The City of Gold and Lead

The Tripods #2

by John Christopher

Will, Beanpole, and Henry have managed to escape the Tripods. But instead of living in safety, in the small community of free people, they have chosen to embark upon a mission that may cost them their lives.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia, Childrens, Adventure

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Samuel Youd was born in Huyton, Lancashire in April 1922, during an unseasonable snowstorm.

As a boy, he was devoted to the newly emergent genre of science-fiction: ‘In the early thirties,’ he later wrote, ‘we knew just enough about the solar system for its possibilities to be a magnet to the imagination.’

Over the following decades, his imagination flowed from science-fiction into general novels, cricket novels, medical novels, gothic romances, detective thrillers, light comedies … In all he published fifty-six novels and a myriad of short stories, under his own name as well as eight different pen-names.

He is perhaps best known as John Christopher, author of the seminal work of speculative fiction, The Death of Grass (today available as a Penguin Classic), and a stream of novels in the genre he pioneered, young adult dystopian fiction, beginning with The Tripods Trilogy.

‘I read somewhere,’ Sam once said, ‘that I have been cited as the greatest serial killer in fictional history, having destroyed civilisation in so many different ways – through famine, freezing, earthquakes, feral youth combined with religious fanaticism, and progeria.’

In an interview towards the end of his life, conversation turned to a recent spate of novels set on Mars and a possible setting for a John Christopher story: strand a group of people in a remote Martian enclave and see what happens.

The Mars aspect, he felt, was irrelevant. ‘What happens between the people,’ he said, ‘that’s the thing I’m interested in.’

Reviews

[Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

For we—or some of us—were to conduct a reconnaissance. We knew almost nothing of the Tripods—not even whether they were intelligent machines or vehicles for alien beings. We must know more before we could hope to fight them successfully; and there was only one way to get that knowledge. Some of us, one at least, must penetrate the City of the Tripods, study them, and bring back information.
…
One enjoys friendship most when times are good, when the sun shines and the world is kind. But it is the sharing of adversity that knits men together.

The City of Gold and Lead is the second book in John Christopher’s 1960s Tripod trilogy. Will, his cousin Henry, and Beanpole managed to escape the Tripods and reach a safe community in The White Mountains. In order to try to gain information that could help them learn more about the Tripods, the three boys and others attempt to enter and win a tournament whose winners are sent to serve the Masters in the Tripods’s titular City of Gold and Lead.

I read The City of Gold and Lead as a kid, but remembered almost none of the details. The story was better than I expected, and better than The White Mountains. Mr. Christopher gave considerable thought to what type of beings would inhabit the Tripods he unconsciously borrowed from The War of the Worlds, and how they would live. The story is darker than I expected. There’s abuse, sacrifice, death, and plans for the destruction of humanity. Maybe more interestingly, the boys are placed in situations that force them to question whether it’s morally justified to do things ranging from theft to killing in self-defense. Recommended, for kids and for those on a nostalgia trip.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having reached their destination in the end of the last book, our three heroes are safely inside the caverns of the White Mountains.

The boys have joined The Resistance. Following reconnaissance missions, plans have been formulated.

The young men are training for the prestigious Games. Teenage boys compete amongst one another, in various athletic sports, to win the ultimate prize: Entrance into the city where the Tripods, and the aliens inside of them, live.

Will takes his boxing very seriously. (Good place to put all that frustration and aggression.) He and Fritz (runner) win their respective competitions and the coveted prizes; Beanpole falls short.

Inside the city…wow. Creative and scary. The Masters. And the plans for the Earth…

It's cool to see the friendship grow between Will and Fritz. Young Me was 1000% shipping those two, ngl. 🤷‍♂️

Epic in scope. Strong pace and flow. Tension is at an 11, especially once the boys reach the Tripod city.

Cool conclusion. The (mild) cliffhanger is the only quibble here.

