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Graphetti Ltd The Tripods All For Nothing?.
The Tripods All For Nothing? ABISBOOK Graphetti Ltd.
Hardcover
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Chris Jones
1,051 books29 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 23, 2026
I have a lot to thank the TV adaptation of The Tripods for. Whilst it wasn’t the catalyst for my love of fantasy fiction, I can credit that to the BBC adaption of The Day of the Triffids which I vividly remember watching aged six, I loved The Tripods. So much so that my brother borrowed the books from his school library after the first series had finished, one of the kindest things he ever did for me. The City of Gold and Lead is still my favourite book and the last sentence of the trilogy my favourite line in literature. The cancellation of the TV series ranks up there with my biggest disappointments in life, alongside discovering the sequel to Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings was never made.
The TV series itself had quite a few flaws, but it’s still very good and I rate the opening and closing music as the best of TV. I still find myself humming it on occasion in fact. I have read all of John Christopher’s books and rate them highly. I haven’t read the Samuel Youd/non-John Christopher works, but the recently republished ones are sitting on my shelf. Whether I ever get around to reading them is another matter. I’m sure you’re already familiar with another favourite of mine, John Wyndham, but for alternative earth fantasy I would also strongly recommend the lesser-known Downs-Lord Dawn by John Whitbourn and The Hopkins Manuscript by RC Sherriff.
‘All For Nothing’ has been lovingly put together and contains a myriad of interesting interviews, photos and facts about the author and everybody associated with the TV production. A minor observation is that it ideally needs to be read in bright natural light, as the writing otherwise seems thin and the pages reflect the light a bit. That or I just need glasses. Although the book is a bit pricey, that’s relative when you consider the cost is no more than a few good bottles of plonk. A film version of The Tripods looks very unlikely, so I’ll instead misquote my favourite film to neatly summarise my feelings for this book. ‘Are you impressed, Jack? Yes, sir, the check is in the mail.’
The TV series itself had quite a few flaws, but it’s still very good and I rate the opening and closing music as the best of TV. I still find myself humming it on occasion in fact. I have read all of John Christopher’s books and rate them highly. I haven’t read the Samuel Youd/non-John Christopher works, but the recently republished ones are sitting on my shelf. Whether I ever get around to reading them is another matter. I’m sure you’re already familiar with another favourite of mine, John Wyndham, but for alternative earth fantasy I would also strongly recommend the lesser-known Downs-Lord Dawn by John Whitbourn and The Hopkins Manuscript by RC Sherriff.
‘All For Nothing’ has been lovingly put together and contains a myriad of interesting interviews, photos and facts about the author and everybody associated with the TV production. A minor observation is that it ideally needs to be read in bright natural light, as the writing otherwise seems thin and the pages reflect the light a bit. That or I just need glasses. Although the book is a bit pricey, that’s relative when you consider the cost is no more than a few good bottles of plonk. A film version of The Tripods looks very unlikely, so I’ll instead misquote my favourite film to neatly summarise my feelings for this book. ‘Are you impressed, Jack? Yes, sir, the check is in the mail.’
January 1, 2025
As exhaustive a book about the making of a television series as you could hope to find. Filled with photos, production designs and interviews with seemingly everyone in front of and behind the cameras. If you're at all interested in this mid-Eighties SF series, this is the book for you.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews