The Tripods Trilogy

My first contact with John Christopher's Tripods trilogy was the BBC television series broadcasted in the late 80s (which actually covered parts one and two of the trilogy). After having seen the TV series as a teenager, I just had to have the books, which I read several times during my youth. And I just happened to read it once again this summer - although I'm in my thirties now.

The story takes place in a future world, where the planet is controlled by giant metal Tripods that roam the earth - and nobody really knows anything about them. People are "capped" upon reaching adulthood: a metal cap placed on the head that seems to control one's thoughts; so nobody even cares about the Tripods. They are accepted as god-like creatures that show more exist for the good of humanity. The first book starts with a group of young boys who, wishing to escape the Tripods' control, undertake a journey from England through France to the Swiss Alps - a place they're told is free from Tripods and where free men live. The second part of the trilogy follows another group of boys who venture right into the Tripods' city to learn more about the "enemy" and steal their secrets. The last book of the trilogy finally describes the defeat of the Tripods and mankind's new start.

The trilogy contains much that a teenage reader would be looking for in a book. Adventure, friendship, suspense, mystery - it's all there.

Maybe I'm not entirely subjective here, since I've first read this book as a teenager and regard it as one of the best books I've read back then. I'll probably read the book again in a couple of years. And I guess I'll still give it full five stars. show less

I need to re-read this, but adored it when I was a kid -- felt that it asked some really good questions that books rarely ask kids of that age. In retrospect, it was probably sort of formulaic and dull, but at the time, it was ground-breaking for me.

The White Mountains

Great story about a future dystopia where alien Tripods have taken over the world and humans live a rural, simple life (which actually looks rather attractive on the face of it). The author does a good job of describing the remnants of earlier civilisation from the point of view of Will and his friends who know nothing of it. I never caught this on TV in the 1980s and it is aimed at teenagers, but a cracking good story. 5/5

The City of Gold and Lead

Generally a worthy successor to The White Mountains. The early chapters continue the journeying, but the bulk of the story is set in the Tripods' city itself. The author makes a good attempt at depicting an alien culture, with very different lifestyles, thought patterns and show more conceptions of morality and shows the dilemma and isolation of the main characters. 5/5

The Pool of Fire

Final resolution of the crisis with the Tripods defeated. This was good, but perhaps not quite up to the standard of the the first two novels. The resistance managed to rediscover the technology of the ancients remarkably quickly and relatively easily. The Tripods gave up in the end with rather implausible speed. The final chapter showed victorious humankind sadly disintegrating once again into tribal and national factions. A great series overall. 4/5 for the final installment, 4.5/5 for the overall trilogy. show less

This is a classic, and very good, young adult series about a post apocalytic/post Alien invasion Earth. Aliens have landed and apparently suppressed the technology on Earth to a very primitive level, and control all adults through the use of mind control devices. When a young man gets to the age where he must wear one of these devices, he discovers there are anti-alien rebels, and the rest of the books tell the story of the boy and the rebellion. Very good stuff. The writing isn't overly sophisticated and the plot isn't complex, but this is still a good read for any age.

Un libro simple para alguien mas mayor pero para un niño es facil de seguir e interesante. Acaba con una nota realista que hace pensar.

Un libro simple para alguien mas mayor pero para un niño es facil de seguir e interesante. Acaba con una nota realista que hace pensar.

This is a great trilogy for all ages. Because these books are fast and easy to read, I think they would be a perfect introduction to the science fiction genre for the young who haven't read any or for the more seasoned who always shied away from it. (It's not all like Star Trek, you know!)