Strongest novel of the bunch, even including the prequel The White Mountains.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having by the skin of their teeth survived a cross-continental walk to freedom from the mind-control of the Tripods, Will and his friends now volunteer to risk their lives by joining those who enter the alien city as slaves of the Masters. First they must make another arduous journey and then triumph at an athletic competition designed to select the best and strongest specimens to serve the invaders. But getting into the city is the least horrible of the dangers that wait for the boys... Tense and creepy.

[Kiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was always my favorite from this trilogy. Maybe it's because the terror is so immediate and the danger is distilled to its essence. The aliens are terrifying and real, their city has a personality of its own, and Will remains a fascinating and flawed hero.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less likely to bore the modern young reader than The White Mountains, it's a fine book, dated and unlikely to capture the attention of its target age now, but a worthy classic of children's dystopian science fiction.

Finally, we see directly actual hardship stemming from the domination of the tripods. Other than the low-technology society, there seemed little limitation on individual freedom or evident mind control, until such time as this book's heroes are taken to the titular city of the masters, and there, still, only a few hundred people out of multiple countries' population were affected. But in that setting, finally the truth of this series's future-past Earth is revealed.

The aliens and their city struck me as Lovecraft-light, not dissimilar to the Great Old Ones of The Shadow Out of Time crossed with The War of the Worlds' own tripod-driving beings. The narration is subdued by contemporary standards, largely factual and requiring the reader to generate any emotion. I often found myself thinking that fiction writing in general has gotten simply better over the past decades, more engaging and exciting, if this and its contemporary classics are any measure.

Not a bad series and one I picked up from a library booksale because it looked "classic" and vaguely familiar, to populate our family library with the aim of providing plenty of potentially grabbable browsing material for my children, it has sat unread for many years until I finally opted to work through many such books. I don't feel the need to sing any praises for it to my children now. If a dystopian classic is needed, I would rather steer them to John Wyndham.

[Mohsen M.B · Rating 4 out of 5]

تا نیمه‌ی اول کتاب با خودم می‌گفتم «وای این هم از اون مجموعه‌هاست که رو به کند شدن میره»ـ
خصوصا که ترجمه‌ی این جلد (مترجمش فرد دیگه‌ایه) نسبت به جلد قبل چندان جالب نبود اما از نیمه‌ی دوم کتاب ورق برگشت
دوباره با اون زاویه دید جذابِ «از آینده به شکوه نابود شده‌ی گذشته» رو به رو شدم و جاسوس‌بازی سبک علمی‌تخیلی که هیجانش رو دوچندان می‌کرد.ـ
‌

[Mahdifazl · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی سخته جوری تخیلی بنویسی که حقیقی جلوه کنه، به هر حال تو اوج نوجوانی این تخیلات برای ما عین حقیقت بود!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have re-read these books several times over the years, and they have stood up quite well. They're quite suspenseful and interesting, without being over-the-top preachy, which a book like this easily could be. What stood out to me this time was their amazing economy. They're only around 100 pages each, yet they don't feel like slight books in any way.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woohoo, book 2 is done! Hopefully I can get the last book just to see how this trilogy is going to end.

The City of Gold and Lead was the main reason as to why I jumped into the Tripod Series. Mostly because it worked for a certain challenge but I always make the mistake of diving into series with random books and never starting from the beginning. Since it's 2020, and October, I'm trying to redeem myself but I'm honestly not sure how long that's going to last. So many books to dive into and so little time to do so.

In it, we are still following the same gang as the first book - Will, Beanpole, and Fritz. It also picks up right around where the previous book ended. After barely getting around from the Tripod and surviving the attack, Will and his friends are now volunteering to risk their lives once again. At least it's for a good cause because they are trying to free the people from being slaves.

In the end, this was just another adventure to enjoy. It's weird that this was never on my radar and I'm definitely impressed by it all. I look forward to the next book and hope it ends on a high note for me.

[منوچهر محور · Rating 5 out of 5]

بهترین قسمت سه‌گانه سه‌پایه‌ها!

