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When the Tripods Came
 
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When the Tripods Came (Mass Market Paperback)

by John Christopher (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
US List Price: $5.99
UK Equivalent: £4.03
Price: £3.66 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £0.37 (9%)
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Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The White Mountains (The Tripods Trilogy.) by John Christopher

When the Tripods Came + The White Mountains (The Tripods Trilogy.)
Price For Both: £7.93

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Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse; Reissue edition (April 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0689857624
  • ISBN-13: 978-0689857621
  • Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.2 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 32,179 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #4 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > C > Christopher, John
    #13 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Children's Books > Fiction

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

When the Tripods Came
38% buy the item featured on this page:
When the Tripods Came 3.6 out of 5 stars (5)
£3.66
The White Mountains (The Tripods Trilogy.)
19% buy
The White Mountains (The Tripods Trilogy.) 4.0 out of 5 stars (3)
£4.27
Tripods - The Complete Series 1 & 2 [DVD] [1984]
18% buy
Tripods - The Complete Series 1 & 2 [DVD] [1984] 4.1 out of 5 stars (20)
£17.97
The Death of Grass (Penguin Modern Classics)
15% buy
The Death of Grass (Penguin Modern Classics) 4.4 out of 5 stars (19)
£4.99
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Prequel to the Tripods trilogy, 30 Jan 2003
By "rkemp78" - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: When the Tripods Came (The tripod series) (Mass Market Paperback)
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 and I found it. The book is an interesting read for Tripods fans and 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 and 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 and 9 year olds. Children look down books that they see as "babyish", and 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 and 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 eventually 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.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Prequel to the Tripods Trilogy, 18 Jul 2001
By P. G. Woodhouse - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: When the Tripods Came (The tripod series) (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is Actually a Prequel to the John Christopher Tripods Trilogy, and goes a long way to explaining how the tripods took over the Earth and 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 and 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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Tripods Revisited - Nice, but don't expect too much, 7 April 2008
By Andreas P. Rauch - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
John Christopher's original "Tripods" trilogy has become a classic, and 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 and quiet conformer. And a follower of the Tripods, metallic giants everyone seems to take for granted.

In the course of the trilogy, the boy escapes, finds new friends and learns about the eventual plans of the Tripods - it's still a thrilling, great science fiction story especially for younger readers.

"When the Tripods came" is a prequel that sheds light on the original Tripod invasion, how and why they could win it, and other questions the original trilogy did not address. It's more a crossing of the t's and dotting of the i's than a must-read, and 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, and 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 and 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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars This tells how it all began
This is the prequel to John Christopher's popular Tripods trilogy. The book tells the story of how the Tripods landed on Earth were ejected and then came back by mind-controlling... Read more
Published 21 days ago by Thomas Koetzsch

4.0 out of 5 stars A superb prequel
Does just what a prequel should do. Fills in the gaps in the history of the later books and tells a superb story along the way
Published on 15 Nov 2001 by Richard Laven

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