So, until I bought the boxed set of John Christopher's Tripod Trilogy, I had no idea he'd written a prequel 20 years after the original trilogy was released.
Which brings us to When The Tripods Came. The plot is fairly straight forward, as we meet Laurie and Andy, off camping on the moors when the first Tripod appears in England. Three arrived at the same time, one in England, one in Russia, and one in Montana. While the American tripod self destructs, the other two are defeated by the military of the respective nations.
Much fun is made of our first extraterrestrial encounter, as they really didn't do much besides die. Indeed, a new show about the tripods hits the televisions a few months after, seemingly poking fun at the alien objects. And then people get really obsessed with the show. Laurie watches one episode, and notices how realistic some of it seems to be. His sister becomes a Trippie, one of the obsessed fans of the show. She gets hypnotized by a psychologist, who gets her out of it, but everyone wonders why a show would be hypnotizing people.
Long story short, despite Laurie's parents being decidedly British about things, stiff upper lip and all, they do wind up fleeing after a cousin drops by to put helmets on those who won't voluntarily Hail the Tripod. Well, that and Tripods setting down and making their way to population centers, with Trippies hanging off all the legs to prevent attack.
By the time the family flees to try to reach Switzerland with Andy in tow, most forms of mass transit have shut down. Indeed, they take a boat to Gloustershire, get shipped back to the mainland, then hijack the plane. Which leads to tense moments getting across Germany into Geneva. After quite a bit of effort, we see the family and a few additions setting up shop atop a mountain in a train tunnel. The book does end with some hope, even as seemingly all of humanity over 13 is capped by the Tripods.
By far the best part of this is the forward he wrote for this edition, discussing how the 80s BBC series (which evidently started deviating quite a bit about halfway through the first season) was panned by a Famous British Sci-Fi author, who sniffed about how the Tripods didn't even have infrared. As the author points out, Sci-Fi often misses things as the eras progress, pointing out that almost no science fiction predicted the rise of the internet. So, after the first attack, when England is laughing about the
Tripod's lack of infrared....
Also, unlike the original trilogy, there are more than a few female characters running around, and Laurie's sister even smacks him for suggesting that women don't belong in the resistance.
The one thing that did amuse me unrelated to anything else was that, in the original trilogy, every measure was Imperial. In this one, we gets meters and kilograms, which makes much more sense in the setting.
Honestly, I like that he wrote this, even if he did use it to correct things that became problematic as the originals aged. I enjoyed seeing the beginning, and remain amused that a kids show would brainwash the populace into accepting the peace of the herd instead of buying toys. On the whole, the series remains something I'd happily hand down to my nieces and nephews as they get older.
Showing posts with label John Christopher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Christopher. Show all posts
Monday, January 6, 2020
Thursday, January 2, 2020
History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men
So, finished John Christopher's The Pool of Fire this afternoon, wrapping up the original Tripod Trilogy. (There is a prequel, written several years later, but it's going to be a few days before I get there.)
Anyway, we open with Will and Beanpole passing on what Will learned in the city of the Masters to the Council. He even gets chastised by Julian for his impulsive behaviour, rightfully pointing out that Will's actions meant that Fritz didn't get out. It also introduces council member Pierre, who shows up again in the finale as an antagonist to Julian. Interestingly enough, even though we're meant to dislike Pierre, he has a point, as does Julian, as they discuss freedom vs social compacts.
Anyway, with a time frame of less than four years before the Masters' ship is due to arrive and turn Earth's atmosphere into something breathable to the Masters, Will is set to be shipped out to recruit a resistance among the youth in the East. He's less than thrilled about this, until he finds his partner is Fritz, who seems to have survived the City after all.Cousin Henry winds up in the Americas, recruiting there. Beanpole goes to work in a lab.
After Fritz and Will return, they get shipped to Beanpole's lab, where they help capture a Tripod and the Master within. A fight between Will and his ship captain nemesis for the last book leads to the revelation that the masters can't detect alcohol, and indeed, it makes them immobile for several hours.
And this leads into the attacks on the cities, wherein Will and Fritz break into the European City, sort of in sync with break ins to the Asian and American cities. The goal is to slip alcohol into the water supply and destroy the cities from there. We also find the Pool of Fire, the source of power for the Cities. Turning it off makes the Caps fail, leading to the former slaves helping Fritz and Will to find a way to break the dome.
