana， who opens a beauticians in London， seeks to secretly inject it into women so that they can eventua This is a story about a rare lichen that， once developed into adrug known as an antigerone and injected， can prolong the life of any subject by 200 years。 The discovery of the lichen's properties is made by two scientists: The aspirational young Diana Brackley and the veteran biochemist Francis Saxover。 Francis seeks to hide the discovery， realising it will be too harmful to society; however Diana， who opens a beauticians in London， seeks to secretly inject it into women so that they can eventually come to dominate men。 Naturally the press and vast corporations catch wind of this remarkable discovery， and a whole lot of drama ensues。It's fun！ Trouble with Lichen explores the effects such aremarkable discovery would have on society， and I'm sure you'll be able to assume， that its not overly positive。This is quite a different novel to Wyndham's usuals。 It isnot an apocalypse novel and only slightly science fiction。 Theexploration of feminism in this books is rather interesting，especially to see form Wyndham， though I'd say the novel isn't quite as kind to feminists as it's often credited to be （it was written by a man in 1960）。 It doesn't read as smoothly as many other of Wyndham's books， its certainly not up there with The Day of the Triffids， The Chrysalids or The Midwich Cuckoos in terms of being engaging， but is definitely worth a read， especially at a mere 189 pages。John Wyndham， as with a lot of his books， seems to beable to write a wonderfully engaging plot with well thought out ideas and themes however he seems to get very bored of writing towards the end。 This is certainly true of Trouble with Lichen。 It's such an interesting idea - yes the ideas of prolonged life and societal unbalance have been explored often - however its the perspective of this novel that is so interesting。 I would have loved to read further on what happens with the lichen and whether the corporations manage to get their hands on it and use it， or perhaps the idea of a female run world would have been fun to explore。 What we are given， is a rather abrupt and disappointingending。The characters are well written， especially Francis andDiana。 The inner conflict Francis has about the drug is veryinteresting and believable and the aspirations of Diana areunderstandable。 Diana is glamorous， sassy， driven and likeable， a character that seems （unintentionally） written for the gays！ 。。。more

Fi Silk ，

Really enjoyed this。 Very thought provoking and still surprisingly relevant

Brian ，

‘The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years， yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off， and we fly away。’ [King James version]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。 Although the book speculates how society would deal with such a break through a ‘The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years， yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off， and we fly away。’ [King James version]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。 Although the book speculates how society would deal with such a break through and it’s ethical and moral implications， Wyndham also explores the effects on women。 He had long been a feminist sympathiser and his views definitely influenced the characters in The Day of the Triffids and The Kraken Wakes。 But with Trouble With Lichen it’s at the forefront。 The book sets its stall out from the beginning with the funeral of Emily Davidson， the suffragette who dies after throwing herself under the kings horse at the derby in 1915。 Diana， the biochemist， is very beautiful but she is also intelligent and very much in control。 It is John Wyndham’s most explicit exploration of woman’s lives in， what was then， the modern world。Early on Diana’s mother highlights the role women should play in society。 She thinks Diana’s studies are foolish and shouldn’t be taken seriously， she advises her to focus on finding a nice husband， settling down and have children， After all， a woman ought to be married; she’s happier that way。’ This is something Diana doesn’t agree with ‘What I don’t like about us is our readiness to be conditioned — the easy way we can be made to be willing to be nothing better than squaws and second-class citizens， and taught to go through life as appendages instead of as people in our own right…’As well as this feminist point of view Wyndham also examines social stereotyping， gender relations， the beauty industry， the press， politics and religion。 It is an examination of the modern world。It is an intelligent and interesting novel and was a return to form for Wyndham after his attempts at hard Sci-Fi with The Outward Urge。 Also he is back on familiar ground， his best novels explore disruption on the everyday lives of ordinary people。 They have real believable people encountering extreme situations。 The narration is smooth and flows well even though at times the subject can be a little dry， it is， as in all his best novels， very readable and more to the point enjoyable。 And of course it begs the question， who wants to live forever？ 。。。more

