Christopher, John Books

The White Mountains

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 109 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Robotic Revolution 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The White Mountains by John Christopher is a science fiction book and is the first in the Tripod series. This is a very good book filled with action and suspense. The story begins with a boy named Will, who is a year away from being Capped by the Tripods. The Tripods have been controlling Earth for about 100 years. People are Capped at age 14, at which time a device, called a "cap", is placed on their head. The cap allows the Tripods to control their thoughts and actions. For a brief time in each person's life, prior to Capping, they are free of the Tripods and can escape to a place called "the White Mountains."

There are many unique twists in this book and, as the plot develops, the reader is left with many questions. In the beginning, the setting of the story would appear to be medieval England but the reader soon learns it actually takes place 100 years in the future. The first twist occurs when the main character Will and his cousin Jack find the old ruins of a power plant. This gives the reader the first clue that something has destroyed a previously more advanced society and raises the first question about what has caused the destruction.

In the beginning of the story, Will freely accepts the fact that he will one day be Capped, just like everyone else in his society. However, he begins to question this tradition after his cousin Jack is Capped and is no longer the same. The Tripods are first first introduced in the book when Jack has his Capping ceremony. The Tripods appear to be tall, three-legged machines that stand about 30 feet high. The reader is once again faced with questions. Are the Tripods really robotic life-forms or vehicles for an alien race? Could they be the cause for the destruction? If so, why did they come to Earth instead of a planet like Mars? What is so special about Earth?

After Jack's Capping, a stranger comes into the village who Will first believes is a vagrant. A vagrant is somebody who has been unsuccessfully Capped and as a result wanders aimlessly with strange thoughts. Soon, Will realizes the stranger is quite normal and learns that he wears a fake cap. He tells Will of a time before the existence of Tripods and when men were free. The stranger describes to Will a place where the Tripods can't travel, called "the White Mountains." This causes him to question the custom of Capping even more.

Read The White Mountains to find out whether Will stays and accepts his fate, or runs away from the power of the Tripods to find refuge in the White Mountains. You will feel suspense and excitement as you find out what happens to Will and whether or not he can escape the Tripods. Cristian LA-7.

Editorial Review:

35th Anniversary Editon with new Text and a New Preface by the Author!

Long ago, the Tripods -- huge, three-legged machines -- descended upon Earth and took control. Now people unquestioningly accept the Tripods' power. They have no control over their thoughts or their lives.

But for a brief time in each persson's life -- in childhood -- he is not a slave. For Will his time of freedom is about to end -- unless he can escape to the White Mountains, where the possibility of freedom still exists.

The City of Gold and Lead

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Greatest Juvenile Science Fiction novels I ever read 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I do not think there are three juvenile novels that I enjoy nearly as much as these three. The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead and The Pool of Fire are absolutely perfect examples of Juvenile fiction. The books teach moral lessons as well as tell a rip roaring good tale.

Without giving to much plot away this tale is covers a not too distant future when Aliens who roam the Earth in giant Tripods rule the land. Every person who reaches puberty is capped and there mind is controlled or at least molded by the Tripods.

These three books follow a group of runaways and rebels who have never been capped and who desperately want to free Earth and its inhabitants. This band of rebels must find a way to defeat the Aliens without knowing who they are, what there weaknesses are or any worthwhile knowledge. On top of this the `rebels' have to defeat these space age aliens with technology at roughly 19th century levels.

The first book was a mystery unfolding and the last was tension and triumph. The book is really the most emotional of the bunch and you feel a real sense of helplessness.

These books are even more remarkable as they were written in the late 60's. I first read these books as a cartoon serial in `Boys Life' in the early 80's. I enjoyed the tale back then and still enjoy the stories now. I highly recommend all these books for kids and or there parents. Read and enjoy.

Editorial Review:

35th Anniversary Edition with New Text and a New Preface by the Author!

Will, Beanpole, and Henry have managed to escape the Tripods. But instead of living in safety, in the small community of free people, they have chosen to embark upon a mission that may cost them their lives.

The Pool of Fire

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I mainly bought it for Youd's prologue 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The 35th Anniversary editions have prologues written at the time of their publication by Sam Youd, a.k.a. John Christohper himself. All three books have them and they are filled with a wealth of information about what he was thinking, aspects of the Masters, etc. For example, he originally did not set out to write a trilogy and did not even know what/who the Tripods were at the end of the first book. They also have the written text in the stories as he wanted them to originally to be. For those of you who grew up on this stuff, all the books are definitely a 'must have.'

Great book for tweens 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My husband read this series with our girls. He remembered it from his childhood. It's a great book for boys especially (we have 2 nephews that have loved reading it as well).

Editorial Review:

35th Anniversary Editon with New Text and a New Preface by the Author!

Will Parker has managed to escape from the City of Gold and Lead, where he served as a slave to one of the Masters who rule the modern world. And he has not only discovered what lies behind the Tripods' power, but also how the Masters heartlessly plan to destroy the Earth.

When the Tripods Came

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

disturbing and unnecessary 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I first read John Christopher's Tripods trilogy when I was about 13, and it made a powerful impression on me. Even at that young age, I suspected it was about something other than the invasion of earth by giant three-legged overlords, and I am pleased to see from the other reviews that I was not alone in my surmises.

Most deeply, for me, this series -- well, at least the first volume -- was about nonconformity and going your own way, even if you didn't understand the need for it at the time. It was ultimately a parable about the rewards and responsibilities of being a freethinking individual.

Coming back to the series (several times!) as an adult has not lessened my admiration of it, although these days I wonder less about the Tripods themselves than I do at Christopher's disciplined writing and adroit storytelling.

Anyhow, the original series left unanswered questions about how exactly the Tripods came to take over the earth. I've read that this tale came about when another science-fiction writer, Brian Aldiss, chided Christopher for having a less-than-believable premise, given the fearsome technology that humans would have been able to deploy against hostile invaders even back in the 1960's, when the original trilogy was published.

And so it was that about 20 years later, in 1988, Christopher returned to the world of the Tripods to craft a prequel, a tale that would explain where the Tripods came from and how it was they took over a world that was armed to the hilt.

Tragically, the story is a bit dumb. I'm glad it wasn't around when I was a teenager, or I probably would have read it first and not finished the other three novels.

For me, the original trilogy managed to create a heft of mystery and wonder PRECISELY BECAUSE it left questions about the backstory unanswered. It was as though we were seeing the world through the eyes of the three boys: it had been destroyed, but exactly how or why could not be ascertained. But it didn't matter anyhow: the only question was what to do now. I thought this approach the touch of a master storyteller.

Stripping away all these mysteries has in fact ended up robbing the original trilogy of much of its appeal, as I could have predicted. No longer will readers be burdened with the weight of troublesome questions!

Mr. Christopher: the next time another science-fiction writer complains that your stuff isn't plausible, tell him to go fly a kite. Your stuff is fine the way it is.

Editorial Review:

Long ago, the Tripods--huge, three-legged machines--descended upon Earth and took control. Now people unquestioningly accept the Tripods' power. They have no control over their thoughts or their lives. But for a brief time in each person's life--in childhood--he is not a slave. For Will, his time of freedom is about to end--unless he can escape to the White Mountains, where the possibility of freedom still exists. The Tripods trilogy follows the adventures of Will and his cohorts, as they try to evade the Tripods and maintian their freedom and ultimately do battle against them. The prequel, When the Tripods Came, explains how the Tripods first invaded and gained control of the planet.

Tripods Trilogy

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Long ago the Tripods, gigantic three-legged machines, descended upon Earth and took control. They used "Caps," administered ceremoniously near each child's 14th birthday, to control humans' brains and keep them docile. Now there is pleasant life in villages, little technology, and no war--but there is no freedom either. In this powerful and suspenseful series, 13-year-old Will Parker and his friends deal with hunger, humanity, envy, and pride as they struggle to find out all they can about the Tripods and overthrow their rule. Written by John Christopher, author of many juvenile science fiction and fantasy books, The Tripods Trilogy is sure to make a science fiction fan out of any reader--young or old. This box set of paperbacks includes The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire, the chilling conclusion to the series that poses the question: Who would rule the world if it were freed from the aliens? (Ages 9 and older) --Bonnie Bouman

The Guardians (New Windmills)

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

not up to The Tripods, but still quite satisfactory 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have never been a fan of "young adult sci fi" as an independent genre, but, having been introduced to Christoper's legendary "Tripods" trilogy (from which even the 2005 movie version of "War of the Worlds" borrowed liberally) as a young boy, I figured I'd read "The Guardians" when I stumbled across it on a library table and had two hours to kill.

Despite what many here have said, I would without compunction characterize "The Guardians" as a fast-paced adventure story. It details the adventures of one Rob Randall, a boy raised in a not-too-distant England, which has been subdivided into "the Conurb"--where Rob grew up, devolved into a bread-and-circuses-type situation where the masses can only be kept at bay through government-sponsored violence--and "the County"--where wealthy families and their live-in staffs luxuriate in nineteenth-century torpor. Afer Rob's father dies, he is spirited off to a rigorous boarding school where he runs afoul of the military-style discipline and is impelled to flight by his classmates' sadism. Rob succeeds in escaping under the legendary, underwhelming "fence" that divides the Conurb from the County. After injuring his foot and finding himself quite helpless, Rob is befriended by Mike, a well-to-do country boy who discovers Rob while out riding his horse one day. Mike's mother--discovering food missing from the kitchen and extracting the truth from a recently-fallen-ill Mike--rescues Rob and quickly incorporates him into the family. Rob and Mike are fast friends and are both quite happy until, one day, a wealthy visitor sees through Rob's thin veneer of "I'm Mike's cousin from Nepal"--backed up by Rob's having read a book or two about Nepalese customs, fauna, tourist attractions, etc.--and is about to deliver him to the authorities. We ultimately learn that, while Mike's father was long ago biotechnologically "subdued" (reminiscent of the "capping" in the Tripods trilogy), Mike is quite a rebel himself, "escaping" the superficial happiness of the County for the challenge of the Conurb. At the end of the story, a trepidation-filled Rob slips back under the fence to hunt for Mike, who provided Rob a forwarding address. The story wraps up rather too quickly, and I personally would have enjoyed following Rob's life story for at least a bit longer, yet Christopher does an admirable job of painting the essential elements of an imperfect future world and exploring the tormented psyche of a nice boy inextricably caught in that unforgiving world.

Editorial Review:

One of a series of fiction for schools. The moral of this story, set in the 21st century, is that freedom has to be won and kept by the young. It won the "Guardian" Prize for Children's Literature.

The Tripods Boxed Set of 4: When the Tripods Came/ the White Mountains/ the City of Gold and Lead/ the Pool of Fire

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 78 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

the white mountains 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I know these books are supposed to be for youngsters, but i read it the first time i my twenties and loved it so much that i am buying it again today--at the age of 49.

A great read for kids and adults. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I originally read this series of novels back in the late 1960's. As a matter of fact I still have my copy of The White Mountains. The ONLY negative thing I have to say is that "When the Tripods Came" is written 20 years after the series was first published and I thought this book was unnecessary - a person's imagination doesn't need EVERYTHING spelled out for them. If you kids (or you) haven't read this series, then do so ASAP!

A great series 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I read the original three when I was thirteen back in the 70's. I had always wanted my boys to read these books but I had lost the first two over the years. I have just found the series again and I'm thrilled to turn my kids on to this great read.

Oldies but Goodies! 5 out of 5 stars.
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I remember reading these books in School, and thought I would just buy them for grins...... Amazon HAD all 4 of them Cheaper than the Bidding was on just 3 of them on E-Bay! Such a deal! Thanx Amazon..... you have not failed me yet!

Empty World: 2

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

masterpiece of young adult fiction 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

It's too bad that fiction written for young adults is also written off by literary critics - if not, I couldn't imagine a work deserving higher praise than Christopher's "Empty World," which accomplishes the near-impossible task of rejuvenating the stale genres of coming-of-age novel, apocalyptic novel, and survival novel, all wrapped up into a touching, insightful, and compelling story.

The power of Christopher's fiction relies largely on a simple device: his heroes are never the biggest, strongest, or even smartest in their environments. They are usually quiet, unassuming, and have the great misfortune to be witnesses and unwilling participants in Events (often catastrophic). In the most heartbreaking scene in "Empty World," the hero finds another boy his age who has just committed suicide, only to realize that that boy was otherwise more intelligent and more capable of survival than he. With these kinds of realizations generating the plot, you can see that this is no ordinary teen fiction.

