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John Christopher
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The City of Gold and Lead Mass Market Paperback – April 1, 2003

by John Christopher (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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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.
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  1. Reading age
    12 years and up
  2. Print length
    224 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 - 9
  5. Lexile measure
    920L
  6. Dimensions
    4.19 x 0.7 x 7 inches
  7. Publisher
    Simon Pulse
  8. Publication date
    April 1, 2003
  9. ISBN-10
    0689856660
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0689856662
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Christopher was the pseudonym of Samuel Youd, who was born in Lancashire, England, in 1922. He was the author of more than fifty novels and novellas, as well as numerous short stories. His most famous books include The Death of Grass, the Tripods trilogy, The Lotus Caves, and The Guardians.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon Pulse; Reprint edition (April 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0689856660
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0689856662
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 920L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 0.7 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

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  1. Anthony Gascoigne Eyre

    Anthony Gascoigne Eyre

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

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  2. John Christopher

    John Christopher

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    Sam Youd was born in 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, under his own name and a variety of pen-names, he published fifty-six novels and a myriad of short stories.

    He is perhaps best known as John Christopher, author of the seminal work of speculative fiction, The Death of Grass, and a stream of novels in the genre he pioneered, YA 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.'

    Titles published under the pen-name of Hilary Ford and under his own name are also available on Amazon.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
48 global ratings

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Customers find the books easy to read and enjoyable. They describe the stories as good, adventurous, and a great science fiction series.

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Customers enjoy the books. They say the author is great and the book is a good read.

"...Finally I found it again, the books are still a good read to anyone who wants a good story...." Read more

"I first read these books 40 years ago, my kids are reading them now. Great books." Read more

"...ON A MAGIC CARPET RIDE, AND YOU DON'T WANT THE RIDE TO END!!!!...A GREAT AUTHOR....AND AN EXCELLENT SELLER...THEY SENT THE BOOK AT TOP SPEED....AND..." Read more

"Great books..." Read more

4 customers mention "Story quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story. They describe it as a good adventure and Sci-Fi series.

"...it again, the books are still a good read to anyone who wants a good story...." Read more

"WHAT A GREAT STORY, PERFECTLY WRITTEN...RIGHT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, IT SWEEPS YOU AWAY LIKE ON A MAGIC CARPET RIDE, AND YOU DON'T WANT THE RIDE..." Read more

"...Great adventure." Read more

"A great Sci-Fi series..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • FrankAnthony
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Story
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I read this book when I was in Middle School. For years now I knew of it but could never remember the series' name. Finally I found it again, the books are still a good read to anyone who wants a good story.

    Note for those who are uncertain about getting the mass market paperback version:
    If you have gotten the other books in the series with their better front covers, you wouldn't be wanting this one to stick out annoyingly.

