Pool of Fire by John Christopher (4/5 stars)

This is the final book in the Tripods trilogy by John Christopher. It does a great job of wrapping up the story and explaining how the free men take on the Tripods in their golden cities.

In this book the rebel faction of free humans works to recruit others to their cause; they also spend time learning some of the technologies of the ancient people. A plan is put together to infiltrate the Tripod cities and destroys the Masters.

Fast paced and intriguing, this book is a great conclusion to the series. Will still struggles with his brashness and lack of foresight; Beanpole is as clever as ever. A quick read and a great series conclusion; this book really stands the test of time.

City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher (4/5 stars)

This is the second installment in the Tripods trilogy. It is my favorite book of the trilogy and is still as much fun 20 years from when I first read it.

Will, Beanpole, and Henry are training for the games in hopes that one of them will make it into a city of the Tripods and be able to escape to provide vital intelligence to the human resistance.

The description of what happens in the Tripods city is amazing and interesting. I remember reading this when I was younger and finding it absolutely fascinating. The end of the book leaves you hanging and wondering what will happen. It is a fast-paced book with amazing detail as to the Tripod race

This is a wonderful creative series; that still inspires curiosity of the unknown. It is a trilogy that seems to withstand time. I can't wait to read the last book in the series.

The White Mountains by John Christopher (4/5 stars)

This is the first book in the Tripods series. This book describes the journey of three young boys who are eager to escape the Capping ceremony of the Tripods and go on a journey to the White Mountains where there is a rumor free-men still live.

I loved this book when I was younger and reading it twenty years later, I think it is still a great book. It is fast-paced, suspenceful, and intriguing. A great novel for kids, young adults, or a dults; and a great book to read as an entry to the science fiction genre. So far I am still loving this series.

When you consider how long ago this book was written that even makes the plot even more special; I mean these books were written over 40 years ago and they still resinate with the fears of alien take-over that people deal with today. It is an amazing feat to write a book that can span so many generations and still have the story remain relevant and fresh. I can't wait for my son to be old enough to read these books.

When the Tripods Came by John Christopher (3/5 stars)

The original tripods trilogy was one of my favorite reads as a young adult. This book is a prequel to that trilogy; I have owned it forever and have never read it. So when I found the trilogy (along with this prequel) sitting on my bookshelf I decided to give it another read.

This is a short book but I found it was not as engaging as I remember the trilogy to be. It is a book that basically tells how the tripods came to our world. Overall I agree with the other reviewers that say read the trilogy first and then come back to this prequel for filler if you want to.

It was well written but seemed to be more a quick telling of events leading to the invasion than a really gripping story. It is a quick read at 150 pages or so. It was interesting to find out the before but this book doesn't really fit in that well with the other books of the trilogy.

I am on to read the trilogy now to see if those books are as excellent as I remember them being. I hope they are!