In "Empty World", the hero is emotionally dead long before a devastating virus sweeps the planet clean - and he begins to come alive (metaphorically) only after the rest of the world dies off (literally). His quest to find survivors turns into a near-parody of Sartre's "Huis Clos," as they struggle with their ability - or inability - to live together at all.

It's an amazing work from start to finish, full of beautifully painted atmosphere, well-drawn characters, leisurely pacing, and a helluva emotional wallop. Such a pity that the book is so difficult to find anymore. :-/

Editorial Review:

When a deadly virus kills off most of the world's population, a teenaged boy tries to survive in a seemingly empty England.

The Prince in Waiting (The Sword of the Spirits Trilogy)

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A Royal Story With A Difference 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.

The Disaster had destroyed so much of the world. Volcanoes and earthquakes brought civilization crashing down into ruins and permanently changed the planet. The survivors blamed this on the machines. Now people live in separate medieval communities, worship Spirits and despise technology. Anyone caught with a machine of any kind is killed.

In Winchester, young Luke Perry is named Prince in Waiting by the Seers. Luke tells a tale of treachury, murder, and intrigue. The Seers have chosen Luke for a special mission...

This is a good story about friendship, loyalty, suspicion, pride and belief. John Christopher writes about a superstitious society of the future in a style that makes readers want to turn the page.

IMPATIENCE IN THE MEDIEVAL FUTURE 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Very good read, but not on a par with Christopher's TRIPODS series. Perhaps the sense of urgency is lost because so much time elapses in this book, instead of the plot pursuing its course remorselessly day after day. But John Christopher fans will want to complete this futuristic series set in a medieval England.

Thirteen-year-old Luke Perry, the son of a commoner (promoted to Captain) hears a prophecy of the Seers (priests of the Spirits) that he will become the next Prince-in-Waiting for the city of Winchester. But treachery from enemies, friends and even his own family stalk him as he impatiently waits to come into his own. Besides, Luke is confused about the very existence of the Spirits; he wants to scoff and deny this national religion, but their prophecy suits his ambition perfectly. Does a young teenager possess the intelligence, wisdom and skill to defeat adult rivals for the throne?

Editorial Review:

Thirteen-year-old Luke has no reason to suspect that anything will ever change in the primitive society of the future in which he lives.

Beyond the Burning Lands (The Swords of the Spirits Trilogy)

John Christopher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

the best "war book" I've read. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

beyond the burning lands by John Christopher... I finished it last weekend, and I won't lie, I waited for monday just to check out the next by christopher. I LOVE this series, and I can't wait to finish this one. I personally think its better than the harry potter series, but thats just me. This is serious and darker than Harry Potter, and also embodies what one undergoes in life, no matter what the situation. sadness, lies, anger, hatred are allcharacteristics of a human. Christopher Hooked me on the first book, The Prince In Waiting, and I absolutely loved it. The Structure and dramaticism is incredible and the way he transposes his characters into feelings we can all relate to, And Luke, most of all being a confused man in a changing world.

VOLCANIC EMOTIONS AND EVENTS 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Luke's adventures continue as he learns about the Seers and their scientific discoveries in their underground sanctuary near Stonehenge. Although he realizes that the national religion is pure bunk, Luke wants to use it to further his own ambitions. But he is too young and restless to wait for years until the Seers--who study and recreate ancient Technology on the sly-- are ready.

The hot-headed hero sets off on his own to explore the lands beyond the volcanic barrier to the England of the medieval Future. Seeking the mythical city of Klan Gothlam in the country of the Wilsh, Luke meets a fair princess and a huge sea monster. Again he must evaluate an entirely new lifestyle, but despite the dangers of this journey, Luke must confront the greatest challenge to his Crown Prince status when he returns home. Not on a par with PRINCE IN WAITING: a good story but unevenly paced.

Editorial Review:

Prince-in-Waiting Luke returns from exile to Winchester, a city of a future England ruled by patterns from the past, and sets out on a journey through the Burning Lands, a volcanic wasteland.