Natira ，

Schwierig 。。。2，5*Ich hatte hier Probleme mit Wyndhams Erzählstil。 Die Hauptcharaktere erläutern sehr viel; hinzu kommen Einordnungen z。B。 durch Zeitungsartikel。 Er mäandert auch und bringt gefühlt Storylines nicht zu Ende （（view spoiler）[Die Storyline um seine Schwiegertochter fand ich interessant， aber sie （persönlich） verschwand auf Nimmerwiedersehen， obwohl ich vermute， dass die Entführung damit zusammenhängt， die leider auch nicht wirklich irgendwo hin führt。 （hide spoiler）]Dies alles fand i Schwierig 。。。2，5*Ich hatte hier Probleme mit Wyndhams Erzählstil。 Die Hauptcharaktere erläutern sehr viel; hinzu kommen Einordnungen z。B。 durch Zeitungsartikel。 Er mäandert auch und bringt gefühlt Storylines nicht zu Ende （（view spoiler）[Die Storyline um seine Schwiegertochter fand ich interessant， aber sie （persönlich） verschwand auf Nimmerwiedersehen， obwohl ich vermute， dass die Entführung damit zusammenhängt， die leider auch nicht wirklich irgendwo hin führt。 （hide spoiler）]Dies alles fand ich ermüdend; es hat einen Grund， dass ich so lange für dieses schmale Buch gebraucht habe: Ich bin immer nur kurz zu ihm zurückgekehrt。 Inhaltlich kam mir immer wieder Wissenschaftsethik in den Sinn und hier hat Wyndham meiner Ansicht einen Standpunkt vermissen lassen。 Und daneben auch erzählerisches Potential verschenkt。 （view spoiler）[Sowohl Francis als auch Diana verabreichen Lichenin an Dritte， ohne offenbar überhaupt in Betracht zu ziehen， diese zu fragen。 Schon allein das Fehlen dieses Aspektes im Roman hat mich gestört。 Zudem: Diese ethische Frage hätte gut thematisiert werden können， gerade vor dem Hintergrund der unterschiedlichen Ansichten von Francis einerseits und Diana andererseits auf die Auswirkungen von Lichenin。 Es hätte zudem Konfliktpotential eröffnet， nachdem die Verfahrensweise offenbart wurde （hide spoiler）] Vielleicht war dieses erzählerische Potential für Wyndham nicht so relevant: Er nutzt die von Francis einerseits und Diana andererseits gemachte Entdeckung als Aufhänger， sich mit der aktuellen （also Wyndhams Zeit） gesellschaftlichen Stellung der Frauen zu beschäftigen und sozial-ökonomische Fragen zu formulieren。 Wyndham wirft dabei den Blick u。a。 auf Dianas Mutter， Dianas Ausbilderinnen， Diana selbst und weitere auswählte Frauen aus Dianas Umgebung - und dann ist da noch Dianas verstorbene Großtante; verschiedene Männeransichten sind auch präsent。 Die erwähnten Fragen - nun， sie werden spekulativ angerissen， aber Wyndhams Roman endet， bevor sie in tatsächlicher Weise beantwortet werden。 Vielleicht hat es sich Wyndham hier etwas leicht gemacht， indem er nicht in die Zukunft springt; das vorhandene Ende gewährt aber die Freiheit， eigene Vorstellungen zu entwickeln und Schlussfolgerungen zu ziehen。 。。。more

Phoebe ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 （Listened） the overall concept of finding a way of significantly slowing ageing was interesting， particularly when considering the social and political implications of this。 I was intrigued when Diana decides to use the lichenin treatment to form a carefully selected group of women to bring about feminist social change during their extended lives。 She lost me， however， when she selected these women by advertising a incredibly expensive beauty treatment， only taken up by the wives of wealthy male （Listened） the overall concept of finding a way of significantly slowing ageing was interesting， particularly when considering the social and political implications of this。 I was intrigued when Diana decides to use the lichenin treatment to form a carefully selected group of women to bring about feminist social change during their extended lives。 She lost me， however， when she selected these women by advertising a incredibly expensive beauty treatment， only taken up by the wives of wealthy male politicians， lawyers， etc。 Not a v progressive selection process。 Basically I think this book had potential to be super interesting but it didn’t quite get there。 The story’s conclusion was weird as well。 。。。more

C。A。 A。 Powell ，

Every time I've read a John Wyndham novel， I think to myself， "He can't improve and go one better。 " Thankfully， I'm always wrong。 This was an outstanding read。 I'm so impressed with the way this particular author presents his stories。 This time around it was in third person singular。 Very different from Choky or The Chrysalids。 But then， Mr Wyndham always uses great ways of letting the reader see the story infold。 And I do mean see in your mind's eye。 As in crystal clear。Pure science fiction wi Every time I've read a John Wyndham novel， I think to myself， "He can't improve and go one better。 " Thankfully， I'm always wrong。 This was an outstanding read。 I'm so impressed with the way this particular author presents his stories。 This time around it was in third person singular。 Very different from Choky or The Chrysalids。 But then， Mr Wyndham always uses great ways of letting the reader see the story infold。 And I do mean see in your mind's eye。 As in crystal clear。Pure science fiction with no need for special effects。 It has a nice late 50s early 60s feel to it。 A young biochemist and her employer accidently discover fabulous qualities in a rare lichen。 It slows the aging process down。 The treatments are in factors。 A factor of 3 means you age one year during three years， etc。The lichen is rare and there is not enough of it to go around for everyone。 Obviously， this is going to create problems among the masses。 That is where the conundrum of the story unfolds。 。。。more