After escaping, with the masters dead and the Tripods outside the city dead as well, we learn the Asian city fell as well. Henry's attack on the American city (sitting astride the Panama Canal) didn't fare as well. As such, it becomes necessary to try an air raid, as less han a year remains before the Masters's ship arrives. The first one fails, and the second, done with Hot Air balloons nearly does as well, until Henry, after making a moving speech to Will prior to the raid about whether or not Man will return to its old ways of war and separation, lands on the dome and sets off the bomb with him holding it, destroying the last City.
And then... We find out the ship came and bombed the Cities to prevent Man from learning their secrets. (Bit late for that.) And we return to the White Mountains and the Council of Men, where the council is trying to basically form a United Nations, or a better world government. Which is where we meet Pierre again, and the fight comes out again between the nations, as the debate on whether or not Julian is a tyrant or not comes out.
Despite the advances in scientific knowledge (becoming an interstellar race within 50-100 years), the nations of men again separate into their tribes, leaving our 3 survivors to try to unite the world.
So, in the end, the magic I remember from my long ago reading remains, even if some of the issues have become clearer with time and a changing society. While Christopher's concerns about mankind's inability to get along have remained largely true, the books, written in the mid to late 1960s, also lack in any kind of female representation. (Which seems to be a trait of British Boys' Fiction. See Lord of the Flies.) While contemporary YA post apocalyptic more than makes up for this lack of representation, this is a relic of an earlier time, that folks might want to be aware of, less they expect Katniss to come in and save the day. However, the recurring discussions on the nature of man remain just as valid now as they did in 1968.
Anyway, we open with Will and Beanpole passing on what Will learned in the city of the Masters to the Council. He even gets chastised by Julian for his impulsive behaviour, rightfully pointing out that Will's actions meant that Fritz didn't get out. It also introduces council member Pierre, who shows up again in the finale as an antagonist to Julian. Interestingly enough, even though we're meant to dislike Pierre, he has a point, as does Julian, as they discuss freedom vs social compacts.
Anyway, with a time frame of less than four years before the Masters' ship is due to arrive and turn Earth's atmosphere into something breathable to the Masters, Will is set to be shipped out to recruit a resistance among the youth in the East. He's less than thrilled about this, until he finds his partner is Fritz, who seems to have survived the City after all.Cousin Henry winds up in the Americas, recruiting there. Beanpole goes to work in a lab.
After Fritz and Will return, they get shipped to Beanpole's lab, where they help capture a Tripod and the Master within. A fight between Will and his ship captain nemesis for the last book leads to the revelation that the masters can't detect alcohol, and indeed, it makes them immobile for several hours.
And this leads into the attacks on the cities, wherein Will and Fritz break into the European City, sort of in sync with break ins to the Asian and American cities. The goal is to slip alcohol into the water supply and destroy the cities from there. We also find the Pool of Fire, the source of power for the Cities. Turning it off makes the Caps fail, leading to the former slaves helping Fritz and Will to find a way to break the dome.
After escaping, with the masters dead and the Tripods outside the city dead as well, we learn the Asian city fell as well. Henry's attack on the American city (sitting astride the Panama Canal) didn't fare as well. As such, it becomes necessary to try an air raid, as less han a year remains before the Masters's ship arrives. The first one fails, and the second, done with Hot Air balloons nearly does as well, until Henry, after making a moving speech to Will prior to the raid about whether or not Man will return to its old ways of war and separation, lands on the dome and sets off the bomb with him holding it, destroying the last City.
And then... We find out the ship came and bombed the Cities to prevent Man from learning their secrets. (Bit late for that.) And we return to the White Mountains and the Council of Men, where the council is trying to basically form a United Nations, or a better world government. Which is where we meet Pierre again, and the fight comes out again between the nations, as the debate on whether or not Julian is a tyrant or not comes out.
Despite the advances in scientific knowledge (becoming an interstellar race within 50-100 years), the nations of men again separate into their tribes, leaving our 3 survivors to try to unite the world.
So, in the end, the magic I remember from my long ago reading remains, even if some of the issues have become clearer with time and a changing society. While Christopher's concerns about mankind's inability to get along have remained largely true, the books, written in the mid to late 1960s, also lack in any kind of female representation. (Which seems to be a trait of British Boys' Fiction. See Lord of the Flies.) While contemporary YA post apocalyptic more than makes up for this lack of representation, this is a relic of an earlier time, that folks might want to be aware of, less they expect Katniss to come in and save the day. However, the recurring discussions on the nature of man remain just as valid now as they did in 1968.
