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.

Review: The Tripods #2: The City of Gold and Lead - John Christopher (Samuel Youd)

A couple of weeks ago I read the first book in British science fiction author John Christopher’s Tripods trilogy, THE WHITE MOUNTAIN. As you probably recall, giant machines inspired by the Martian fighting machines in H.G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS have invaded Earth and subjugated humanity by means of mesh caps they place on people’s head to control them. The world has devolved to a medieval, feudal society ruled by the Tripods. It’s unknown whether the Tripods are intelligent machines or simply vehicles for another race of invaders. Here and there are pockets of uncontrolled humanity who harbor dreams of fighting back against the invaders. One such group is located in the White Mountains (clearly the Alps) and the first book finds our heroes, narrator Will Parker and his cousin Henry (from what used to be England) and their French friend Jean-Paul, a.k.a. Beanpole, escaping to this enclave.

The second book, THE CITY OF GOLD AND LEAD, centers around an espionage mission in which Will, Beanpole, and a new character,  Fritz, infiltrate the Tripods’ stronghold, the title city, which seems to be located somewhere in Germany near the North Sea. Beanpole has to be left outside the domed city, but Will and Fritz make it inside. Once there, they discover the true nature of the invaders and learn of a sinister plan that threatens all of humanity. Then it’s up to one of them to escape and carry this vital intelligence back to the resistance in the White Mountains.

I enjoyed the first book quite a bit, although I had a small issue with the ending, and this one is even better. It does bog down a little in the middle, venturing into travelogue SF as Christopher (whose real name was Samuel Youd) provides an abundance of information about the city and the invaders who inhabit it. At the same time, there are some genuinely creepy scenes that are very effective, and Will is such a thoroughly human protagonist that you can’t help but root for him. There’s one more book in the trilogy, and the story expands to such an epic scope in this one that I’m not sure how Christopher is going to wrap it up in a single volume, but we’ll see. I should be reading the third book soon. (There’s also a prequel volume, but we’ll have to wait and see if I decide to read that one.)

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.