** spoiler alert ** John Christopher's first foray into children's literature, and his first entry in the now-infamous Tripods series, could easily fit in well on a shelf besides most boys' adventure books. Told in strong, clear prose, Christopher presents the story of Will, a boy living in an apparently medieval world with an important difference: the presence of the enormous, mysterious Tripods who "cap" humans at the onset of puberty to keep them docile and obedient. This is his travelogue as he endeavors to escape this fate, sailing from England, traveling through an abandoned Paris and finding temporary sanctuary at the house of a wealthy French lord. Descriptions of scenery and food are lush and lively.

But the characterizations, of Will (so anonymous a boy that, several times, I forgot his name), of his traveling companions Henry and Beanpole, and of the people surrounding them, are incredibly flat and lifeless. The few details of personality we're given--that Henry has a temper, that Beanpole loves inventing things--seem to have no impact on their motivations. This flatness, coupled with an incredibly unsatisfying ending (we never learn anything about the white mountains to which they ultimately escape) drag this short book down considerably. I'm curious as to whether the subsequent volumes will redeem the series.