John Christopher - do you rate him??

[Killraven]

Looking through all the threads I've found very little comment on the novels of this author, who with his 'Tripods trilogy' was clearly heavily influenced by Wells in his writings. No doubt some here find his work a blatant 'rip-off' of Wells, yet my feelings are that the comparison is better described as a respectful tribute.

A concurrent theme here and through a lot of Christopher's books - such as the 'Prince In Waiting Trilogy' and 'Wild Jack', is a recoil from modern technologies and human 'regression' into more primitive, fragmented and isolated communities - mirroring his contemporary Pierre Boulle's "Monkey Planet" and pre-dating modern interpretations such as Mad Max. A 'backward' society repressed or incapable of technological progress is one possible outcome of what might have happened to the Earth following a successful martian invasion (in spite of the Artilleryman's grand dreams to the contrary).

I'm currently in the middle of reading "When The Tripods Came", which is a more recently written prequel to the tripods trilogy that attempts to explain how the Tripods gained control of the Earth in the first place. Although you cannot compare the depth of Christopher's writing to Wells' (Christopher was best known for writing 'at' teens and intelligent kids), this is a cunning mix of WotW and Bodysnatchers, and very disturbing reading it is too.

The clever part is how the author makes the reader consider the concepts of xenophobia and race prejudice. A large proportion of the populace is hypnotised via a TV transmission (sound familiar?!) resulting in massed groups swarming to greet the invaders (also sound familiar?!!)...emotionally altered people forcing friends and family members to wear caps and pitched battles between the 'capped' and the 'uncapped'..as the capped gradually take control in authority. At this point, the family at the centre of the book have escaped to Switzerland which is still 'free' (those which do not remove their caps are imprisoned or killed if they resist). However, the family are confronted by the full wrath of the clearly terrified Swiss population, being taunted and attacked by mobs in 'nationalist' red jumpers with white crosses and labelled 'dirty English'...it is obvious that their presence in the country is barely tolerated..and for how much longer?? The attitudes between the capped and uncapped populations are seen to blur - but where else is there left to run?

If you are into reading about societies being taken over by oppressive superior races, then you may also like to take a punt with Colin Wilson's 'Spider World' series (or even 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth' by Terry Nation ;D ha ha ha ha ha ha)

JJ

[Killraven]

Er...obviously not ;D

[Bayne]

[glow=red,2,300]I got into the books when I was in primary school, and quite enjoyed them. The TV show on the other hand disapointed me imensely![/glow]

[Thorgrimm]

I don't know if you know this, but the producer of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen has said on the DVD that he was involved in a movie production of the Tripod trilogy. Just thought i should let you know this.

Cheers Thorgrimm

[Killraven]

...shame they never made it then!! ;D

Many people found the series disappointing, I think the main reason was the lack of 'tripods' in it ..but then it did manage to follow the books quite closely. I was reasonably impressed with the design of the modelling and the merge with live action. Certainly less wooden looking than some of the acting anyway ;D. The 'search and destroy' scene at the end of series 1 was quite exciting too. Pity they never adapted the third book. By far the best thing about the programme was Ken Freeman's rousing theme music - no doubt in some way influenced by WoTW as he performed with Jeff Wayne on his 'Matador' footie score (pardon the pun).

JJ

[nervouspete]

John Christopher got me reading books as a kid. His tripod trilogy was the first proper novel series I read, outside of the Chronicles of Narnia. I came late to primary school reading, and primary teachers despaired of me for a while. Then my mum asked me why I didn't learn to read at a junior level, and I said that it was because I was afraid the bedtime stories would end.

I was twenty three. etc.

(Sorry old Lee and Herring joke there)

That's what my mum told me anyway, when I asked her donkey's years ago about how I got into reading. Apparently she assured me that she'd continue to read to me as long as I wanted, but that I should learn to read for myself for all the other stories I could enjoy.

And so I began reading. Narnia, at first. Then I came across The White Mountains, and was engrossed. The idea of huge metal tripods stalking the land gripped me with fear and fascination.

More so since the TV show had traumatised me as a lil'l one, I ran from the room screaming from that - never mind hide behind the sofa! Mum couldn't take me near pylons because of it!

So I read it. And then read the others. And was fascinated. And I like to think I took a little of my morality from it too, the sense of honour and doing the right thing.

Though I still shot that lego cannon at my sister's eye. And stole one of her easter eggs.

And once I'd finished them, I was despondent. No more tripods! Until I found TWOTW! And the rest, as they say, is history. I got heavily into sci-fi, and later at college had a whole new world of diverse reading opened up to me, so I'm now as likely to read Dickens, Bronte, Winterson, Pelecanos and De Lillo as Larry Niven and Asimov.

I genuinely think that I have Christopher to thank for my love of reading.

Pete

[Poyks]

I love "the Tripods". Got me onto TWOTW in the first place (with a little help from a certain JW record album just out at the time!).