    The image they display for MMP is wrong, the book cover you get is the same as the Kindle image.
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  • D. Shane Hanson
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great Sci-Fi series
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I first read these books 40 years ago, my kids are reading them now. Great books.
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  • Edna M. Pilon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome story!!!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    WHAT A GREAT STORY, PERFECTLY WRITTEN...RIGHT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, IT SWEEPS YOU AWAY LIKE ON A MAGIC CARPET RIDE, AND YOU DON'T WANT THE RIDE TO END!!!!...A GREAT AUTHOR....AND AN EXCELLENT SELLER...THEY SENT THE BOOK AT TOP SPEED....AND I WILL BUY FROM THEM AGAIN!!! THANKS SO MUCH!!...Mae Pilon
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  • nersip
    5.0 out of 5 stars I read this book when I was a teen got it for my nephews and they loved it.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I read this book when I was a teen got it for my nephews and they loved it. Great adventure.
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  • Kimura
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great books
    Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Read this when I was a kid and had such a huge impact on me. Can't wait to reread now as an adult.
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  • Dianne Mattar
    5.0 out of 5 stars fun reading for 12-13 yr olds
    Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    well received by 12 year old boy, yeah
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  • DJ Marc OS
    4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing
    Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2008
    Intriguing even though I have seen the series in TV and knew some details before.
    Despite not being a native speaker this book was easy to understand for me.
    The tension keeps growing towards the end of the book.
    After all I would advise to read the other two books of John Christopher as well.
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  • M R
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2010
    The City of Gold and Lead is an interesting book full of mystery and suspense. It is the third book of the Tripods series written by John Christopher. The other books in this series are When the Tripods Came, The White Mountains, and The Pool of Fire.
    If you have read The White Mountains you have probably noticed that there are many questions that have been left unanswered. This book will answer many of these questions but will also produce more questions that are left for the last book in this series, The Pool of Fire. After you have read the whole series you will find that all of these books go very well together.
    What this book is really about is aliens that invade the earth. They are in giant tripods that are currently ruling the world. They give anyone over the age of 14 a cap which makes their minds controlled by the tripods. One problem about the earth, to these aliens, is that the earth's air is poisonous to them. Because of this they have to live in cities built for them, in a tripod, or wearing a mask. Right now only their cities are filled with the air that they can breath, but they plan to eventually do this to the rest of the world which would kill the human race and any other living thing on earth.
    As you would probably assume, there is a group of people who are fighting against these aliens. They have to defeat them before they take over the whole world. Two people from this group, Will and Fritz, were sent into the City of Gold and Lead to find out more about these aliens, but they have to get out and escape before they are too weak and die.
    I'll leave the rest of the book for you to figure out. However, I would like to say this is a great book and I highly recommend reading it. Enjoy!
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Demosthenes Paris
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good read.
    Reviewed in France on June 5, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I read this series of books about 45 years ago and bought them for my son, who loved them. Still a good read after all those years.
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  • Marcel Zahm
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kindheitserinnerungen
    Reviewed in Germany on February 28, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Teil 2 der Trilogie. Es ist eine geschlossene Geschichte von Teil 1-3, eigentlich ein Roman, der in drei Bänden veröffentlich wurde. Daher kann ich hier nichts besseres als Copy-Paste meiner Rezension zu Teil 1:

    Die Tripods-Trilogie kenne ich von der Fernsehserie, die in meinen Kindertagen (irgendwann in den 80ern) im Fernsehen lief und die für mich damals ziemlich gruselig, aber faszinierend war. Die Serie habe ich mir dann mal auf DVD gekauft. Da die Serie aus Kostengründen (Tricktechnik damals sehr teuer) nie zu Ende geführt wurde, habe ich mir die Bücher geholt.

    Was bekommt man:
    - Story sehr sehr nah an der Serie (bzw. umgekehrt)
    - eher Jugendbücher, nichts wahnsinnig Verwickeltes
    - auf Englisch gelesen, eignet sich bestimmt für Sprachtraining, nicht weiter anspruchsvoll
    - eine SF-Story, die in sich geschlossen ist und den Trick gut hinbekommt, dass zugleich die Geschichte der ganzen Menschheit und einiger Jugendlicher erzählt wird und das (soweit möglich) recht glaubhaft
    - inhaltlich haben Aliens die Menschheit unterworfen, nichts wahnsinnig Neues, aber hier - ohne Spoiler gesagt - in einer nicht völlig standardmäßigen Variante

    Ich muss bemerken, dass ich positiv voreingestellt war, weil Kindheitserinnerungen bei mir eine deutliche Rolle spielen.
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  • Dom V
    5.0 out of 5 stars For the nostalgic of the UK series.
    Reviewed in Canada on December 25, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    For the nostalgic of the UK series.
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  • The Keen Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tripod Masters; what is their plan for humanity?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is the second in the trilogy of the Tripods (following the Prequel) - I remember the Tripods series from what seems like many years ago, and the abrupt ending that it came to; and feeling highly disgusted that I would never know what happened next! So these books are a great opportunity to revisit childhood memories, and to find out what the author intended should be the flow of the story.

    Will and his friend Beanpole are training to be able to go back into the world to find out what they can about the Tripods; how can the Resistance plan to defeat them? They must have inside knowledge. Will finds himself in the City of the Masters where he learns more than he ever really wanted to know, and filled with the horror of the Tripods and their plan for humanity, he must know decide what to do next.

    This is great stuff; although written for a younger audience, I found myself drawn along with the pace and characterisation of the story; and I look forward immensely to the next in the series.
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  • Weslake
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good story worth a read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The Tripods trilogy is a great story and while it's more a young persons read it's still good enough to be read by an adult (in my case to make sure the young person did read it!)
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