Customer Reviews
Tripods Revisited - Nice, but don't expect too much - By: Andreas P. Rauch, 07 Apr 2008 
John Christopher's original "Tripods" trilogy has become a classic, & rightly so: A boy in a kind-of-medieval society discovers that the local rite of passage would end in him being a rather peaceful, unobstrusive, obedient & quiet conformer. And a follower of the Tripods, metalllic giants everyone seems to take for granted.
In the course of the trilogy, the boy escapes, finds new friends & learns about the eventual plans of the Tripods - it's still a thrilling, great science fiction story especiallly for younger readers.
"When the Tripods came" is a prequel that sheds light on the original Tripod invasion, how & why they could win it, & other questions the original trilogy did not address. It's more a crossing of the t's & dotting of the i's than a must-read, & if you know the original trilogy, you will probably guess right what will happen most of the time. It's a bit like visiting a place where you grew up.
Still, the book contains some very interesting ideas, & makes a good travel companion (for a short trip or a long flight). The book is primarily aimed at teens; but even if you are a Tripods veteran who has long passed age 20 you will probably enjoy it - like in the original trilogy, the plot is coherent enough & the characters believable enough so that the whole story works just fine.
And if you have children of your own who you would like to introduce to a classic, this (sadly: rather short) book is a good starting point.
Prequel to the Tripods trilogy - By: , 30 Jan 2003 
This is a prequel to the popular set of novels written by John Christopher. After loving the orignals for many years I heard that there was a prequel & I found it. The book is an interesting read for Tripods fans & helps to fill in some of the gaps hinted at by the other books. However there isn't any real insight because we know the story already, it was told to us by Will's master in the City of Gold & Lead.
The main complaint I have with this book is that it is written for younger readers than the Tripods trilogy. The original novels were aimed at 9+ year olds. This is more 7+. Fans who love the orignal book could be disappointed with this because it is so much more juvinile. Most people will look to this one AFTER they have read the first, simply because the originals are so much more well known. There is a big gap between literature for 7 year olds & 9 year olds. Children look down books that they see as "babyish", & many children will see this book in that way. I have absolutely no idea why John Christopher chose to make this book for younger readers.
But as it goes this book isn't too bad & does it's job well. It is more of a present day setting that the original trilogy so some children may be able to relate to it more. I like the guilible teacher who mocks the Tripods who eventuallly gets taken away to a madhouse. He obviously represents the critics who panned the 1980's Tripods TV series.
An interesting read for Tripods fans, but nowhere near the standard of the original trilogy.
A superb prequel - By: Richard Laven, 15 Nov 2001 Does just what a prequel should do. Fills in the gaps in the history of the later books & tells a superb story along the way
Prequel to the Tripods Trilogy - By: P. G. Woodhouse, 18 Jul 2001 This book is Actuallly a Prequel to the John Christopher Tripods Trilogy, & goes a long way to explaining how the tripods took over the Earth & why the last remaining free men are hiding out in the White mountains. If you have already read the other three books in the series, you may be a little disappointed in this book. It is by no means a necessary read & merely fills in some of the details that are hinted at in the Tripods Trilogy. If you are a Tripods fan then you will no doubt purchase this book to make sure your collection is complete, however I feel that it does not quite match the standard of the other books in the Series.
