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The Fireball Trilogy #1
ลูกไฟ ข้ามมิติ
เช้าวันหนึ่ง ขณะที่ไซมอนกับเบรดกำลังเดินเล่นกันอยู่ ก็ได้มาพบกับดวงไฟสุกปลั่งลอยลงมาจากท้องฟ้า แล้วจู่ๆ คนทั้งคู่ก็หายลับไปในลูกไฟดวงนั้นเข้าไปอยู่ในมิติใหม่ที่ขนานไปกับโลกปัจจุบัน
ใช่...ที่ๆ ใหม่ที่เขาไปถึงก็คือประเทศเดิมที่เขาอยู่นั่นแหละ แต่เป็นอีกยุคหนึ่งที่มีความโหดร้ายกว่า จนคนทั้งสองต้องสูญเสียความแน่ใจว่าจะกลับสู่โลกเดิมได้หรือไม่
ใช่...ที่ๆ ใหม่ที่เขาไปถึงก็คือประเทศเดิมที่เขาอยู่นั่นแหละ แต่เป็นอีกยุคหนึ่งที่มีความโหดร้ายกว่า จนคนทั้งสองต้องสูญเสียความแน่ใจว่าจะกลับสู่โลกเดิมได้หรือไม่
204 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
14 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
John Christopher
191 books542 followersSamuel 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.’
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.’
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 2, 2017
I liked it, but it wasn't as good as the Tripods books.
November 8, 2021
دیگه تحملش رو ندارم و همینجا رها میکنم.
فکر کنم تصور نویسنده از دنیا این بوده که چندتا رومی و ایرانی وحشی داریم بعد مسیحیهای روشنفکر میان دنیا رو مدرن و گل و بلبل میکنن. لیترلی همچین دیالوگی توی کتاب هست: «اینکه میگویم او با وجود رومی بودن روشنفکر است، شاید برای این باشد که او مسیحی است.»
Like, come on. Narnia was a lot better at this:))
داستان درباره دو پسره که قوم و خویشن و یه جور جادویی بیمنطق (تیپیکال) یکهو میرن به دنیایی موازی و (سورپرایز سورپرایز) ناجی اون دنیا میشن. سناریوهای تکراری مذهبی داشت که اعصابم رو خرد کرد. به اندازه کافی توی دنیای واقعی دیدمشون. یکم اوریجینالیتی به جایی برنمیخوره
نوشتار کتاب هم بد بود و توک پا میزد به «نگو، نشون بده». و اشکالهای دیگهای که ترجیح میدم فکر کنم برای اینن که رده سنی کتاب پایینه و نباید فرض کنی در چنین کتابی مثلا آسون بودن امور برای شخصیت اصلی حفره پیرنگه... بههرحال، از جان کریستوفر ناامیدم کرد.
انضباط رو هم نوشته بود انظباط. ایش. ملانقطیِ درونم ساکت بشو نیست.
Yay now I'm FREEEEEEE
فکر کنم تصور نویسنده از دنیا این بوده که چندتا رومی و ایرانی وحشی داریم بعد مسیحیهای روشنفکر میان دنیا رو مدرن و گل و بلبل میکنن. لیترلی همچین دیالوگی توی کتاب هست: «اینکه میگویم او با وجود رومی بودن روشنفکر است، شاید برای این باشد که او مسیحی است.»
Like, come on. Narnia was a lot better at this:))
داستان درباره دو پسره که قوم و خویشن و یه جور جادویی بیمنطق (تیپیکال) یکهو میرن به دنیایی موازی و (سورپرایز سورپرایز) ناجی اون دنیا میشن. سناریوهای تکراری مذهبی داشت که اعصابم رو خرد کرد. به اندازه کافی توی دنیای واقعی دیدمشون. یکم اوریجینالیتی به جایی برنمیخوره
نوشتار کتاب هم بد بود و توک پا میزد به «نگو، نشون بده». و اشکالهای دیگهای که ترجیح میدم فکر کنم برای اینن که رده سنی کتاب پایینه و نباید فرض کنی در چنین کتابی مثلا آسون بودن امور برای شخصیت اصلی حفره پیرنگه... بههرحال، از جان کریستوفر ناامیدم کرد.
