Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Review: The Tripods #3: The Pool of Fire - John Christopher (Samuel Youd)


THE POOL OF FIRE is the third and final book in the Tripods Trilogy by British science fiction author John Christopher, whose real name was Samuel Youd. You’ll remember from the previous two books, THE WHITE MOUNTAINS and THE CITY OF GOLD AND LEAD, that aliens known as the Masters have invaded and conquered Earth, mentally controlling everybody over the age of 14 and regressing society to a vaguely medieval state. But there are pockets of resistance, one of them joined by our narrator/protagonist, young Will Parker from England.


Will is one of the few agents of the resistance to infiltrate one of the Masters’ cities and find out anything about them. In the previous book, he discovered they’re working on something that will put all of humanity in mortal danger. In THE POOL OF FIRE, the humans come up with a plan to fight back while they still have a chance, and once more, Will is in the thick of things, despite the fact that he’s still a teenager.

This volume of the trilogy drags a little in the middle while that plan is being developed, but it kicks in and rushes to not one but two big climaxes, both of which are well-written and quite moving with several stand-up-and-cheer moments. However, the wrap-up after that feels a bit rushed to me, and the ending is not especially satisfying.

It seems like I’ve given mixed reviews to all three of these books, but don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the Tripods Trilogy and am glad I read them. I especially like the fact that Christopher told his story in three relatively short novels instead of eight or ten (or more) 150,000 word behemoths like you find so often in modern science fiction and fantasy. The Tripods Trilogy is a very well-loved series, and I think I might have responded more positively to it if I had read the books when I was a teenager. Some books are just better if you encounter them at the right time. But even so, if you’re a fan of classic science fiction, I think these books are well worth reading. THE POOL OF FIRE, like others in the series, is available on Amazon in print and e-book editions.





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