Monday, December 30, 2019
Rudolf isn't going to like this.
Unless I get really busy and finish book three at work tomorrow, I'm finishing off 2019 with book #65 read, also known as The City of Gold and Lead, book two of John Christopher's Tripod Trilogy.
Again, we're being narrated by Will, who, along with cousin Henry and Jean Paul (Beanpole), made it to the sanctuary of the White Mountains in the last book. We learn a little of the Resistance in this book, mainly that it's headed by Julian, and that they've been up in the mountains since the Tripods came. The boys have been getting educated both in books, language, and fighting; a plan is underway to send at least three youths to Germany for a competition that would get people into the realm of the Tripods.
The Council ends up sending three boys; Will goes to the games as a boxer, Beanpole as a long and high jumper, and Fritz as a runner. Henry, of course, is upset at not being selected, and Will is not ecstatic to hear about Fritz, since Fritz is taciturn and reserved.
The three of them walk down into Germany and catch a boat run by a supporter of the Resistance, who also is as mad as Ahab, only less obsessed. When the captain goes into town and stays out longer than expected, Beanpole and Will go in to find him. Will gets in a bar fight and winds up in a gaol, Beanpole finds him and breaks him out, but their ship has left without them, forcing them to raft upriver on the side of a barn, then stealing a hermit's boat after a long lesson in why an individual is not a threat to the Tripods, and why an individual is also not a resistance supporter.
Anyway, they do end up making it to the games, where Will gets in as a boxer, Fritz wins one of his events, and Beanpole almost wins, but gets disqualified on a technicality. As such, Fritz and Will get honored by being taken by tentacle into a Tripod and then to one of the three cities of the Masters.
The City is domed, and filled with pyramids, and the boys taken from the games are first dressed and given rebreathers, then led to to a place where the masters can choose them as servants. (There's a lot of threes in the city. the pyramids have three sides, the time in the city is kept in 9 periods, with 9 segments in each period, the Masters themselves have 3 legs, 3 tentacles, and 3 eyes in a vaguely conical shape.
Will gets lucky, sort of, as his Master is fairly benevolent at first. When he finds Fritz later on, Fritz hasn't been as lucky, getting beaten fairly regularly. Will does take advantage of his Master's affections, learning what he can of the Master's plans and weaknesses, as well as seeing the Hall of Beauty, where the beauty of the earth is forever preserved like butterflies in a glass case.
We hear of the thick green atmosphere in the dome, and the extra gravity, causing the servants many issues. We see Will and Fritz trying to figure out how and when to escape. And when we get that far, we see Will escape, finding Beanpole outside the city, and a 12 day vigil in which Fritz does not appear.
There are things in here I read differently as an adult than I did whenever back in my youth I last read these. Among other things, Will's treatment by his Master does suggest something rather more untoward than I caught as a kid. The Masters might reproduce by Parthogenesis, but Will's master does seem to enjoy getting high on Gas Bubbles and having Will rub him. We also get the first signs that other than the Masters entire plan to corrode the atmosphere in 4 years' time, they've been a benefit to human society's ability to get along.
While most modern young adult dystopian fiction revolves around humans being evil to humans, making the enslavers of humaity from outside of humanity helps hide the kicker that we're really our own worst enemies. Which I'm sure we'll return to in the finale.
Again, we're being narrated by Will, who, along with cousin Henry and Jean Paul (Beanpole), made it to the sanctuary of the White Mountains in the last book. We learn a little of the Resistance in this book, mainly that it's headed by Julian, and that they've been up in the mountains since the Tripods came. The boys have been getting educated both in books, language, and fighting; a plan is underway to send at least three youths to Germany for a competition that would get people into the realm of the Tripods.
The Council ends up sending three boys; Will goes to the games as a boxer, Beanpole as a long and high jumper, and Fritz as a runner. Henry, of course, is upset at not being selected, and Will is not ecstatic to hear about Fritz, since Fritz is taciturn and reserved.