انضباط رو هم نوشته بود انظباط. ایش. ملانقطیِ درونم ساکت بشو نیست.
Yay now I'm FREEEEEEE
November 26, 2015
One of the few YA John Christopher books I never got around to reading.
Remembered it was in the local library of my hometown when I was in junior high (over 15 years ago!);
during a visit there last week I checked on a whim to see if they still had it.
They did! So I've checked it out and am giving it a go.
I might never have become as big a reader as I am today, if I hadn't had to read one of his books
(The White Mountains, first in the Tripods Trilogy) in 6th grade. I am still thankful for that, still
remember the excitement I experienced upon learning such books existed.
Upon completion.... there was a reason I didn't pick this book up so many years ago... the excerpt didn't appeal
to me, and even after I started the book last week, I expected disappointment, expected it not to hold my interest.
But oh joy! That was simply because I hadn't hit the meat of the story! Once the essence finally became known
to me I realized it was classic John Christopher, and I continued reading, greatly satisfied.
The book's excerpt and beginning chapters lead you at first to believe you are reading a (almost) run of the mill historical fiction - two London boys having been transported through the fireball back to the past, back to the time of the Roman Empire. That alone carries some intrigue,
but the meat of the story is when the boys realize they have been transported to a place and time parallel to their own. It's still 1981, but
history has followed a significantly different path. I don't know my history well enough to comment on the significance of the historical differences, but a key difference is Christianity never came to predominate. When a bishop hears the boys' tale and the wonders of their alternate modern universe, he decides to use them and their knowledge as a way to catalyze a revolution to overthrow the current Roman rule.
This is classic J.C. the way a revolution is key to the story, the way a primitive civilization ends up being able to fortuitously harness
certain modern technology/knowledge. I cannot articulate sufficiently why I love his books, but one aspect of Fireball that was so warmly familiar was the development of friendships. The element of friendship is so strong in his stories, so well depicted, you feel pain when certain characters are separated and genuine joy when they are reunited.
I don't know why I never noticed it before, but I don't think there is a single important female character in any of his books that I've read.
The female characters that do arise only serve as objects of affection, often distracting the main characters from their overall mission.
They are not depicted negatively (they do not actively try to distract the boys), but certainly they are trivialized (trivial to the story, not necessarily to society), rarely depicted as important.
Even now, this doesn't particularly bother me. It doesn't feel like John Christopher is making some overall statement about women, rather it seems more like a he's just a man writing a story about boys for boys. Since those stories have so successfully captivated me, I think
I'll forgive him this oversight. :-p
Remembered it was in the local library of my hometown when I was in junior high (over 15 years ago!);
during a visit there last week I checked on a whim to see if they still had it.
They did! So I've checked it out and am giving it a go.
I might never have become as big a reader as I am today, if I hadn't had to read one of his books
(The White Mountains, first in the Tripods Trilogy) in 6th grade. I am still thankful for that, still
remember the excitement I experienced upon learning such books existed.
Upon completion.... there was a reason I didn't pick this book up so many years ago... the excerpt didn't appeal
to me, and even after I started the book last week, I expected disappointment, expected it not to hold my interest.
But oh joy! That was simply because I hadn't hit the meat of the story! Once the essence finally became known
to me I realized it was classic John Christopher, and I continued reading, greatly satisfied.
The book's excerpt and beginning chapters lead you at first to believe you are reading a (almost) run of the mill historical fiction - two London boys having been transported through the fireball back to the past, back to the time of the Roman Empire. That alone carries some intrigue,
but the meat of the story is when the boys realize they have been transported to a place and time parallel to their own. It's still 1981, but
history has followed a significantly different path. I don't know my history well enough to comment on the significance of the historical differences, but a key difference is Christianity never came to predominate. When a bishop hears the boys' tale and the wonders of their alternate modern universe, he decides to use them and their knowledge as a way to catalyze a revolution to overthrow the current Roman rule.
This is classic J.C. the way a revolution is key to the story, the way a primitive civilization ends up being able to fortuitously harness
certain modern technology/knowledge. I cannot articulate sufficiently why I love his books, but one aspect of Fireball that was so warmly familiar was the development of friendships. The element of friendship is so strong in his stories, so well depicted, you feel pain when certain characters are separated and genuine joy when they are reunited.
