When the Tripods Came


Full disclosure:  this is a children’s book.  Yes, friends, this is how 1988 does YA dystopian sci-fi.  No icky love triangles, no pseudo-sexual undercurrents, no preachy abstinence subtext.  Just tripods.

What I love about the Tripods is that they’re unpredictable.  No little green men screeching “TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER,” in fact, I have no idea what they’re all about.  This is a series (groan, I hate serieses!) and I need to catch the next one to keep up.  However, there is still plenty of action to get you going here. 

The characters are complex in their desires and fears:  our narrator, 13-year-old Laurie, has a complicated relationship with his family that doesn’t change overnight simply because Earth is being invaded.  We don’t get to know his friend, Andy, as well, however he acts as a sounding board for Laurie most of the time.  Most importantly, nobody is a cliche and we root for all of them.

And we really need to, because this invasion is dark.  There’s no shortage of death and danger.  The book leaps right into the action:  No long, tiresome exposition!  Get to know the characters along the way and keep up or fall behind and fall prey to the Trippies! 

I really enjoyed this start to the series and am genuinely looking forward to getting some answers!


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