Review: The Tripods #1: The White Mountains - John Christopher (Samuel Youd)

I’ve been vaguely aware of John Christopher’s name for quite a while and had heard of (but not read) his famous science fiction novel NO BLADE OF GRASS. I’d also seen mentions of his young adult series known as THE TRIPODS. Those three books are available now as e-books, so I decided to give the first one, THE WHITE MOUNTAINS, a try. The trilogy was published originally in the late Sixties, and I tend to like most of the science fiction produced during that era, other than the New Wave stuff, most of which I never cared for.

Anyway, it quickly becomes apparent that THE WHITE MOUNTAINS is set during a time after an alien invasion has conquered Earth. Machines known as the Tripods, towering things that stomp around on three legs, rule the world. The humans left alive have no idea if the Tripods are sentient or simply machines in which the true invaders ride around. When humans reach the age of thirteen, they are taken by the Tripods and implanted with a brain control device known as a Cap. Human life under the Tripods has devolved into a medieval, feudalistic society. Christopher, whose real name was Samuel Youd, does a great job of conveying all this background to the reader in a clear, fast-moving fashion that avoids infodumps.

It helps that he gives us a very likable narrator/protagonist named Will Parker, a young village boy who is still a year or so away from the Capping ceremony that will put him in thrall to the Tripods. Then a stranger comes to the village, and Will learns from him that there’s a mysterious place somewhere far to the south known as the White Mountains, where people live free from the control of the Tripods and even fight back against them. Will runs away from his village (which is obviously in what used to be England) with his cousin Henry, who is also Will’s enemy but wants to get away, too. They wind up in what used to be France and make friends with another young misfit they dub Beanpole (his actual name is Jean Paul). After some adventures, and making some friends and enemies, the three boys wind up on the run with the Tripods pursuing them.

All this is great. Christopher writes very well, and while there’s really nothing here we haven’t read in other science fiction novels, he does a fine job with it and I really enjoyed reading the book. And then we get to the end.

Well, I knew going in that this was the first book of a trilogy, so I didn’t expect much resolution. But even so, I found the ending much too abrupt and jarring, a real “Wait . . . what?” moment totally lacking in drama. It threw me so much I wasn’t even sure I was going to read the other two books. I’m going to, because I had a great time for most of this book and I want to see what’s going to happen, but man, talk about a letdown.

Despite all that, if you’re a fan of vintage science fiction, I give THE WHITE MOUNTAINS a pretty high recommendation. It reads fast, it has a real sense of wonder, and the characters are excellent. I’m hoping the next two books will redeem that ending.