Wendy Griffiths ，

Not exciting。 Parts of it seemed padded out， but enjoyable none the less。

Aaron Noy ，

Two scientists discover a lichen has the ability to slow down the aging process so that people can live for hundreds of years， but there is a limited supply， how to reveal this to the world？ This is not up there with Wyndham's best books like The Chrysalids and The Midwich Cuckoos but is solid enough。 I can't help but feel he could have written a better book about its long-term effects on humanity rather than focusing on the reveal。 Two scientists discover a lichen has the ability to slow down the aging process so that people can live for hundreds of years， but there is a limited supply， how to reveal this to the world？ This is not up there with Wyndham's best books like The Chrysalids and The Midwich Cuckoos but is solid enough。 I can't help but feel he could have written a better book about its long-term effects on humanity rather than focusing on the reveal。 。。。more

Gareth Howells ，

This is a fantastic book。My 5th Wyndham book and actually my 2nd favourite， which is a big statement in regards to how much I love the other books。 What starts as scientists discovering a biological breakthrough leads to distrust， family complications， media frenzy and international political issues and a moral debate being discussed throughout the book。In all of this the writing is brilliant， the characterisations are clear and compelling， and the story has some choice unexpected moments。Just b This is a fantastic book。My 5th Wyndham book and actually my 2nd favourite， which is a big statement in regards to how much I love the other books。 What starts as scientists discovering a biological breakthrough leads to distrust， family complications， media frenzy and international political issues and a moral debate being discussed throughout the book。In all of this the writing is brilliant， the characterisations are clear and compelling， and the story has some choice unexpected moments。Just brilliant from start to finish。 。。。more

Rachel （Kalanadi） ，

3。5 stars

Tayseer ，

جميلة ❤️

Nicki ，

Well this audiobook was a very pleasant surprise！ I’ve listened to a few audiobooks by John Wyndham， and to be honest I haven’t always enjoyed my experience。 Partly because the books are rather dated now， particularly with the way women are portrayed as either weak and simpering or right old battle axes！ This book however was completely different。 In fact it almost felt like it was written by someone else。 This story didn’t feel like sci-fi to me at all， probably because the idea of scientists l Well this audiobook was a very pleasant surprise！ I’ve listened to a few audiobooks by John Wyndham， and to be honest I haven’t always enjoyed my experience。 Partly because the books are rather dated now， particularly with the way women are portrayed as either weak and simpering or right old battle axes！ This book however was completely different。 In fact it almost felt like it was written by someone else。 This story didn’t feel like sci-fi to me at all， probably because the idea of scientists looking for a solution to ageing has always been around。 In fact did you know that Jeff Bezos and his billionaire cronies are are working on it right now！？None of the characters felt dated either， maybe because Diana was ahead of her time not wanting to just get married and have a family， as was expected when the book was first published in 1957。 She was a fantastic character who had a perfect plan worked out， which I loved discovering as the story unfolded。 There were a few surprises and twists and turns that I thoroughly enjoyed， although the ending was a bit disappointing。 It certainly hasn’t put me off Wyndham’s other books though， especially as they’re available in the audible plus catalogue at the moment。I absolutely loved Vanessa Kirby’s performance！ Her voice talents were brilliant， she was fantastic at all the different characters。 I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of Diana， and also of different minor characters especially the journalists and reporters！ I’ll definitely be looking out for anything else narrated by her in the future。I definitely recommend this one if you enjoy plausible sci-fi books on audio。 。。。more

AA_Logan ，

Wyndham is one of the best at taking an idea， spinning it in an unexpected direction and then expanding on the resultant possibilities。 In this book， he takes a pretty standard ‘what if…’ and goes in unexpected and refreshing directions， even more than half a century from publication。

Phillip Marsh ，

Interesting ideas， but not satisfyingly fleshed out。 Surprisingly feminist notions， but hindered by touches of subtle misogyny。 A few moments of excitement， but dull expanses surrounding。 It was ok， but it’s my least favourite Wyndham so far and a big step down。

