Customer Reviews

The Tripods Attack! (The Young Chesterton Chronicles)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The book, The Tripods Attack!, by John McNichol, is definitely a book worth reading. Very discriptive, so you know exactly what's going on, laugh-out-loud funny for relief from the dark and eerie plot line, and above all, Catholic! The idea of putting a well-known author, G.K. Chesterton, in the shoes of a teenage boy with no parents, yearning for a better life is amazingly clever and I have no words to describe it further. Mr. McNichol has further enhanced the book's quality by placing our world in a different history than what actually happened, so be prepared for some early confusion. He also makes the characters reflect other real people, such as H.G. Wells. A fascinating book, I couldn't put it down for three days(I finished it in that time, thick as it was)! The series will be a trilogy, and I can't wait for the next one!

I read this book, then gave it to my 12 year old son, who is homeschooled. He was thoroughly entranced, and devoured it in 3 days. This book combines real life people from history with fictional characters in an alternate universe. Imagine Father Brown and Professor Moriarty schlepping around Victorian England with H.G. Wells and G.K. Chesterton during a Martian invasion! While dodging heat rays and black smoke, they engage in some well-crafted philosophical sparring. Although the moral religious aspect is pointed, this is not a tract or polemic. Primarily, it is a work of fiction that is read for pure enjoyment. The author doesn't lack for creativity, thats for certain. His writing is solid, although he could benefit from better proofreading and fact checking. Abe Lincoln's running mate in 1860 was Hannibal Hamlin, not Andrew Jackson. But these are minor defects. Put this book next to the crapola that passes for juvenille fiction these days, and it stands out as a work of high quality that will, I think, withstand the test of time. I anxiously await the next installment.

Steampunk *and* GK Chesterton as the protagonist? What's not to like? While The Tripods Attack is definitely geared towards the YA audience, I thoroughly enjoyed it without any guilt or hesitation. Father Brown and (perhaps) Professor Moriarity as the adults and competing moral pulls on Chesterton and Wells were inspired choices. The characterization of all four, and the mysterious Red-Headed Girl, were engaging and the style of the book as a whole should make it a fun read for anybody who picks it up. I also enjoyed the references to Elwin Ransom and Malacandra from C.S. Lewis' sci-fi trilogy (which I also recommend - those who liked it will like this, and vice versa).

The conspiracy and eugenics-flavored metaplot that bubbles up here and there, especially in the epilogue, definitely has me hooked. I can't wait to see where the series goes.

Didn't realize this book was intended for "teens" until after my almost 10 year old started the book. He had no problem reading, understanding and following the book. 2 thumbs up from him with a great story to learn from.

Years ago, I edited a tiny Catholic 'zine devoted to science fiction, both classic and contemporary; one of the things I hoped to see in the future were Catholic science fiction novels that were both authentically Catholic and authentically science fictional, the sort of book that both Catholic readers who truly live and love their faith and readers of well-written science fiction could both enjoy. I may not have achieved that vision before reality obliged me to shut down publication, but this book definately makes that vision real!

I cannot get over how excellent this book really is. Author John McNichol brings together elements that you wouldn't think would fit together at first, but which wind up working excellently, much like a well-made anime series, and I could see this book brought to life as an animated series or a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster, in the order of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Widescreen Special Collector's Edition). There are echoes of all kinds of things: the real G.K. Chesterton's own Father Brown is a main player, as is a character eeriely like the insidious Professor Moriarity from the Sherlock Holmes series; the plot heavily evokes both H.G. Wells's "The War of the Worlds" and also C.S. Lewis's "Space Trilogy" (Out of the Silent Planet, and Perelandra, especially); "gosh-wow!" technology straight out of Hugo Gernsback appears, but it's promptly given a Chestertonian "gosh-wow, it's soul-sucking when man becomes it's servant instead of it's master" nudge; an alternate United States of America straight from the pen of Harry Turtledove is alluded to; there are steampunk computers straight out of William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's "The Difference Engine; a shadowy organization turns up, that would put SEELE of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" to shame, and the whole story resounds with G.K.C.'s own blend of swashbuckling derring-do and intelligent wry wit. This might make the story sound like a grab-bag of ideas, but McNichol manages to bring all these concepts together into something wonderful. G.K.C. would heartily approve and probably chuckle over his heavily fictionalized doppelganger. I could use pat phrases like "It's impossible to put down" and "It's the kind of book that both adults and young adults can enjoy", but they fall short of the mark. Read it and rejoice!

