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Summary: A junior "War of the Worlds"
Review: "The Tripods" is patterned after The War of the Worlds, but given the target audience, it is naturally up to the children to battle the aliens. The invaders with their shadowy intent use devices implanted in the skull to control humans, who appear to have reverted to a medieval agrarian style of life. The children, however, cannot be safely "capped," and thus have the window of opportunity.Christopher's achievement here is not so much the now-classic plot, but creation of interesting key characters who unlike most series shift in and out of view from sequel to sequel. The descriptions of the people enslaved by the Tripods contrast with the resistance in a way Christopher might have observed in many an authoritarian state. They are drawn so sharply that I recalled the plot twists and character conflicts 25 years after reading the trilogy. The trilogy? But there are four books? As others note, "When The Tripods Came" is a prequel written long after the others. It is a decent and readable but gratuitous book. Reading it first will undermine from the most compelling storytelling device of "The White Mountains" -- its gradual demystifying of what the devil happened to these people and what's inside those tripod things, from the perspective of children with no memory of technology. Note that this very much a male-driven story. The few females are lightly sketched and far between. Thus the books are a harder sell to girls for lack of connection, but I would encourage the attempt. It might also be worthwhile for children to read or reread the books when they are old enough to appreciate the themes of tyranny and rebellion. (Certainly all teenagers do. :) This boxed set is an excellent buy.
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Summary: The Tripods: Entire Series
Review: Ten years ago I read the tripod series for the first time, and i still can't put them down! These books take you to a time in the not so distant future where the world as we know it is entirely changed. Starting with the "When the Tripods Came" we view the destrucion of our cities, homes, but most frigtening- the control of our own minds to the outside invaders we know as the "tripods". Through the next three novels, we witness life in this time through the eyes of a young boy, and his two friends- and their fight for freedom from the horrors of these invaders. There is never a dull second in these books! Check 'em out! I reccomend this to anyone- especially those of you out there who liked "Harry Potter"!
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Summary: Great Book for Girls Too
Review: I read these books over 20 years ago when I was a young girl. I loved them! I don't remember Little Women, I remember both The Tripod Series and The Chronicles of Narnia. I've recently bought the books for my son (9), and I have enjoyed rereading the books. He loves the books even more than the Harry Potter books. Just remember it's great for both boys and girls.
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Summary: A Genuine Classic
Review: I read this book at age twelve as a punishment for finishing the science assignment before the rest of the class. The books on the shelf were for students who didn't do they're work on time. I was disgusted with having to choose from such a poor collection when I picked up my first book The White Mountains. I thought it was going to be a sappy teenage story. By the end of the first chapter I was hooked. Here was this normal teenage boy, Will, fascinated with the forbidden technology of an old watch? What could have happened to make their whole society hate any and all technology. He questions the norm and demonstrates the confidence in himself to do what is right if only in his heart. Such courage inspired me. The entire trilogy was sincere and very plausible in a sci-fi sense. I laughed and cried and was a better person in the end. I think I look for this trilogy's spirit in every series I read. Everything technological that we take for granted could be gone in an instant. I am very grateful for my teacher's insistance on my doing something with my free time, I am and forever will think fondly of these books. I have read many books in many genre's and would honestly wonder if it should be a childrens classic that should be given a little more attention. (Or if anything, imagine what they could do in movie format!)