Thom ，

A very British book of science， discovery， and ramifications。 While many Wyndham plots have made it into movies， this one strangely has not。 I read it as a 2021 reading by Vanessa Kirby， who did a great job。The two scientists are male （head of a research house） and female （his employee）， and circumstances lead them to investigate the new discovery separately。 They each ponder the implications on society， and this leads to their main difference - one echoed by the earlier movements to earn women A very British book of science， discovery， and ramifications。 While many Wyndham plots have made it into movies， this one strangely has not。 I read it as a 2021 reading by Vanessa Kirby， who did a great job。The two scientists are male （head of a research house） and female （his employee）， and circumstances lead them to investigate the new discovery separately。 They each ponder the implications on society， and this leads to their main difference - one echoed by the earlier movements to earn women the right to vote （in fact the main female character is descended from a suffragette）。 The implications go as far as catastrophe， a topic that shows up in many other Wyndam novels。 This form of time travel is one that has always been quite interesting to me。There was a religious reaction towards the end that echoes fundamentalists today， this was unfortunately swept under the rug。 The novel also assumes a knowledge of the British Parliamentary party system， but the plot politics are left unresolved in the text。 Other reviews have described the novel as dated or slow - but it was published more than 60 years ago。 I would call it ahead of its time， and in fact I think it would make a fantastic film set in the modern day。 。。。more

Dani ，

I can’t believe I missed this book as a teenager - I read so many of his others and enjoyed them。 This may be the best of the lot， though I may need to do some rereading just to check ;）Apart from the lack of mobile phones and internet this book could have been written yesterday rather than 70 years ago！ And I never knew John Wyndham was such a feminist。Great plot， excellent ‘what if’ scenario。 Slightly disappointing detail in the ending， but not enough to take off a whole star。 Narration was go I can’t believe I missed this book as a teenager - I read so many of his others and enjoyed them。 This may be the best of the lot， though I may need to do some rereading just to check ;）Apart from the lack of mobile phones and internet this book could have been written yesterday rather than 70 years ago！ And I never knew John Wyndham was such a feminist。Great plot， excellent ‘what if’ scenario。 Slightly disappointing detail in the ending， but not enough to take off a whole star。 Narration was good too。 。。。more

Isaac ，

"You can’t be too careful about them in a world where the symbol of the joy of living can be a baked bean。"What would you do if you found a "cure" for aging？ More importantly， what would you do if you found a cure for aging， but there wasn't enough of it for everyone？ Would you give it to your friends and family， or would you use it to try to advance yourself in life by giving it to powerful people？ Should it go to people young or old？John Wyndham has a way of creating these fantastic dystopias， "You can’t be too careful about them in a world where the symbol of the joy of living can be a baked bean。"What would you do if you found a "cure" for aging？ More importantly， what would you do if you found a cure for aging， but there wasn't enough of it for everyone？ Would you give it to your friends and family， or would you use it to try to advance yourself in life by giving it to powerful people？ Should it go to people young or old？John Wyndham has a way of creating these fantastic dystopias， but prefers to only give readers a glimpse into these worlds as most of his books are rather short。 I find myself enjoying most of these ideas， but often times I am left wanting more （i。e。 The Chrysalids and The Day of the Triffids）。 In the case of Trouble With Lichen， I think the premise was interesting but the execution didn't really leave me wanting more。 It was short and sweet， and I did overall enjoy it， but it just felt half-baked in comparison to his other novels that I've read。Even if I found the cure to aging， I probably wouldn't reread this one， sorry John。 。。。more

Nigel McFarlane ，

One day， if and when someone eventually creates an anti-aging drug， it will unleash an apolcalypse on a humanity that does not have the social responsibility to deal with it。 This thought has occasionally troubled me， so I was surprised and interested to discover that John Wyndham had written about it decades ago。Wyndham has been accused of writing "cosy catastrophes"， and this is certainly one of those。 Though he briefly mentions some of the potential consequences of an antigerone drug ， such a One day， if and when someone eventually creates an anti-aging drug， it will unleash an apolcalypse on a humanity that does not have the social responsibility to deal with it。 This thought has occasionally troubled me， so I was surprised and interested to discover that John Wyndham had written about it decades ago。Wyndham has been accused of writing "cosy catastrophes"， and this is certainly one of those。 Though he briefly mentions some of the potential consequences of an antigerone drug ， such as mass-starvation and immortal dictators， it's really just a story about the two scientists who discovered it， and doesn't go beyond that。 This apocalypse is a cosy damp squib。Still， it's a pretty good story， with a surprising amount of feminism， and some amusing satire of British society and its newspapers: the Queen should get the drug first！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Trouble with Lichen

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Trouble with Lichen&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Trouble with Lichen&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0