“Massive alien machines called the Tripods had ruled Earth for hundreds of years and enslaved the minds and bodies of most adults through the silvery caps they made them wear. Determined to escape the ritual Capping ceremony, Will Parker runs away, heading for the distant White Mountains and the small rebel camp there, hoping to join their desperate attempts to overthrow the rule of the Tripods. The journey is long, the missions dangerous and the hopes of survival very slim…” The year was 1993. I was 10 years old, and I was spending the weekend with my grandparents. Despite being a bookworm, I didn’t bring any books with me, as I had been promised a trawl through my dad’s old books. Little did I know that one book (or more accurately 3 books) would hold my attention more than the others, and remain in my ‘favourites list’ well into adulthood.The White Mountains is the first book of the fantastic Tripod trilogy by John Christopher, published between 1967-1968. The version of the book I read actually collected the trilogy into one volume, allowing me to read the trilogy back-to-back like one long novel. The front and back cover had scenes from the TV series commissioned in the 1980s, which added a very retro feel to it (though it looks slightly dated now!).The back cover specifically had a picture of one of the Tripods, which brings to mind the most famous of sci-fi novels featuring alien invasion, The War of the Worlds. As a young boy, an adventure sci-fi story like this was just what I was looking for, and this book didn’t disappoint.The Tripods – mysterious and frightening 3-legged mechanical monsters standing several stories high - rule the earth and have done for centuries. The origins of the Tripods is unknown initially, and any queries from inquisitive children is hushed by the already Capped adults. All children are eventually are Capped, marking their progression into adulthood, which also surrenders their ability for free thought to the terrifying Tripods. It involves being pulled inside the body one of the machines by a long metal tentacle, and a metal mesh cap being placed on your head. There are sometimes complications with the process, resulting in Vagrants; men and women who experience a mental retardation, and who spend their remaining days speaking nonsense, and wandering from town to town. The first book tells the story of Will Parker, a miller’s son living in a small rural town called Wherton in England. Will’s cousin Jack, who also is his only friend, on the eve of his own Capping poses some intriguing questions about the origin of the Tripods and the former greatness of the human race. However once Jack is capped, he no longer holds any opinions in this vein, and drifts apart from Will. As his own Capping ceremony grows closer, a now friendless Will begins to question his future under Tripod rule. Enter Ozymandias; a mysterious new Vagrant in town who latches on to Will and begins to answer some of those burning questions Will has. There are still free-men, resistant to the Tripods rule, living in the fabled White Mountains; it lights a spark in Will. Realising there is nothing for him in Wherton, Will decides to journey to the mountains in search of answers. Reluctantly he has to be accompanied on the journey by his other cousin Henry, who he despises. Henry’s mother has recently died and has been living with Will’s family, which is how Henry happens to follow Will on the night he leaves Wherton for good. Realising Henry could raise the alarm, Will accedes to him tagging along, although he will come to rely on Henry more than he ever thought possible. Along the way they add a young bespectacled boy called Beanpole to their clique, after he gets them out of a difficult situation early on.I always have seen a bit of myself in Will, a boy who is sometimes too hot-headed to make the right decision in a situation, and having to suffer the consequences for it. Will is ultimately a “good guy”, after all, he has the future survival of mankind in his heart. It is charming to see how his relationship with his comrades evolves as they journey towards the mountains, and how he reacts in unexpected settings. There is also a great sense of anticipation as they get nearer to their goal of reaching the outpost of rebel men, especially during a nervy walk through a post-apocalyptic Paris where their eyes are opened to the civilisations of the past. I am re-reading this book at the age of 31 and it is surely obvious by now that time has not dulled my impressions of the book; I’m happy to state that it still fills me with the same excitement it did when I was a kid. While I grow older and my reading tastes grow ever more varied and challenging, I still like to escape every now and again to the books of my childhood. At nearly 50 years old, the story has a timeless quality for me, in the same way The Hobbit or the Narnia books have, and fully deserves its place alongside those classic books on my own bookshelf. The fall of man has probably never been done better in young fiction, and will appeal to all ages for fans of the science-fiction and in particular dystopian genres. For further reading I obviously recommend the other two books in the trilogy, where the story shifts to focus on just how mankind is going to take the planet back from the tyranny of the Tripods.
