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I loved these books as a kid. A 4th was written & I re-read the series as an adult. Not as good, but still very readable.Like most of Christopher's books (all the ones I've read) the hero of the story is a young boy, so it is easy to place yourself in the role (if you were a young boy at the time, of course...). In this series, the world has been taken over by aliens. Survive & fight back. ( )

Escape and infiltration.

The three boys have gotten away from the Tripods in the first book, but put themselves back into danger by going into the 'City of Gold and Lead' and posing as your usual suspects that cannot think for themselves.

A dangerous piece of espionage to fall onto the shoulders of people so young, indeed, as the boys use the time to learn about the aliens and what they actually have planned for humanity in the end.

Continuing a good story.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/10... ( )

Part of the John Christopher `Tripods` trilogy of science fiction novels.

If this enjoyable book has one defect, it`s that it isn`t quite as good as others in the same series.

The stories concern themselves with an Earth colonized by sinister alien invaders, and of the scattered attempts by a handful of humans to organise resistance to them.

In this book, for the first time, the aliens are encountered closely and for the first time, there is an attempt to examine their attitudes to the conquered earthlings. At points the author seems to intend a paralell with slavery, possibly even with Nazism, whilst at the same time beginning to explore the alien`s attitudes - for the first time,they are represented as having difference amongst themselves, with one apparently torn between a desire to learn more about his human slave and his race`s unquestioning assumption that they (the aliens) are entitled to enslave.

At times I did feel that there was maybe a little tiredness creeping in. Towards the end, one character is in imminent danger of drowning, but somehow the scene never really comes to live - partly, admittedly, because the character is also the narrator and has obviously lived to tell the tale !

Nonetheless, any book by John Christopher is worth a read - my main proviso would be that the `Tripods` books are best read in order of appearance (The White Mountains - The City of Lead and Gold - The Pool of Fire). ( )

Three boys set out on a secret mission to penetrate the City of the Tripods and learn more about these strange beings that rule the earth. ( )