[Adolfina García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña en C:

https://www.ccyberdark.net/7026/trilo...

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Η Πόλη του Χρυσού και του Μολύβδου", εκδόσεις Σίμωσι.

Δεύτερο βιβλίο της εφηβικής σειράς επιστημονικής φαντασίας "Τρίποδες", με την ιστορία να ξεκινάει σχεδόν από το σημείο που τελείωσε η ιστορία του πρώτου βιβλίου της σειράς, με τον τίτλο "Τα Λευκά όρη". Πέρυσι τον Μάρτιο ξεκίνησα την σειρά, έπρεπε να περάσουν τόσοι μήνες μέχρι τελικά να την συνεχίσω. Πάντως θυμόμουν αρκετές λεπτομέρειες!

Ο δεκατετράχρονος πρωταγωνιστής μας, ονόματι Γουίλ Πάρκερ, είναι πλέον μέλος της οργάνωσης των ελεύθερων ανθρώπων που αγωνίζονται ενάντια στους Κυρίαρχους εξωγήινους που κατέλαβαν τον πλανήτη μας. Μαζί με δυο φίλους-συντρόφους του θα αναλάβει μια επικίνδυνη αποστολή: Να καταφέρει να μπει μέσα σε μια από τις πόλεις των εξωγήινων και να μάθει πως είναι, πως λειτουργούν και ποια είναι τα τρωτά τους σημεία. Ο κίνδυνος για τον ίδιο και τους φίλους του θα είναι τεράστιος. Η ιστορία κινείται στο ίδιο μήκος κύματος με αυτήν του πρώτου βιβλίου, έτσι γεμάτη με δράση και ηρωισμούς όπως είναι, η γραφή παραμένει καλή, ευκολοδιάβαστη και αρκετά περιγραφική, ενώ υπήρξαν και κάποιες ενδιαφέρουσες αποκαλύψεις για τους κακούς της ιστορίας.

Το βιβλίο απευθύνεται σε νεαρότερες ηλικίες, σίγουρα όμως διαβάζεται ευχάριστα και με ενδιαφέρον και από μεγαλύτερους και έμπειρους αναγνώστες στο είδος της επιστημονικής φαντασίας. Προσωπικά πέρασα καλά και με αυτό το βιβλίο, που μου φάνηκε ελάχιστα καλύτερο από το πρώτο. Λίαν συντόμως (αυτή την φορά το εννοώ!) θα πιάσω και το τρίτο βιβλίο.

[Zorlon Zorlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This some badass, excellen' sci-fi, hee-ya. Book Two of the trilogy about a century from now when mankind is slave to the Tripods, giant war machines that control men through Caps which are ritualistically affixed to their skulls at adolescence. The three teenagers from the first book who make it to the White Mountains, where a small band of free people are trying to free the earth are at their zany hijinks again! This time they enter a pseudo-Olympics thing fake-Capped and get inside one of the cities of the Tripods where they discover the horrible shit that is actually happening: the real rulers are these fucking hideous and weird aliens called The Masters. Humans are their slaves in the city whose artificial gravity and sweltering heat (hence the title) kill you after about a year of glorious servitude to your Master. The narrator, Will, figures out all kinds of shit and offers that neat fish-in-the-frying-pan wide-eyed view of this most alien badassitude.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[B. Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in the series.

It gives us our first glimpse into the lives of the Masters, and what an unusual glimpse it is. The world building for the city is one of the most interesting takes on an alien society I've seen yet, even after having seen many since. The visuals conjured in my mind by the author's word are something I can still recall 20+ years after reading it.

I think this book is also interesting in that it reveals that the evil alien overlords aren't all completely evil. The one the main character is stuck with is actually halfway decent. As far as alien slave masters go.

One of my favorite, early sci-fi reads.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite of the series. For me, it seemed the author was drawing a correlation between the aliens (called the Master's) and human beings. Very good character developement for a kids book. I liked that the protagonist was flawed and pointedly so - I thought that was unusual for a kids book OR for that matter an adult book.