The three of them walk down into Germany and catch a boat run by a supporter of the Resistance, who also is as mad as Ahab, only less obsessed. When the captain goes into town and stays out longer than expected, Beanpole and Will go in to find him. Will gets in a bar fight and winds up in a gaol, Beanpole finds him and breaks him out, but their ship has left without them, forcing them to raft upriver on the side of a barn, then stealing a hermit's boat after a long lesson in why an individual is not a threat to the Tripods, and why an individual is also not a resistance supporter.
Anyway, they do end up making it to the games, where Will gets in as a boxer, Fritz wins one of his events, and Beanpole almost wins, but gets disqualified on a technicality. As such, Fritz and Will get honored by being taken by tentacle into a Tripod and then to one of the three cities of the Masters.
The City is domed, and filled with pyramids, and the boys taken from the games are first dressed and given rebreathers, then led to to a place where the masters can choose them as servants. (There's a lot of threes in the city. the pyramids have three sides, the time in the city is kept in 9 periods, with 9 segments in each period, the Masters themselves have 3 legs, 3 tentacles, and 3 eyes in a vaguely conical shape.
Will gets lucky, sort of, as his Master is fairly benevolent at first. When he finds Fritz later on, Fritz hasn't been as lucky, getting beaten fairly regularly. Will does take advantage of his Master's affections, learning what he can of the Master's plans and weaknesses, as well as seeing the Hall of Beauty, where the beauty of the earth is forever preserved like butterflies in a glass case.
We hear of the thick green atmosphere in the dome, and the extra gravity, causing the servants many issues. We see Will and Fritz trying to figure out how and when to escape. And when we get that far, we see Will escape, finding Beanpole outside the city, and a 12 day vigil in which Fritz does not appear.
There are things in here I read differently as an adult than I did whenever back in my youth I last read these. Among other things, Will's treatment by his Master does suggest something rather more untoward than I caught as a kid. The Masters might reproduce by Parthogenesis, but Will's master does seem to enjoy getting high on Gas Bubbles and having Will rub him. We also get the first signs that other than the Masters entire plan to corrode the atmosphere in 4 years' time, they've been a benefit to human society's ability to get along.
While most modern young adult dystopian fiction revolves around humans being evil to humans, making the enslavers of humaity from outside of humanity helps hide the kicker that we're really our own worst enemies. Which I'm sure we'll return to in the finale.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
There will be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover
For those who aren't on my FB, you probably don't know of my obsession with finding reprints of the comic at the end of Boys' Life Magazine from the 80's, in which came my introduction to John Christopher's Tripod Trilogy. (I've since managed to find a blog that has the adaption of Book 1 up, but due to cropping issues, it's a pain in the butt to read.)
As part of my birthday, I received the boxed set of all four books in the trilogy. (Yes, I know, this is like Douglas Adams's misnamed Hitchhiker Trilogy. Christopher went back in 1988 and wrote a prequel.) As such, I'll be reading through them as I can.
The trilogy starts with The White Mountains, in which we meet our narrator, Will. Will lives in the British countryside in the village of Wherton, bullied by cousin Henry and friends with Cousin Jack. Jack is a year older, and therefore due to be capped by the tripods as part of his rite of passage into adulthood at 14. Jack expresses doubt to Will about being capped while they hide in a den they use to sneak away from the very commune like village. Capping day arrives, and Jack dutifuly allows the very large tripod (it's never given height qualifications beyond taller than trees) to take him up, returning later with a shaved head and a metal cap attached to his skull and a more docile nature in his personality.
We find that Will's father has a watch, one of the few relics in the village. We also find that capping doesn't work for everyone, with some percent of the population becoming Vagrants, seemingly mildly insane people for whom capping didn't take very well. (There's a bit of misogyny here, since it's mentioned females are less likely to go Vagrant, likely because they don't resists the brainwashing as much.)
One Vagrant comes to town named Ozymandias. Ozy is not nearly as nuts as he acts, since he's really a member of the resistance, wearing a fake cap and looking for recruits in villages who aren't capped as of yet. He gives will a map and a compass and directions to the White Mountains, where the resistance is based.
Will sneaks off in the night, and is followed by Henry. After a fight, Will lets Henry join him as they make their way to the sea and eventually board the Orion to another land.
In the other land, they meet Beanpole (actually Jean-Paul), who shows them the wonders of the schmand fair and one of the ancient cities (Paris, I assume, since they find a cathedral on an island in the river in the middle of the city). In the underground schmand fair, they find explosive eggs that blow up after removing a pin.