A splendidly written science fiction yarn aimed at the lads and lasses but with enough clever going for it to appeal to older more seasoned readers as well. This is the second novel by John Christopher that I've had the pleasure of consuming and this gent certainly has the prose chops to spin a ripsnorter of a story. My previous experience, the dark, disturbing and fantabulous The Death of Grass), is one of the more under-appreciated apocalyptic SF books I have come across and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. Here's the bill of fare for this literary meal. PLOT SUMMARYEarth of the 22nd Century has been reduced to a few million bodies living a pre-industrial, pastoral existence maintained through subsistence farming. The seemingly content, unmotivated population is controlled by mysterious giant, three-legged machines known as Tripods**, whom the adults in the community worship and revere. Precisely who or what are the Tripods? That's the central mystery which is slowly unveiled (though not completely) during the course of the story. However, the reader quickly learns that the Tripods are the cause of Earth’s current, post-apocalyptic predicament. The cornerstone celebration of the communities in the story is "Capping Day," so named because every child, upon reaching the age of 14, is taken by the Tripods and returned with a metal cap implanted on their skull. Uh...Houston...we may have a problem. This event marks the transition for the youth from childhood to adulthood and the moment when they take their place as full members of the community. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I think it's safe to say that all is not well in the land of the metal hats.Our main character is Will, a 13 year-old boy months away from being given his metal toupee. Initially, Will is eager for his Capping Day to arrive but this all changes after a not-so-chance meeting with a vagrant named Ozymandias. Ozy reveals to Will the dark, sinister nature of both the caps and the Tripods and this fateful meeting reconfigures Will’s entire worldview. Suddenly he begins to notice the subtle “wrongness” of the people, including his parents, and vows to escape.Ozymandias explains to Will that there is a small but growing group of people that are determined to fight back against the Tripods and offers Will the chance to join the resistance if he can make it all the way to the titular White Mountains. Thus begins Will's adventure during which he faces danger, excitement and a number of nasty Tripods. THOUGHTS:Christopher has a spare, breezy to read writing style that I really enjoyed. Despite being less than 200 pages long, the author does a magnificent job defining Will’s world. Christopher manages to convey significant information to the reader without resorting to rambling or overly prolix infodumps. This is a quality I really enjoy in SF books from this period which is epitomized in the works of Jack Vance and Roger Zelazny. This story as a whole is not in the class of the aforementioned, but his lack of circumlocution while telling his story is worth noting. For all the positive things I have to say about the story, something about it didn’t connect sufficiently with me to be able to grant a loftier rating than 3 stars. I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters and I am curious to see where the next novels venture. For all that, I found myself a bit detached too from the narrative and was never swept away. I was very aware that I was reading and never fell into the world the author created. I’m not sure why, but it happened. Maybe I’m defective. Regardless of the reason, I can only give this 3 stars, but I would still highly recommend it to my fellow readers, especially those that enjoy YA science fiction. 3.0 stars. Highly Recommended. ** I’m sorry, but ever since Austin Power’s Goldmember I can not hear the word Tripod without thinking of the classic scene between Michael Caine and Mini Me: I know….I’m a child and I need help, but that is some funny sauce.
What do You think about The White Mountains (2003)?
This is the first of my favourite set of books from when I was a child. The books and the TV serials are wonderful memories for me that I like to relive from time to time.The reason for the current re-read was that they were discussed on Twitter. Myself and Kiraniumbra convinced Jacob and Karode to read the books and watch the tv series. With strict advice to read the books first. It tweaked me into re-reading them myself. So off I went to pick the trilogy and the prequel from my parents' house. My mother and I cannot fully agree on who has custody of these books ;-)It's a really easy book to fly through. They are childrens' Sci-Fi fiction so they were never going to be tough. However they don't belittle the reader's intelligence in any way. Which is always going to be a turn off for a young reader anyway.The book is told from the point of view of Will. A petulant 13 year old. He doesn't hide from his faults as he tells the story. The tale is set in the not too distant future. Where Earth has been over taken by Tripods, massive machines. Technology has gone back a couple of centuries and is back to horse and cart and flour mills. When a person reaches the age of 14 a Tripod comes for them and they are 'capped'. When Will's cousin is capped he becomes much more distant from Will. This and the arrival of a strange man in the village give Will doubts about his willingness to be capped... To learn more of Will and his adventures pick up the book. Go on, it's brilliant!
—Mary
My friend Val let me borrower this book. At first I had a hard time reading it. I think it was because I kept reading a page and then putting it down. So I started reading from the beginning and then I couldn't put it down. The story takes place in our world but a world very different then what we know. All the cities have been destroyed and the people that are left are controlled by the "tripods" (huge machines with three legs)by these caps that are implanted in their skulls. It is a very inter
—Rebecca Osborne
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.comCenturies ago, the Tripods took over Earth and enslaved mankind. Every human wears a helmet made of metal that makes it so they are controlled by the Tripods. There is a period of time in one's childhood, however, where one is free to think for oneself.When thirteen-year-old Will is told that there is a place in the mountains where there are people free of the Tripods, he decides he doesn't want to be capped and runs away. Along the way, he is joined by a childhood friend and an old man. Their journey goes fairly well, until Will becomes really sick and the three have to seek shelter in a medieval-like town.Will meets the town's princess and her family and is invited to become part of their group. He becomes torn between becoming capped and finding acceptance or following his friends to the mountains. Will Will make it to the mountains to freedom, or will he sacrifice that freedom for a life of luxury?A compelling adventure story filled with action and suspense. Readers will like this science fiction story splashed with a medieval times feel as well as the well-developed plot and characters. A fast-paced story that keeps you at the edge of your seat, WHITE MOUNTAINS is a great start to the TRIPODS series (and don't forget to check out the companion novel, WHEN THE TRIPODS CAME).Readers who like science fiction and adventure will enjoy reading this book, as well as the others in the series.
—Jennifer Wardrip