[پگاه · Rating 4 out of 5]

خب خیلی خوب بود! واقعا «آی ریلی لایکد ایت»! کم‌بود هایی داشت که پنج ندادم بهش، ولی دوست داشتنی بود. شهر طلا و سرب، خوب و بدون باگ(لااقل بدون باگ واضح) ساخته شده بود. گرچه که یک وقت‌هایی فکر می‌کردم کاش یه جور بهتری کشف می‌کرد ویژگی‌هاش رو برای خواننده!

[Tentatively, Convenience · Rating 4 out of 5]

review of
John Christopher's The City of Gold and Lead
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - October 9-13, 2020

This QUARANTYRANNY has really fucked my life up. Just sayin'. It's October & this is only the 13th review I've written so far this year. Compare that to 2018 when I wrote 77 reviews. Even writing this relatively simple one seems like a practically insurmountable task.

ANYWAY, this book is the 2nd in a series, a trilogy at 1st. I reviewed the beginning already, The White Mountains ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) so I won't go into how the premise of this series is that the Martians in H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds won - although that's not explained anywhere in these Christopher books. When I read these I thought I might not've read anything by Christopher before but, Lo & Behold!, I'd read his The Possessors in a book club edition that a door-to-door salesman convinced me to subscribe to when I was a young'un & I'm glad I did! Anyway, that was over 50 yrs ago so I don't remember The Possessors for shit.

On the back of this edition it lists this & 2 other bks as a trilogy but it doesn't give a name to the trilogy. Odd. I've since learned that they're called The Tripods & that the 1st 2 bks were the basis for a SciFi TV series in the UK in the 1980s. 1st I've heard of that. AND there was a prequel-sequel written 20 yrs after the 3rd part of the trilogy. There you go, everything you ever needed to know.

Plunging right in, out heros meet an uncapped, i.e.: non-mind-controlled, stranger on an island.

"And where the silver band of the Cap should have been there was only flesh, toughened and browned by long years of exposure.

"He spoke in German, in a harsh dialect. He had been looking out and had seen us struggling in the water, and had watched Beanpole haul me in to shore. His manner was odd, I thought—part grudging and part welcoming." - p 61

It's funny, literally every stranger I've ever met on an island has been uncapped. There's something to be said for that.

Our heroes take on the task of entering the city where the tripods & their inhabitants live by accepting their abduction as slaves.

"What happened as our Tripod entered the City was something for which I was completely unprepared. I felt as though I had been struck a savage blow that contrived to hit me in every part of my body at the same time, a blow from the front, from behind, most of all from above, smashing me down." - p 97

The Tripod operators, the extra-terrestrial invaders & colonizers have apparently recreated the stronger gravity that they're accustomed to. What might be strange to some of us about this is that usually when Earthlings are depicted in SciFi as going to other celestial bodies that have lighter gravity the Earthlings enjoy the liberation, the increased speed, the greater jumps & only have the slacking of their muscles to fear. What's wrong with these danged ETs? Why aren't they frolicking in Earth's lesser gravity?! Some people just don't know how to have a good time.

""Humans, you have the privilege, the high honor, to have been chosen as servants of the Masters. Go where the blue light shines. In the place to which it leads you, you will find fellow slaves who will instruct you in what you are at do. Follow the blue light."" - p 100

But what if they had on their BLUBlox?

As if slavery isn't bad enough, slavery under increased gravity really bites.

"The remnants of pride broke through the heavy dullness of his voice. He said, "I won the thousand-meters race at the Games, less than a month after I was Capped. No one had ever done that before in my province."

"I stared at him, at the slumped tired body, the worn, sick-looking flesh, with horror. He was no more than two years older than I was, perhaps less." - p 103

Yes, I can see it now, the remake in 10 yrs:

"The remnants of pride broke through the heavy dullness of his voice. He said, "I won the Virtual Reality Olympics at the Zoom Conference, less than a month after I put on the mask permanently & self-quarantined. No one had ever done that before in my province."