As they make their way Southeast, Will gets sick, and we get to listen to him whine about Beanpole and Henry's friendship. They do end up taking refuge with the Compte and Comptess, who's daughter Eloise teaches Will French. Beanpole and Henry plan on escaping during the Tournaments, which colnclude with capping the uncapped of the right age; Will, being a ninny, decides to stick around and be with Eloise. Well, until he finds out Eloise will be taken by the Tripods to serve them, at which point he steals a horse and rides to find Henry and Beanpole. And he gets attacked by a tripod, but the tripod leaves him be. Or not, as the boys face a tripod fox hunt as they near the mountains.
In the end, we find out how Will is tracked, watch the boys figure out grenades, and hear that they found Freedom in the mountains, even if they now will be yelling "Wolverines!" as they fight back against the Tripods.
Amazingly, the book has held up well from my childhood memories, even if I did wonder if L Ron Hubbard read this and got the idea for Battlefield Earth. I also found myself pondering how different the narrative would have been if it was set in the US, given our dystopian youth fiction involves a lot less running away and a lot more midwest stoicism and insubordination in the face of authority. Honestly, I find myself excited to start the next book and see if it still thrills me.
As part of my birthday, I received the boxed set of all four books in the trilogy. (Yes, I know, this is like Douglas Adams's misnamed Hitchhiker Trilogy. Christopher went back in 1988 and wrote a prequel.) As such, I'll be reading through them as I can.
The trilogy starts with The White Mountains, in which we meet our narrator, Will. Will lives in the British countryside in the village of Wherton, bullied by cousin Henry and friends with Cousin Jack. Jack is a year older, and therefore due to be capped by the tripods as part of his rite of passage into adulthood at 14. Jack expresses doubt to Will about being capped while they hide in a den they use to sneak away from the very commune like village. Capping day arrives, and Jack dutifuly allows the very large tripod (it's never given height qualifications beyond taller than trees) to take him up, returning later with a shaved head and a metal cap attached to his skull and a more docile nature in his personality.
We find that Will's father has a watch, one of the few relics in the village. We also find that capping doesn't work for everyone, with some percent of the population becoming Vagrants, seemingly mildly insane people for whom capping didn't take very well. (There's a bit of misogyny here, since it's mentioned females are less likely to go Vagrant, likely because they don't resists the brainwashing as much.)
One Vagrant comes to town named Ozymandias. Ozy is not nearly as nuts as he acts, since he's really a member of the resistance, wearing a fake cap and looking for recruits in villages who aren't capped as of yet. He gives will a map and a compass and directions to the White Mountains, where the resistance is based.
Will sneaks off in the night, and is followed by Henry. After a fight, Will lets Henry join him as they make their way to the sea and eventually board the Orion to another land.
In the other land, they meet Beanpole (actually Jean-Paul), who shows them the wonders of the schmand fair and one of the ancient cities (Paris, I assume, since they find a cathedral on an island in the river in the middle of the city). In the underground schmand fair, they find explosive eggs that blow up after removing a pin.
As they make their way Southeast, Will gets sick, and we get to listen to him whine about Beanpole and Henry's friendship. They do end up taking refuge with the Compte and Comptess, who's daughter Eloise teaches Will French. Beanpole and Henry plan on escaping during the Tournaments, which colnclude with capping the uncapped of the right age; Will, being a ninny, decides to stick around and be with Eloise. Well, until he finds out Eloise will be taken by the Tripods to serve them, at which point he steals a horse and rides to find Henry and Beanpole. And he gets attacked by a tripod, but the tripod leaves him be. Or not, as the boys face a tripod fox hunt as they near the mountains.
In the end, we find out how Will is tracked, watch the boys figure out grenades, and hear that they found Freedom in the mountains, even if they now will be yelling "Wolverines!" as they fight back against the Tripods.
Amazingly, the book has held up well from my childhood memories, even if I did wonder if L Ron Hubbard read this and got the idea for Battlefield Earth. I also found myself pondering how different the narrative would have been if it was set in the US, given our dystopian youth fiction involves a lot less running away and a lot more midwest stoicism and insubordination in the face of authority. Honestly, I find myself excited to start the next book and see if it still thrills me.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)