I don't know why I never noticed it before, but I don't think there is a single important female character in any of his books that I've read.
The female characters that do arise only serve as objects of affection, often distracting the main characters from their overall mission.
They are not depicted negatively (they do not actively try to distract the boys), but certainly they are trivialized (trivial to the story, not necessarily to society), rarely depicted as important.
Even now, this doesn't particularly bother me. It doesn't feel like John Christopher is making some overall statement about women, rather it seems more like a he's just a man writing a story about boys for boys. Since those stories have so successfully captivated me, I think
I'll forgive him this oversight. :-p
February 24, 2016
3 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews
A British teenager and his visiting American cousin are drawn through a seeming ball of lightning into another world, in which they face immediate danger.
I like John Christopher. His Prince in Waiting and Lotus Caves were key books for me, growing up, and I've enjoyed many of his other books as well. This book sees him applying his solid Young Adult approach to another SF trope - in this case, alternate worlds.
The problem is that the story feels very formulaic - the same basic tone as Christopher's other YA stories, with a slightly different plot; young, uncertain boy doing his best to stumble toward adulthood in strange circumstances. The protagonist is appealing, the writing is smooth, but there's nothing new here.
Brad, the American cousin, is simply not credible - he speaks Latin, Algonquin, has an eidetic memory, is athletic, knows how to build machines and sail boats, and is charming and diplomatic. The idea is presumably to illustrate protagonist Simon's general mediocrity (and good heart), but Brad is so overdrawn that it just doesn't work.
The plot moves along well enough, until it simply moves too fast. The boys (mostly the talented Brad) change their new world dramatically - all in the space of a few months, it seems. That done, they move on to the next place. It's one thing to gloss over boring details. It's another to race through them with no regard for credibility. It's a shame, since the setting (a version of the Roman Empire) is otherwise thoughtfully detailed. I wish we'd had more chance to see it as it rushed past.
In short, written with Christopher's usual skill, but sketchily plotted, as if his mind were on other things. I don't have much interest in the sequels.
A British teenager and his visiting American cousin are drawn through a seeming ball of lightning into another world, in which they face immediate danger.
I like John Christopher. His Prince in Waiting and Lotus Caves were key books for me, growing up, and I've enjoyed many of his other books as well. This book sees him applying his solid Young Adult approach to another SF trope - in this case, alternate worlds.
The problem is that the story feels very formulaic - the same basic tone as Christopher's other YA stories, with a slightly different plot; young, uncertain boy doing his best to stumble toward adulthood in strange circumstances. The protagonist is appealing, the writing is smooth, but there's nothing new here.
Brad, the American cousin, is simply not credible - he speaks Latin, Algonquin, has an eidetic memory, is athletic, knows how to build machines and sail boats, and is charming and diplomatic. The idea is presumably to illustrate protagonist Simon's general mediocrity (and good heart), but Brad is so overdrawn that it just doesn't work.
The plot moves along well enough, until it simply moves too fast. The boys (mostly the talented Brad) change their new world dramatically - all in the space of a few months, it seems. That done, they move on to the next place. It's one thing to gloss over boring details. It's another to race through them with no regard for credibility. It's a shame, since the setting (a version of the Roman Empire) is otherwise thoughtfully detailed. I wish we'd had more chance to see it as it rushed past.
In short, written with Christopher's usual skill, but sketchily plotted, as if his mind were on other things. I don't have much interest in the sequels.
January 28, 2013
Ah, John Christopher. I loved reading all his books as a young teen. This series, though, pissed me off entirely. Brad and Simon are two boys thrown back in time ala A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court with ball lightning. Deux ex machina abounds in this series, but I liked the settings. It's just that the entire books can be summed up by Simon constantly struggling and Brad, for whatever reason, always one upping him and basically being an annoying know-it-all. I can't really recommend this series since it is so thin on character in comparison to the others, but the consistent rivalry between the two boys is grating in that it never really changes or evolves. And why does Brad get all the brakes? What is this, some cosmic joke on Simon? Give the poor kid a break, already.
June 20, 2023
نخونید، نخونید، نخونید!
واقعاً افتضاحه. اوایل داستان کمی شما رو جذب میکنه و تا وسطاش بدک نیست، ولی نمیدونم چی میشه که بعدش انگار دارید روزنامه میخونید. فاجعهست، اونم از جان کریستوفر.