"I stared at him, at the slumped tired body, the worn, sick-looking flesh, with horror. He was no less than fifty years younger than I was, perhaps even younger than that."

"I sensed rather than heard it at first, but it grew into a ripple of sound, spread along the cubicles to my right—a sound of awe and wonder. I knew then that the moment had come, and craned my neck to see. They had entered the room from the far end, and were approaching the cubicles. The" [Vaccinators] - p 109

Slavery takes its toll.

"We had all lost weight, but he, who had been tall and well built, seemed, in proportion, to have lost much more than I. His ribs showed painfully through the flesh of his chest, and his face was gaunt. He had the stooped posture that one saw in those who had been a year or more in the City. I saw something else, too, with horror: a pattern of angry marks across his back. I knew that some of the Masters beat their human servants for carelessness or stupidity, using a thing like a fly whisk, which burned the flesh where it touched. But Fritz was not stupid and would not be careless." - p 127

What's perhaps most marvelous about these stories is that the ET conquerors used television to "make men's minds receptive" before the invasion. Gee, the reviewer asks innocently, cd something like that be happening now?

"And they caught the rabbits with the ancients' own marvel: the distance-pictures. These pictures were sent out on invisible rays through the air, and turned back into pictures in millions fo homes all over the world. The Masters found a means of suppressing those rays at their source, and sending out in their place rays that made the pictures they wanted. There went with them other rays that made men's minds receptive. So they watched the pictures, and the pictures told them to go to sleep. When they had gone to sleep, the pictures gave them their orders." - pp 152-153

WAKE UP BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!, y'know what I mean? In my review of the 1st bk of this trilogy, I made a pun about a "mar-riage", a "marred horse". That was a writerly touch preparing you for the following:

"She was dressed in the simple dark-blue gown, trimmed with white lace, that she had worn at the tournament, when the forest of swords flashed silver in the sun, and all the knights acclaimed her as their Queen. Her brown eyes were closed, but the ivory of her small oval face was delicately flushed with rose. But for the casket, very much like a coffin, and the hundreds of others around her, I could have thought she was sleeping." - p 163

Sometimes I think the people around me are sleeping too.. but, no, they're dead. You've heard of "Teacher's Pet"? Well, my 5th grade teacher had little boy teacher's pets. He turned out to be a pedophile.

"Matters were not helped by the fact that the Master became more and more obviously attached to me. His fondling of me, occasional at first, became a daily ritual, and I was pressed into doing something of the sort in return." - p 166

Stay tuned for my exciting review of the final bk of the trilogy! If I can ever muster the energy or enthusiasm to write it, i.e..

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book of the Tripods Trilogy, The City of Gold and Lead continues the science fiction adventure that began with The White Mountains. The world has been taken over by aliens who rule in large, three-legged machines. Humans are controlled by metal caps, which are melded to their skulls at the age of 14. Will, the main character, is a young man who is part of a small group of free men, who have escaped the capping process and live secretly in the mountains. In The City of Gold and Lead, Will and another boy are sent to be slaves in the city of the alien “Masters,” as they call themselves, to gather information and report back. The dangerous journey provides a frightening look at the dark reality that the Masters have created for the humans.

Much like The White Mountains, I found this book to be an exciting and engaging read. The plot is adventurous and fast paced, but the themes of humanity and freedom are still just as evident, making this book stand as something that is filled with thrilling adventure and a thought provoking depth. The biggest difference in The City of Gold and Lead is that it is much more rooted in the science fiction genre than The White Mountains was. We learn much more about the alien Masters, their city, and their technologies in this book, although Christopher manages to inject enough plot movement to make sure that it never becomes too slow.

Recommended for children and tween readers who enjoyed The White Mountains. Those who enjoy adventurous page turners, especially boys, will enjoy these timeless thrillers. I also think that, although this is a children’s book, the combination of action and depth makes this an enjoyable read for teens and adults who are open to reading younger people’s literature.

