Customer Reviews

Tripods Boxed Set

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In sixth grade my teacher read my class this book about tripods that take over the world. I could not remember the title of the book or anything else about it, except, that i enjoyed it immensely. Everytime I tried to explain the book about tripods that take over the world to people, they just stared back at me in cofusion or like i was crazy. BUT IM NOT! And i can finally prove it! These books are great for young adults and i am buying the box set for myself to take with me to read while i serve in the Peace Corps...

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! :)

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.

For those who take freedom for granted,read this and you will understand and appreciate it more....

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).

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.

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.

Book Review

The White Mountains is a Science Fiction Book. It is about 200 pages worth of science Fiction. Basically, there are huge metal figure called tripods and they are ruling their world. At the age of 13 boys get "capped". What that means is that the tripods put a device on their head and then the tripods control the person. There is one boy that doesn't want to get capped so he tries to runaway. He has heard of a place called the White Mountains were nobody is capped and everybody is living freely. On his runaway, he find Henry following him. Therefore Will and Henry try to runaway. Then they meet Beanpole. After that it is just them. On their way there is a tripod following them. They get into a battle and finally kill him.
What I like about this book is that it always keeps you interested. I also like how the author created the tripods and how they work. Everything in this book comes together sooner or later. It was really fun for me to read this book not only because I like the storyline but because I really love Science Fiction. The Three boys encounter so many battles and still make it with an interesting journey. If anyone were to ask me for a good book to read, I would definetly say, " You should read The White Mountains".

This is a great series. In the first book an alien race comes to Earth in the form of the Tripods. We know little of who they are or why they come, but they easily learn about how humans work and are soon taking over the planet (but I won't tell you how). The second book (and in reality the first book published) we find ourselves on a Earth that has been ruled by the Masters and their Tripods for as long as anybody can remember. While Will Parker, Henry Parker and Beanpole, the major characters of the last three books, seem to find everything from before the Masters, such as the City of the Ancients and even a simple wristwatch, strange and fearful the readers (us) find it normal and rich in details only they can truly understand. The third book and the fourth continue to follow the characters from the second novel, as they fight to free the world from the Master's tyranny. With each book, with each page we (and the humans within the novels) learn more and more about the alien race, till they no longer seem like Gods, just very advanced creatures, even likeable in some ways. But they HAVE to be stopped, for their future plans for Earth do NOT include humans. In fact, if they are not stopped, all native life on the planet is doomed!

"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.