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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Dallas Public Library | + FICTION - CHRISTOPHER | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Christopher, J. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Fourteen-year-old Laurie and his family attempt to flee England when the Tripods descend from outer space and begin brainwashing everyone with their hypnotic Caps.
Author Notes
Christopher Samuel Youd was born on April 16, 1922, in Knowsley, Lancashire, England. He entered the Royal Signals corps during World War II. He published a dozen novels while working at an office job in London, writing in the evenings and on weekends. The success of a 1956 novel, The Death of Grass (titled No Blade of Grass in the United States), allowed him to become a full-time author. He wrote under the following pen names: Stanley Winchester, Hilary Ford, William Godfrey, William Vine, Peter Graaf, Peter Nichols and Anthony Rye. Under the pen name John Christopher, he wrote the Tripods trilogy, The Sword of the Spirits trilogy, and The Fireball trilogy. He died from complications of bladder cancer on February 3, 2012 at the age of 89.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The initial Tripod invasion of Earth seems laughable: armed forces overwhelm two of the giant attackers, and the third simply self-destructs. But when TV stations all over the world begin to broadcast the Trippy Show, the fanscalled Trippiesare hypnotized and flock to Trippy communes. By the time the second Tripod invasion begins, the Trippies greet the aliens as saviors and eagerly don the brainwashing caps provided them. Realizing that they can no longer stay in England and remain uncapped, Laurie and his family journey to Switzerland. When Switzerland falls under the Tripods' spell, Laurie, accompanied by two other boys, flees with his family to a remote spot in the Alps. The small band resolves to devote their lives to fighting the Tripods and thus form the core of the resistance movement that figures in the author's Tripods trilogy. Like those books, this fast-paced adventure explores serious issues of freedom and morality, creating a welcome prequel to the series. Ages 9-14. (April) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
This alien invasion begins: Laurie and Andy, two boys camping on Dartmoor, are the only survivors of the first encounter with a Tripod in England. On that visit, the invaders seem clumsy and easily vanquished; but their ability to control minds is soon demonstrated as most of the world rapidly becomes enslaved. The two boys, together with Laurie's father, grandmother, and sister, escape to Switzerland and remain free, vowing to discover other free people and fight the invaders. Coming 21 years after the original Tripod trilogy, this prequel serves chiefly to describe the establishment of the core of resistance that appears at the opening of The White Mountains. But, since it has the same swift action and sense of menace that has made the original books popular, both present and past generations of fans should greet this new chronicle with enthusiasm. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-9. A prequel to the author's well-known White Mountains trilogy, this relates how the Tripods came to Earth and imposed a new subservient order on its population. The protagonist is Laurie Cordray, who, with his friend Andy, witnesses the first arrival of these towering metallic creatures. Shortly thereafter, Tripod cults begin to form around a television program devoted to these objects. Laurie's first inkling that something is amiss is when his sister, a fan of the show, becomes hysterical after he accidently neglects to tape an episode while she is out. A local doctor manages to ``deprogram'' her, but it's clear that some kind of mass hypnosis is taking place. As the number of Tripod converts grows, their power increases; soon they are wearing special caps that suppress their free will and make them unquestioning followers of the Tripods. Laurie's family realizes they must leave their home or be unwillingly capped. They flee to a remote mountain area of Switzerland, where they are able to carry on a free existence and recruit others to begin working against the Tripods. The story's scenario exudes a chill; Laurie lives in the present, not some futuristic world, and the Tripods' insidious rise to power seems quite reasonable in the context of the story. There is considerable momentum, though events toward the end are somewhat underdeveloped. With a guaranteed audience, this is sure to be popular. DMW. Science fiction [OCLC] 88-478