THE flesh-eating triffids are back and hungrier than ever!

To mark the 50th anniversary of John Wyndham's classic, The Day Of The Triffids, Doncaster-based author Simon Clark has conjured up a sequel of which I'm sure Wyndham, who died in 1969, would have been proud.

At the end of the original, the hero Bill Masen, his wife and baby son join a new colony on the Isle of Wight after the mutant plants take over the British mainland and the world.

Clark takes up the story 25 years later, with Masen's son, David, as the central character.

The tiny community, safe in its island fortress, has survived, but one morning the island is plunged into darkness.

Masen, a pilot, is sent to investigate, but soon finds himself in trouble. After crash landing, he is picked up by a ship and taken to New York, where a community has been established. But not everything is as it seems.

Paying tribute to the original, Clark said: "The Day Of The Triffids wasn't merely a good story; it was such a powerful transforming experience that the hero's struggle for survival has stayed with me ever since.

"And yet always, when I re-read this great book, I feel an aching sense of loss as I reach the end. The characters were leaving me. But deep down I knew their stories continued. For years I dreamed about their future adventures."

The Night Of The Triffids is a highly-enjoyable read, with strong characters and an ingenious plot. A sequel must surely be on the cards.