Customer Reviews

The City of Gold and Lead

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The White Mountains" is fine as a stand alone book; but any reader who enjoyed it will want to find out the answers to so many questions left unanswered. What would happen to the main characters: Will, Beanpole, and Henry? Will we ever learn more about the Tripods? And, of course, will the Tripods ever be defeated?

"The City of Gold and Lead" answers some of these questions. It explains the Tripods and how they came to dominate the world and enslave mankind. It informs us of the new lives that Will, Beanpole, and Henry have in the White Mountains. It introduces us to the characters of Fritz and Julius who become major figures in the struggle against the Tripods.

It also answers the question of the fate of Eloise, the beautiful girl who Will befriended in "The White Mountains." (It is disappointing that the ONLY female characters of any importance in the entire trilogy are Eloise and her mother, the Comtesse.) Personally, my favorite part of the series was Will's temptation by the good life at the Castle of the Red Tower where he met Eloise. In "The White Mountains" Eloise said goodbye to Will forever because she had been chosen to serve the Tripods in their city and would remain there as a slave for the rest of her life. One of main reasons I felt compelled to read "The City of Gold and Lead" was to find out what happened to Eloise and would she ever be freed from that slavery. The reader will discover the answer to that question at the Pyramid of Beauty in "The City of Gold and Lead."

Although "The City of Gold and Lead" answers many questions left from "The White Mountains," it also leaves the reader with new questions about the fate of a major character, the conflict with the Tripods, and the future of mankind. There are so many unanswered questions that most readers will have to read "The Pool of Fire," which is the last book of the series, to fully enjoy "The City of Gold and Lead."

I do not think there are three juvenile novels that I enjoy nearly as much as these three. The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead and The Pool of Fire are absolutely perfect examples of Juvenile fiction. The books teach moral lessons as well as tell a rip roaring good tale.

Without giving to much plot away this tale is covers a not too distant future when Aliens who roam the Earth in giant Tripods rule the land. Every person who reaches puberty is capped and there mind is controlled or at least molded by the Tripods.

These three books follow a group of runaways and rebels who have never been capped and who desperately want to free Earth and its inhabitants. This band of rebels must find a way to defeat the Aliens without knowing who they are, what there weaknesses are or any worthwhile knowledge. On top of this the `rebels' have to defeat these space age aliens with technology at roughly 19th century levels.

The first book was a mystery unfolding and the last was tension and triumph. The book is really the most emotional of the bunch and you feel a real sense of helplessness.

These books are even more remarkable as they were written in the late 60's. I first read these books as a cartoon serial in `Boys Life' in the early 80's. I enjoyed the tale back then and still enjoy the stories now. I highly recommend all these books for kids and or there parents. Read and enjoy.

John Christopher did a really great job with the sequel to 'The White Mountains'.

In 'The City of Gold and Lead' the White Mountain's leader, Julius comes up with a plan to stop the Tripods. They will go to the 'Games" and compete, hopefully winning, and go to the City of the Tripods to study them. Will, Beanpole and a new character named Fritz are chosen to go and compete in the Games. Fritz and Will are winners and are carried in a Tripod to the City. The two boys are separated and become servants for different Masters. The Masters are what control the Tripods. During his time in the City, Will learns a lot- why the Tripods invaded Earth, why they capped people, what happened to Eloise, and where the Masters and the Tripods came from.

This was a really good book to answer questions about 'The White Mountains'.

This is the second installment in the Tripods trilogy. It is my favorite book of the trilogy and is still as much fun 20 years from when I first read it.

Will, Beanpole, and Henry are training for the games in hopes that one of them will make it into a city of the Tripods and be able to escape to provide vital intelligence to the human resistance.

The description of what happens in the Tripods city is amazing and interesting. I remember reading this when I was younger and finding it absolutely fascinating. The end of the book leaves you hanging and wondering what will happen. It is a fast-paced book with amazing detail as to the Tripod race

This is a wonderful creative series; that still inspires curiosity of the unknown. It is a trilogy that seems to withstand time. I can't wait to read the last book in the series.

I read this book six times last month, it is that good. The story is well written, and has several things going for it, such as the aliens. I am going to let you read the book to find out about them, lets just say they're cool. I could ramble about this book for days, but the morgage dictates so farewell.

This is a great series for kids of all ages. We are reading it to our 6 year old who is inthrolled and cannot wait for the next night and the next chapter! My mother in law read it to my husband and he is thrilled to be reading it to his child!

Three young men seek entry to one of the strongholds of the extraterrestrial Masters who have conquered the earth. Two are successful, and they strive to learn as much as possible about the enemy so that they may report back to the last existing colony of free humans. I preferred this novel to the previous one, "The White Mountains." Both novels share the same deficiency, a tendency to relate certain events too sketchily and a failure to develop key characters, in this case the German boy, Fritz. However, the Masters themselves and Wil's adventures in their city are fascinating, and John Christopher's style does make for a fast-paced story. My interest is piqued and I look forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.

From my point of view, the second book of the "Tripods' Trilogy" is as good as the first one, and it's be able to preserve the thrill and exciteness of the history without being reiterative. And, what is more, the way John Cristopher links the old and the new world (before the arrival of the aliens and in the aftermath) is really impressive. Finally, my very favourite part of this book is the arrival of the group of survivors at the city (Paris?), where they discover the great civilitation that once whelled there.

I couldn't let a negative review be the only review of this book. This is an excellent companion to the White Mountains, and builds upon the surreal sense of horror that is outlined in the first book. This series of books is a materpievce in youth fiction, and underlying all the action, suspense, and great plot is a complex philosophy of self-determination and individualism, concepts missing in today's youth fiction.

The City of Gold and Lead is a fascinating book. In fact, I was a little sad when I finished it, but the cliffhanger for the next book lifted my spirits.

This book was the second book in the series, The Tripods. It began where the last book ended, The White Mountains. Friends Will, Beanpole, Henry, and other people that lived in the white mountains were completing their training to try to get in the games. The games are like the Olympics. The winners of the game would go on and serve the master in the City of Gold and Lead. The City of Gold and Lead is where the tripods live. Tripods are evil machines that take control of your mind using caps. Will, Beanpole, and another boy named Fritz were accepted to go to the games. Henry had to stay back because he was not selected to participate in the games. Both Will and Fritz won in their sports category. They now had to serve the masters because winners were considered strong and fearless. However, the real purpose of a winner serving a master is to gather information on the dreaded Tripods. If by chance the winner escapes, he will be able to take the information back to his land. No one has ever been known to escape. I will not give away any secrets and reveal if Will and Fritz escaped. You will have to read the book to find out.

I found the entire book exciting. The characters are very well developed. At the end of each chapter, I was anxious to find out what happened next. The book ended with a spectacular cliffhanger. When I read the last sentence, "We would come back," I instantly wanted to read the next book in this series.

I recommend this book for ages 12 to 101 years old. This is a great book waiting to be read. After you read this book, you should also read the first book and the preface book. The preface book gives you background information on how the tripods invaded earth and where the caps come from. The City of Gold and Lead is a must read book. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!