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book of the Tripods trilogy, where the plot thickens in darker ways.

For all their resistance, the people of the White Mountains barely know anything of the tripods. Who they are, what their plans are, and how they can fight them. So they devise a plan, win the annual games of the Capped, the games where Will lost Eloise to the tripods in the first place. Get taken, spy on them, and come back alive.

Will, Beanpole, and a boy named Fritz are chosen, and after several dangers, they arrive at the games. While Beanpole is left behind, Will and Fritz are chosen, and taken inside a tripod.

They wake up in a hellish city of gold and lead, where the heat is oppressive, and gravity crushes them. They are now servants of the Masters, and Will and Fritz soon become aware the Masters of the tripods have a much darker plan than they ever thought.

John Christopher set the standard for children's dystopia books with this series, and this book is no exception. It's brief, but every word is well chosen, and it's not serious or cute. It feels a little bleaker than the first book, with the capped no longer being entirely cheerful, and the ultimate plan of the aliens for the future of mankind being very grim. But it's not one-sided, and that adds to the horror: Will's very sympathetic Master is the vessel of many of the horrors in the book.

Definitely recommended, and finish the series with the Pool of Fire.

[Scott Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in the Tripods series, this book follows Will and Beanpole as they leave their mountain home and try to win a competition of games that will allow them to enter the mysterious city of the tripods. While inside the city, they learn about their captors the Masters and look for a way to defeat them.

Very imaginative, told in the style of Jules Verne with a particular knack for describing alien science and technology. It's a great story with a focus on the action, I loved these books as a kid and I still do today.

[Space · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in the White Mountains trilogy, this is the book where the rebel children must infiltrate the enemy complex and learn the aliens' weaknesses. Don't read this one without first having read The White Mountains, and likewise, don't read it without finishing the story off with The Pool of Fire. All three books are very important to the set. And you must read the set! This was one of the best sets of books I've ever read.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never read past the first book as a child, so I am glad to continue with this fascinating story now. I rather feel the lack of female characters in this one, and perhaps the series as a whole will be full of very boyish energy and that is what I should expect. I appreciated the thoughtful world building and genuine grappling with big problems, big ideas. This would give kids a lot of what-would-you-do moments. Recommended for boys who crave adventure and have excellent imaginations.

[Iris Penfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was even more satisfying than the first of the trilogy. I read through it very quickly. You get to find out what a tripod really is and my assumption was all wrong. This book brings out many emotions in the reader as the young teen boys go through cruel and demeaning treatment in the city of the tripods.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book multiple times, and every time, it make me feel like my life is easy compared to the main character's, and that if he can rise up to his challenges, I should be able to rise up to my own. Very motivating. This series is worth reading.

[Anthony Ventrello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like "The White Mountains" this book grabs the reader from page one and and doesn't let go until the end. Even then, it doesn't let go as you will run to the nearest library or bookstore and want to get the next book.

[Lavendersbluegreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just reread this trilogy after many years and wow it was better than ever! Apparently there is even another book… so I will have to check it out too.

[Steve Groves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some gripping as well as sad moment. Reading this aloud at night to the family and they continue to talk and speculate about what might happen in the story.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a kid back in the 70s, not realizing that it was book 2 of a trilogy. Now I've decided to go back and read them in order. All I could remember from my first reading was giant triangular aliens (I think I made that part up), a green domed city, and a boy escaping underwater.

This held up pretty well to a re-read. Yes it's a bit dated, but I think it can be viewed as a (under appreciated) classic now.

To my surprise, in the author's preface to my edition, he says that when he first wrote "White Mountains," he had not intended it to be a series. That's probably why there's a slightly different feel in that first book, which is more of a "boy's adventure" tale, and this book, which is a straight up "covert ops resisting the alien invaders" story (always a favorite trope of mine!)

[E.B. Dawson]

Nooooooooooooooooo....guys. FRITZ. :( :( :( :( :( :(