kilcannon's review against another edition
3.0
Written for a younger audience than I was expecting, this is a good introduction to a range of dystopian and sci-fi concepts, with a pleasantly anti-authoritarian bent. I wish I'd known about these when I was younger.
The protagonist is a bit of a whiny brat, but many kids are, and I'm sure it'll be a coming of age story in which he stops being so useless by the end of the third book.
It is a little light on incident, and I could see how some would find it boring, but it's a charming little adventure so far.
The protagonist is a bit of a whiny brat, but many kids are, and I'm sure it'll be a coming of age story in which he stops being so useless by the end of the third book.
It is a little light on incident, and I could see how some would find it boring, but it's a charming little adventure so far.
raloveridge's review against another edition
4.0
Badass. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because it ends rather abruptly, but that's mostly because it's the first of a trilogy (Tripods--three books? COINCIDENCE? I think not!). Excellent.
angelofthe0dd's review against another edition
4.0
I first read this story as a serialized comic in Boys Life magazine back in the 1980s. Many years later, I was attempting to describe the story to a friend of mine at college. I described the tripods and the "Capping" process. He immediately knew the book and gave me the information. I just recently finished the book (bought it on my Nook), and it's a good story for the most part. I thought the ending was a bit weak. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
pptphile's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
mary_r_m's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok. Not really as interesting to me as other sci-fi novels I've read.
jimmypat's review against another edition
3.0
I first became aware of John Christopher’s thrilling Tripods series when it was serialized as a comic strip in Boys’ Life magazine. I was in absolute agony and suspense waiting each month for the magazine to arrive. I went on to see the UK TV adaptation and read the books as well.
Recently, I’ve been trying to get my young teenagers to read the series to no avail. So, I went ahead and decided to reread it. Pretty solid stuff for a YA novel. Quick paced and exciting, I remembered quite a few details. It’s not perfect, but The White Mountains proves that, sometimes, you can indeed go home again.
Recently, I’ve been trying to get my young teenagers to read the series to no avail. So, I went ahead and decided to reread it. Pretty solid stuff for a YA novel. Quick paced and exciting, I remembered quite a few details. It’s not perfect, but The White Mountains proves that, sometimes, you can indeed go home again.
elegantmechanic's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Read for nostalgic purposes (mainly for the TV show) but as I'm now multiple decades past the target audience it didn't do a huge amount for me. Gets a bit plodding in the middle but the ending is well paced and exciting.
sneakyawe's review against another edition
4.0
I have to say that this book has always been my least favorite out of the bunch (which isn't saying much because I LOVE this series) but it made me laugh at how much I remembered every little thing that happened! So glad I added this series to my home library and ready for The City of Gold and Lead!!
charity1313's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
One of the only books I recall enjoying from my own school days. I wanted to share it with my kids but only J was interested. We enjoyed it as well but I don't think it's a pillar of science fiction writing for kids. We liked reading it together at bedtime though.