I think the 9 year-old boy's review says it best:

"I LOVED The Tripods Attack because there was lots of violence. I liked how it had sadness in the end, like most of the books I read. Finally, I loved how they had the flame thrower and the .45 colt."

The Tripods Attack! is wonderfully bloodcurdling and gruesome, although its dizzy Victorian setting and many in-jokes keep it from getting too dark. Steampunk is a rather Chestertonian genre to begin with, and The Tripods Attack! resembles Chesterton's own fiction in some ways. It helps that Father Brown is a character in it, as well as Chesterton himself and a young HG Wells. But there are other characters as well: the girl "with hair as red as a Welsh sunset" that Chesterton dreams of, who is really a secret agent; and the natty and evil Doctor, who proves remarkably hard to gt rid of. The end of the book is the perfect setup for the next volume, which for all I know has not even been written yet.

This book is full of action - high marks for a scene on a runaway train and for an underground cat-and-mouse chase that is almost worthy of "Alien" - and its fractured fantasy world is vividly described. The writing is always solid and often clever. The messages do stick out, as one reviewer said, but they are never allowed to get pointier than the deadly Martian fangs or the stilettos wielded by Chesterton's rogue secret agent mother. (Did I mention that this book is surreal?) Father Brown is GKC's Father Brown, and he *does* launch into the same theological expositions. McNichol could afford to be less on-the-nose next time... however, the book *works*, and it knows that even though it is a tribute to Chesterton published by a small Catholic press, it is a story, nothing more - and nothing less. Sophia took a real risk in publishing fiction for once, and I hope it pays off for them. I should think that The Tripods Attack! will be most compelling for boys from 10-14, but only an adult reader will catch all the cameos: HG Wells, CS Lewis's Ransom, even Bartleby the scrivener!

(following review written by my 9 year old) - I LOVED The Tripods Attack because there was lots of violence. I liked how it had sadness in the end, like most of the books I read. Finally, I loved how they had the flame thrower and the .45 colt.

The item arrived on time and in perfect shape. It is planned as a present for grandsons so we both read it to make sure it is appropriate. We definitely enjoyed it and find it quite appropriate for grandsons ages 10 and 12. Of course they might not catch the references to C.S. Lewis's work or Beowolf, but we did and enjoyed it. Thanks you for offereing such good choices for young and old.

I read the second book first (The Emperor of North America) just because this original novel was being reprinted at the time. Here I got the backstory for a steampunk world where young Gilbert Chesterton, recently orphaned, went from his home in Minnesota and found himself working in a computer factor in England (they call it something else, but punchcards and machines work everything so these are early computers). Downtrodden, barely making a living, and with no discernibly bright future, Gil is unexpectedly called into the Chairman's office one day and upgraded to journalist. He is sent to Wokking to investigate mysterious happenings, which any science fiction fan worth their salt will recognize as the Martian invasion written of in War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.

Along the way, Gil meets Herb Wells, a level-headed cleric named Father Brown, and a mysterious Doctor who seems to know more about the Martians than he lets on. There is also a beautiful red-headed woman who seems to always whisk around corners when Gil is just about to be able to speak to her.

The Tripods Attack! is an enjoyable mash-up of real and fictional characters in a vividly portrayed world where anything can happen. I would have enjoyed less time spent in the tunnels where the story seemed to drag on at times. Also, when occasionally told the Martians' thoughts I was jerked out of the story. Their actions spoke for themselves and knowing what they felt didn't further the story any.

As with the second book, The Emperor of North America, here are strains of Catholic worldview that are shown as part of various characters' moral fiber and others are shown espousing different views that are set in opposition. We see how Gil became Catholic and how Herb's "foxhole conversion" affects his life. These weren't preachy or moralistic, and weren't not the main focus of the action, although again they definitely motivated actions. As with all things of this nature, your milage may vary.

This is definitely a fun book and I recommend it.

I enjoyed this book because it opened my mind to the steampunk genre. McNichol has a great writing style. My 10 year old (at the time) read this and also enjoyed it. I wouldn't recommend it for children younger than 9 because it gets a bit intense.

When I read this book I didn't know that much about Chesterton. It didn't really matter because the story holds its own. Now that I've read a little more about Chesterton I love how the author has weaved in details of Chesterton's life to make the story even more enjoyable. Even though Chesterton was a Catholic convert this book is not preachy in any way (unless you're a Christophobe). I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun retreat.

I REALLY hope a sequel is published.