When the Tripods Came (Mass Market Paperback)

by John Christopher (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The initial Tripod invasion of Earth seems laughable: armed forces overwhelm two of the giant attackers, and the third simply self-destructs. But when TV stations all over the world begin to broadcast the Trippy Show, the fanscalled Trippiesare hypnotized and flock to Trippy communes. By the time the second Tripod invasion begins, the Trippies greet the aliens as saviors and eagerly don the brainwashing caps provided them. Realizing that they can no longer stay in England and remain uncapped, Laurie and his family journey to Switzerland. When Switzerland falls under the Tripods' spell, Laurie, accompanied by two other boys, flees with his family to a remote spot in the Alps. The small band resolves to devote their lives to fighting the Tripods and thus form the core of the resistance movement that figures in the author's Tripods trilogy. Like those books, this fast-paced adventure explores serious issues of freedom and morality, creating a welcome prequel to the series. Ages 9-14.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

When it comes to alien invasions, bad things come in threes.

Three landings. One in England, one in Russia, and one in the United States.

Three long legs, crushing everything in their paths, with three metallic arms, snaking out to embrace -- and then discard -- their helpless victims.

Three evil beings, called Tripods, which will change life on this planet forever.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (November 30, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0020425759
• ISBN-13: 978-0020425755
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,029,248 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 4 in The Tripods Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Love the series, but I can do without this book, January 10, 2001

By	Nicole Alger "imanoonle" (Belmont, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First of all, I hate the reprint covers. The covers themselves are silly looking, and the numbers on the side are misleading. I would not read When the Tripods Came until after you've read the entire series (The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead and The Pool of Fire). When the Tripods Came is a PREQUAL, and if you read it before the other books, you lose the sense of "what happened to our world" that you want to have when you read the series. So, if you even want to read this book (it's not really needed with the rest of the series; the characters are not the same anyway and the story is only interesting if you want to know what happened to the world, but it is pretty much explained in the other books anyway), go ahead and read it, but you don't lose much by not reading it. (But, as a message to all, don't read this book first! It is not the first book!)

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written book for Kids or Adults, June 20, 2000

By	Peter Dykhuis (Grandville, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is really a great book. This being said I am not sure that I would have enjoyed this novel quite as much as if I had not read the Tripod trilogy first. For those of you who are not aware, the Tripod trilogy is series of books that take place in the somewhat distant future of the events that take place in this novel.

This novel covers the arrival of the aliens (Tripods) onto Earth and their rapid conquest of Earth by means of an ingenious method of mind control. A terrifying novel even if it is written for a juvenile audience.

The real point to this book is not so much to tell an independent story but to give us a prequel history to the events in the Tripod Trilogy. As a prequel this book is very good. This book is not nearly as action packed or triumphant as the Tripod series but as a companion it is great. I recommend reading after the Tripod series.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arg! Pokemon!, November 7, 1999

By	Jeffrey Wilkinson (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews

The only thing I have to say is, look at the Teletubbies and the Pokemon craze. Then read the book. Then look at these fads again...from a distance. We may not be threatened in the near future by an invasion from space, but the concept of hypnotising by television/popular culture is close enough to put a chill down your spine. I recommend reading this one *after* the original trilogy. Surprisingly good for a "young adult" sci fi trilogy. Reminds me of "The Giver" in terms of scale and depth of human nature. Movie franchise plausible, laudable.