John Christopher

John Christopher (real name: Samuel Youd) is an English science fiction writer. Mr. Christopher has written more than 70 novels under a variety of pen names, but he is best known as the author of the Tripod trilogy and its prequel, When the Tripods Came. This series, set in a post-apocalyptic world controlled by aliens, is intelligent, suspenseful, and fast-paced—and brim-full of the kind of cinema-worthy action sequences that make Hollywood hands sweat. (There has already been a short-lived TV version of Christopher’s trilogy, and there are rumors of an upcoming big-screen version.)

Note: John Christopher has had a lifelong love for Louise May Alcott’s Little Women. Not every science-fiction writer would admit to this—good for you, Mr. Christopher!

Note #2: When writing about Mr. Christopher’s first book, the Times Literary Supplement described it as “not uninteresting” and “by no means insensitive”. Wasn’t that nice of them? I would have told the Times that they weren’t “too pretentious” and “by no means totally full of themselves”.


Aftertaste:
Not enough girls in these books. See the essay for further complaints in this vein.

Availability:
For the Tripod trilogy, everywhere. (There was a recent reprint of this series, complete with excellent introductory essays from Mr. Christopher.) You're going to have to hunt for the majority of his other novels.

Other Recommendations:
Devil on my Back, by Monica Hughes

Anything by H. G. Wells

Anything by Aldous Huxley

Website:
http://www.thetripods.org/ -
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Posted by: Julia

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