When the Tripods Came

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Tripods Revisited - Nice, but don't expect too much - Rated
John Christopher's original "Tripods" trilogy has become a classic, and rightly so: A boy in a kind-of-medieval society discovers that the local rite of passage would end in him being a rather peaceful, unobstrusive, obedient and quiet conformer. And a follower of the Tripods, metallic giants everyone seems to take for granted.

In the course of the trilogy, the boy escapes, finds new friends and learns about the eventual plans of the Tripods - it's still a thrilling, great science fiction story especially for younger readers.

"When the Tripods came" is a prequel that sheds light on the original Tripod invasion, how and why they could win it, and other questions the original trilogy did not address. It's more a crossing of the t's and dotting of the i's than a must-read, and if you know the original trilogy, you will probably guess right what will happen most of the time. It's a bit like visiting a place where you grew up.

Still, the book contains some very interesting ideas, and makes a good travel companion (for a short trip or a long flight). The book is primarily aimed at teens; but even if you are a Tripods veteran who has long passed age 20 you will probably enjoy it - like in the original trilogy, the plot is coherent enough and the characters believable enough so that the whole story works just fine.

And if you have children of your own who you would like to introduce to a classic, this (sadly: rather short) book is a good starting point.

Prequel to the Tripods trilogy - Rated
This is a prequel to the popular set of novels written by John Christopher. After loving the orignals for many years I heard that there was a prequel and I found it. The book is an interesting read for Tripods fans and helps to fill in some of the gaps hinted at by the other books. However there isn't any real insight because we know the story already, it was told to us by Will's master in the City of Gold and Lead.

The main complaint I have with this book is that it is written for younger readers than the Tripods trilogy. The original novels were aimed at 9+ year olds. This is more 7+. Fans who love the orignal book could be disappointed with this because it is so much more juvinile. Most people will look to this one AFTER they have read the first, simply because the originals are so much more well known. There is a big gap between literature for 7 year olds and 9 year olds. Children look down books that they see as "babyish", and many children will see this book in that way. I have absolutely no idea why John Christopher chose to make this book for younger readers.

But as it goes this book isn't too bad and does it's job well. It is more of a present day setting that the original trilogy so some children may be able to relate to it more. I like the guilible teacher who mocks the Tripods who eventually gets taken away to a madhouse. He obviously represents the critics who panned the 1980's Tripods TV series.
An interesting read for Tripods fans, but nowhere near the standard of the original trilogy.

A superb prequel - Rated
Does just what a prequel should do. Fills in the gaps in the history of the later books and tells a superb story along the way

Prequel to the Tripods Trilogy - Rated
This book is Actually a Prequel to the John Christopher Tripods Trilogy, and goes a long way to explaining how the tripods took over the Earth and why the last remaining free men are hiding out in the White mountains. If you have already read the other three books in the series, you may be a little disappointed in this book. It is by no means a necessary read and merely fills in some of the details that are hinted at in the Tripods Trilogy. If you are a Tripods fan then you will no doubt purchase this book to make sure your collection is complete, however I feel that it does not quite match the standard of the other books in the Series.