The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher is an early YA science fiction series that explores some interesting themes like freedom and the meaning of free will, and it appeals to young and old audiences alike.
What Is It?
The story of this trilogy starts a few hundred years in the future when the Earth is lorded over by giant metal tripods that have destroyed modern civilization and have set humanity back to technological and societal levels akin to the Medieval Ages. At the age of fourteen, all humans are capped with a metal mesh cap attached to their head which makes them docile and obedient to the tripods. However, there is still a small group of humans who have retained their free will and have started a resistance movement. One of these people is the “vagrant” Ozymandias who recruits boys before they are capped. He approaches a thirteen-year-old who lives in England, Will Parker, who has shown some discontent over the rule of the tripods. Will agrees to go join with Ozymandias and the boy is given a map to the “White Mountains” (the Swiss Alps). Will flees from his village with his cousin Henry and along the way they meet up with a French boy named Jean-Paul (whom they nickname “Beanpole”). They reach the White Mountains after several adventures and also after narrowly escaping the clutches of pursuing tripods. Once there, they become involved with a plot to infiltrate the domed cities of the tripods (there are three across the Earth) and to try and end their rule over the planet.
Author: John Christopher
Publication Dates:
1967 – The White Mountains
1968 – The City of Gold and Lead
1968 – The Pool of Fire
Legacy
This science fiction young adult series by John Christopher first came out in the late 60’s, long before YA sci fi/fantasy had become trendy, and it delivers a tale that can be enjoyed by readers both young and old. While simplistic in its telling, the books deliver a rather well-thought-out tale with twists and turns and some intriguing moral dilemmas. It proved popular when it first came out, but it would have been far too expensive to adapt to film or television at that time. The series has since fallen under the radar, but still counts as a minor sci fi classic that is worth revisiting.
A Closer Look
The Tripods books were among the earliest sci fi literary works that I encountered at the same time I was discovering the classics by H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and more. I read them as a kid and have revisited them several times since because I still have fond memories of them and they have stood the test of time. They deliver a boy’s adventure that will definitely inspire younger readers, but they have depth to them as the characters are faced with several moral dilemmas along their journeys that are not always resolved with simple, kid-friendly solutions. Christopher successfully engages his readers by challenging them to think about both the benefits and consequences of free will. And he succeeds in doing this without going too far over the head of his younger readers while keeping in just enough substance to maintain the interest of the older readers.
Christopher does take a rather simplistic approach with his prose and he doesn’t always delve as deep into some of the dilemmas his heroes face as some might prefer. But I don’t consider this much of a stumbling point, and the books succeed at capturing the sense of wonder, mystery, and adventure that appeals to its youthful audience as well as those still young of heart. These offer a good introduction to science fiction literature for younger readers while also exploring some interesting themes and establishing a well-developed world.
The Tripods series hit the shelves one decade before Star Wars exploded on the big screen and subsequently reinvented the genre, and there may have been an opportunity at that time to capitalize on the books. But they apparently had not developed a large following in the U.S., and Hollywood decided to pursue other properties early in the blockbuster era. They have since mostly faded from memory, but the books are still worth a read and could experience a revival at some point.
The Story Continues
Christopher also wrote a prequel book When the Tripods Came in the late 80’s which chronicles the actual invasion that occurred many years prior to the events of trilogy. That prequel is okay, but has a very different feel from its predecessors and is not essential to understanding the story (the events elaborated on in the book are touched on in The City of Gold and Lead). A comic book adaption of the trilogy was serialized in the Boy’s Life magazine from 1981 to 1986 with Frank Bolle as the artist. The BBC television series The Tripods premiered in 1984 and offered a loose adaptation of the books on a rather limited budget. It run for two seasons, adapting the first two books, but was cancelled before it could complete the story. The younger-skewing magazine BEEB offered some additional stories for the main characters to supplement the series. There were talks a while back of a big screen adaptation of the books, but I have heard no updates on that.
Comments on the Audiobook Versions
The audiobook versions of the Tripods Trilogy are narrated by William Gaminara, and upon first hearing those, I originally felt he might not have been the best choice as voice talent. The books themselves are narrated in the first person by the lead character Will Parker and it seems strange to hear the elderly voice of Gaminara reading for a teenage boy. But I found that I quickly warmed to Gaminara’s narration, especially considering the various accents he employed in the reading. So even though I had some initial reservations, I ultimately believe he was an excellent choice as the reader. Each of the books is relatively brief in length and you can get through the audio versions of all three in about sixteen hours (less time than the first Dune book and much less time than larger tomes like Hyperion). There is also an audiobook version of the prequel available which Gaminara reads as well. All of these are available for download from Audible.com.
Interesting Facts
In his commentary included with the audiobook version of his trilogy, John Christopher admits that he unintentionally “borrowed” the idea of the tripods from H.G. Wells. He claims that he must have read War of the Worlds when he was younger, but did not have it directly on his mind when he came up with the idea for the Tripods Trilogy. It was only later when he reflected back that he realized Wells’ book must have provided at least partial inspiration to the tripods of his own books.
Other science fiction books by John Christopher include The Death of Grass (1956), A Wrinkle in the Skin (1965), and The Lotus Caves (1970). He also wrote the Swords of Spirits sci fi/fantasy trilogy which revisits some similar themes from the Tripods books.
Where Can You Find the Books?
The books are widely available in paperback and in eBook format. They have also been adapted to audiobook (along with the prequel) and those are available from Audible.
