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Title: The Tripods Boxed Set of 4: When the Tripods Came/ the White Mountains/ the City of Gold and Lead/ the Pool of Fire by John Christopher ISBN: 0-689-00852-X Publisher: Simon Pulse Pub. Date: July, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.65 (57 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Time for a revival of this awesome series!
Comment: 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).
Rating: 5
Summary: A Genuine Classic
Comment: 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!)
Rating: 5
Summary: Something Stuck with Me
Comment: 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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Title: A Dusk of Demons by John Christopher ISBN: 0689806337 Publisher: Simon Pulse Pub. Date: 01 November, 1996 List Price(USD): $3.99 |
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Title: A Wrinkle in the Skin by John Christopher ISBN: 1587152355 Publisher: Wildside Press Pub. Date: December, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Silver on the Tree/The Grey King/Greenwitch/The Dark Is Rising/Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper ISBN: 0020425651 Publisher: Simon Pulse Pub. Date: October, 1993 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Prince in Waiting by John Christopher ISBN: 0020424000 Publisher: Simon Pulse Pub. Date: March, 1974 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: Beyond the Burning Lands (The Swords of the Spirits Trilogy) by John Christopher ISBN: 0020425724 Publisher: Aladdin Library Pub. Date: October, 1989 List Price(USD): $4.50 |
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