The Tripods by John Christopher

This volume contains four short novels which are also available separately. It used to be regarded as a trilogy (The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire), but the inclusion of a fourth book, entitled When the Tripods Came has changed things a little - for the worse, in my opinion, chiefly because it is referred to as book 1 of 4.

If you are new to this series, I insist that you ignore the prelude book and jump straight in at The White Mountains. The author originally wrote this as book 1, and that’s how it should stay. I’d better tell you why I feel so strongly about it. When you begin The White Mountains, you are presented with a strange world. It appears to be mankind’s past, a couple of centuries ago. People use a horse and cart to get around, work in mills, etc. Everything is as it should be, except for the presence of immense metal machines taller than houses, which stomp about the countryside commanding the worship of mankind. Strange artifacts from man’s past make an appearance, familiar to us but not to the people in the book, giving use a clue that this is perhaps not the past at all, but a very strange future, where most of our technological advancements have curiously disappeared. The mystery of the past is one of the things that makes The White Mountains such a great read. Deal with When the Tripods Came after you’ve read all the others, just to fill in the blanks.

I was first introduced to The Tripods through the BBC television series that was made in the mid-eighties. I absolutely loved it. Sadly the BBC only ever filmed, The White Mountains and The City of Gold and Lead, but I was glad to be able to read the final volume in print, to find out what became of the heroes and their world. I don’t want to say too much about The City of Gold and Lead and The Pool of Fire, in case I spoil anything. But I will say that this is the perfect adventure story, and despite the fantastical elements, it has a very mature and thought-provoking ending. Currently the most read book on my shelf.

A Dusk of Demons by John Christopher

Ben is a boy who lives on the sparsely populed “Western Isles” of the United Kingdom. It’s not long before we realise that this is not the Britain we are familiar with. Life is primitive, technological advancement forbidden, and the people are governed by a strange religion with a sinister god called “The Dark One.” Is this the long-distant past? It is pure fantasy? Could it even be the future? If so, how did the world get like this? Figuring those questions out is what makes this book interesting.

Sadly though, the book fails on the drama score. Ben is forced to move to mainland Britain, where the religion is much more intense and Demons appear to be real beings, much to Ben’s horror. The boy gets embroiled in an adventure across the country, but rarely seems to get into much danger. Not very exciting.

The final chapter of the book answers all the questions about this strange world and its religion, but it’s over and done with so quickly that you barely have time to reflect upon the implications of what Christopher is saying.

If you’ve read this author’s The Prince in Waiting and The White Mountains, you’ll find an old theme re-visited here: control of the masses. This seems to be a hobby-horse of the author, but he’s not really saying anything new this time round.

The Guardians by John Christopher

The Guardians is set in a near-future society which has two class divisions: you either live in an area called the Conurb or the County.

Life in the Conurb is fast. People work hard for a living and play hard. Rioting is a common sight on the streets, and the primary means of entertainment in this overcrowded society is holovision (presumably what television is destined to become). Reading is largely a thing of the past.

So we come to the County. People live in quaint houses surrounded by acres of lush grassland. Transportation over distances is largely a matter of horse-riding; there’s not a car in sight. People live in luxury and have time to pursue hobbies of one sort or another. A tall, electrified fence separates the County from the Conurb, stretching across the entire country, and no one on either side lives within several miles of it. There aren’t many attempts to cross this border. Most people are content in their differing ways of life. So why rock the boat? you might ask. Why seek to change the world when everybody’s happy with things the way they are?

This is the question which faces a boy called Rob, a young Conurbian whose father has recently died. Also motherless, and faced with the harrowing prospect of life in a children’s home, Rob sets off on a journey for the County, where he hopes to make a better life for himself. After a few minor scrapes, Rob manages to get across the border, and is taken in by a kind family. No sooner has he had a taste of the good life, when he hears of plans to storm the fence and end the division.

I love adventure stories that involve a journey. Christopher’s The White Mountains stands out as a wonderful example. Where The Guardians fails is in Rob’s motivations. Travelling across the country selfishly seeking a less larsh life can hardly compare to The White Mountains, where three boys seek flee from a society that is intent on stripping them (and everyone else aged fourteen) of their humanity by means of a mind-control device. Actually, this theme of mass mind-control is visited in the closing chapters of The Guardians, and the more of Christopher’s novels I read, the more that I realise that this is a theme which is close to the author’s heart. However, I have to say The White Mountains does it much better.

Another problem with The Guardians is that Rob takes a back seat for much of the story, merely observing the actions of others rather than carrying the story forward himself.

I struggled with this novel. It just didn’t have the pace and excitement of some of Christopher’s other writings.

The Death of Grass by John Christopher

What a strange name for a novel, particularly a novel of global disaster. Not so strange when John Christopher explains how grass is a part of our eco-system and how its absence would have a disastrous effect, ultimately on mankind’s food supply. Mass starvation leading to panic; panic leading to brutality; brutality leading to survival - for some.

The story centres around a family travelling across England by car. Their destination is a walled-in community owned by the protagonist’s brother - one man who was smart enough to prepare for the disaster before it struck. The adventure is grim, filled with violence and murder. The main question posed is this: how far are you willing to go in order to protect your own family? How mean are you willing to be when it comes to the choice between the death of a stranger or the death of a loved one? This is bold, gripping stuff. Highly recommended.