When the Tripods Came (Tripods Series #1) » (Revised)

Long ago, the Tripods—huge, three-legged machines—descended upon Earth and took control. Now people unquestioningly accept the Tripods' power. They have no control over their thoughts or their lives. But for a brief time in each person's life—in childhood—he is not a slave. For Will, his time of freedom is about to end—unless he can escape to the White Mountains, where the possibility of freedom still exists. The Tripods trilogy follows the adventures of Will and his cohorts, as they try to evade the Tripods and maintian their freedom and ultimately do battle against them. The prequel, When the Tripods Came, explains how the Tripods first invaded and gained control of the planet.

Publishers Weekly

The initial Tripod invasion of Earth seems laughable: armed forces overwhelm two of the giant attackers, and the third simply self-destructs. But when TV stations all over the world begin to broadcast the Trippy Show, the fanscalled Trippiesare hypnotized and flock to Trippy communes. By the time the second Tripod invasion begins, the Trippies greet the aliens as saviors and eagerly don the brainwashing caps provided them. Realizing that they can no longer stay in England and remain uncapped, Laurie and his family journey to Switzerland. When Switzerland falls under the Tripods' spell, Laurie, accompanied by two other boys, flees with his family to a remote spot in the Alps. The small band resolves to devote their lives to fighting the Tripods and thus form the core of the resistance movement that figures in the author's Tripods trilogy. Like those books, this fast-paced adventure explores serious issues of freedom and morality, creating a welcome prequel to the series. Ages 9-14. (April)