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Summary: Something Stuck with Me
Review: I read The White Mountains ages ago when I was in fifth grade - back when The Pool of Fire hadn't even been written yet! I loved these books and something stuck with me! After all these years, I finally found the set and am ecstatic that I can now preserve them for my children to read - I would highly recommend them for anyone! :)
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Summary: Solid scifi adventures
Review: John Christopher's Tripod series has become a classic in science fiction, a haunting and often grim look at a future where free will is gone and the Earth has stagnated under alien rule. While the books aren't amazing, they are solid and very interesting. "When the Tripods Came" is a haunting look at an alien invasion that no one could have expected. In the not-too-distant future, strange three-legged machines descend on Earth, only to be destroyed. Then a mysterious TV show mesmerizes many people, followed by a second wave of Tripods -- these welcomed by the eager citizens of Earth. Laurie and his friends must try to escape.... "The White Mountains" takes place long after the prequel. Earth has lost disease, war, hunger, misery... and life. Though people go about their everyday activities, the enormous alien Tripods have effectively stagnated human civilization -- through the mind-controlling Caps. Thirteen-year-old Will is creeped-out by the Caps (which has evolved into a rite of passage) and when he learns of a human stronghold unaffected by the Tripods, he and his friends set out to find them. "The City of Gold And Lead" is the destination of Will, Henry and Beanpole, in the Games that are held every year for young men. The victor will be taken to the City of the Tripods, and may gain valuable information about these alien invaders. The problem is, when a person enters the City, he doesn't return again. And the information Will finds may be the most dangerous and valuable yet. "The Pool of Fire" wraps up the series effectively. Will has made his escape and is hurrying back with a terrifying revelation: The invaders are planning to effectively kill off the human race by changing the atmosphere. So, of course, they have to fight back (with booze, of all thins) and defeat the Masters before the human race becomes extinct. John Christopher tends to excel in writing postapocalyptic fantasy/scifi, with mixed resuls. As that subgenre is very tired by now, the results vary from good to bad. The Tripod series is not actually postapocalyptic in the typical sense; it's a simple alien invasion story. But Christopher manages to study human nature and what is important in these stories. It's a bit like Jack Finney's "Invasion of the Bodysnatchers," in its study of human nature. His writing and dialogue are rather stiff. Though he does a good job of describing things, there's little sense of you-are-there because even in action scenes, there's a detached quality. Despite this, he shows exceptional skill in mapping out this future Earth, similar yet different. The ideas he presents are extremely original, from the Masters to the Tripods to the sinister invasion of Earth.The battle between humans and aliens is definitely a winner. While not perfect, the Tripod series is an entertaining, sometimes chilling read that adults and kids will probably both appreciate. Solid scif stories, quite well-done.
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Summary: The White Mountains
Review: I have nothing but prais to give this book and the entire series, John Christophers books are some of the few intresting books for my age group (13-14), first reading this book just for school I quickly took it home that night and was unable to put it down, I also proceeded to read the other books of the series-- The City of Gold and Lead, later on the Pool of Fire, and just days ago ,When the tripods came. These books are all incredable and I would recomend them to anyone. Just as an example I recomended them to all my friends and they too were unable to put it down Everyone should get these books
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Summary: An interesting saga...
Review: For those who take freedom for granted,read this and you will understand and appreciate it more....
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Summary: Time for a revival of this awesome series!
Review: It's a shame these books seem to have fallen by the wayside in the rush of the ongoing Harry Potter juggernaut (I rarely see them in bookstores anymore). I discovered them at the age of 10, when I was already a voracious consumer of juvenile fiction. Unlike most of the stuff I had read up to that point, however, the Tripods books did not condescend to the age group for which they were intended, but addressed their readers matter-of-factly, treating them like the rational, complex, fully cognizant human beings they in fact are. Even though these books are clearly intended for the 10-14 age group, the tone of the narrative is undoubtedly "adult" and some of the situations the young heroes find themselves in are pretty horrifying. In any event, I was more than ready for such books, after a steady diet of namby-pamby kids' stuff (e.g. the Hardy Boys series). Christopher's characters are fascinatingly complex, do not adhere to stereotypes (the narrator, Will, is a rash, impetuous anti-hero), and mature a great deal throughout the course of the three books. The villains are suitably monstrous, but one of them is portrayed sympathetically enough that you feel bad for him when he meets his end. The trilogy is written in an episodic style that piles on one adventure after another. Christopher employs the technique of having the narrator (and reader) in almost complete ignorance of what is really going on, then gradually revealing the awful truth in bits and pieces, which keeps the reader completely hooked. I remember enjoying these books not as sci fi per se (which I've never been a tremendous fan of), but as simply a gripping adventure, imagining myself thrown into similar appalling circumstances and having to fight my way out with nothing but my wits, my desire for freedom, and the help of my friends. Highly recommended for Potter-heads who have already plowed through that series and are itching for more. The prequel, "When The Tripods Came," was published much later than the original trilogy and contains some surprisingly snarky observations about mass consumer culture and thought control. A worthy, if somewhat superfluous, addition to the series. I'd read it last to avoid spoiling the unfolding revelations of the main trilogy. (I've heard some rumors that this series of books might at some point be given the Hollywood treatment, with the action transplanted from Europe to America. I really hope something like that never sees the light of day. The European locations, all real places, and the different nationalities of the characters, are absolutely essential to the story).
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Summary: Even after all these years
Review: Even as a parent now, with my own children (now ages 10, 13 and 15) I STILL remember these books from when I was their age. I'm buying the collection now for them (OK, and for me to read again, just for old times' sake). It's been easily over 20 years since I last read these books. I can still remember much of the story and the characters. A must-read for young and old alike.
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