حتی اگه کتاب اول رو خوندید و فقط محض کنجکاوی میخواید بقیهشو بخونید که بفهمید قضیهی گوی آتش چیه و اینا برمیگردن به خونه یا نه، بهتون اطمینان میدم که ارزششو نداره و اصلاً کنجکاویتونو ارضا نمیکنه. کسی نبود که قبل از شروع کردن این سهگانه جلوی منو بگیره، ولی من به شما میگم. نخونید!!!
واقعاً افتضاحه. اوایل داستان کمی شما رو جذب میکنه و تا وسطاش بدک نیست، ولی نمیدونم چی میشه که بعدش انگار دارید روزنامه میخونید. فاجعهست، اونم از جان کریستوفر.
حتی اگه کتاب اول رو خوندید و فقط محض کنجکاوی میخواید بقیهشو بخونید که بفهمید قضیهی گوی آتش چیه و اینا برمیگردن به خونه یا نه، بهتون اطمینان میدم که ارزششو نداره و اصلاً کنجکاویتونو ارضا نمیکنه. کسی نبود که قبل از شروع کردن این سهگانه جلوی منو بگیره، ولی من به شما میگم. نخونید!!!
November 13, 2019
This first volume of a y.a. trilogy finds Simon and Brad, two cousins from our own twentieth century, transported by a mysterious portal to an alternate Earth where the Roman Empire never fell. Simon, following his capture, enslavement, and brief employment as a gladiator, is reunited with Brad, who has been adopted by a Christian patrician family. The two use their other-worldly knowledge to aid a Christian revolt against the Empire, and, when things don't turn out as planned, leave Europe for further adventures across the Atlantic. This is a cleanly-written and smoothly-plotted story, and one of the first young adult novels to explore the theme of alternate histories. Christopher's willingness to create flawed heroes, and the moral ambiguity of his novel's denouement, make FIREBALL a satisfying read for adults as well.
September 24, 2009
Least enjoyable John Christopher novel I've been exposed to. I get the impression that the author wanted to hit some pay dirt after a lengthy investment of research into ancient Roman history and culture. This offering doesn't make the subject matter any more tasty. As this is the first in a trilogy, I'm a bit hesistant to continue with the rest of the books. Giving myself a bit more time to get the taste out of my mouth before going on.
December 27, 2009
This was the first John Christopher book that I could put down and forget about. Kind of makes me sad since he's my favorite author, but I guess every good writer can have at least one book that doesn't engage their readers. I do have to say I learned a lot about the Roman Empire that I didn't know before, or care to know before, now I could read a bit on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and find it semi-interesting for a change.
July 6, 2015
قبلا (یعنی بچگی هام) این مجموعه سه جلدی رو خونده بودم. ولی خوبی حافظه ضعیف اینه که می تونی یه کتاب رو دوباره بخونی، بدون اینکه یادت باشه روند داستان یا آخرش چه طوریه:))
November 2, 2020
review of
John Christopher's Fireball
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - November 1, 2020
Having recently read & reviewed Christopher's 'Tripods' Trilogy I was aware, I suppose, that they were probably targetted at young adults but that was even more apparent w/ Fireball. The protagonists are, once again, young males w/ some competition between them, Simon & Brad.
"What bugged Simon was that while he had been prepared to make allowances, lend a helping hand and all that, he found no taker for his generosity. And while he had been determined not to say or do anything which might make his American cousin feel inferior or embarrassed, it was more than slightly galling to have evidence of the other's superiority thrust down his throat instead. The day after Brad's parents left he overheard Yankee Granny telling her sister about Brad. His IQ was 150, he had an incredible photographic memory so that he could recite whole pages out of an encyclopedia, and it wasn't a . . . you know . . . narrow talent." - p 10
Then along comes the fireball wch sends them on their hero's journey.
""What is it?"
"Brad didn't answer. It was roughly spherical, eight or ten feet across, blindingly white—a whiteness of sunlight reflected dazzlingly from mist or ice. Except that there was no sun. It appeared to float a foot or so above the ground. Thunder growled, and a heavy drop of rain splashed Simon's face. He said 'It's what they call a fireball, isn't it? I've read about them.'
"The progress had slowed and now halted. It hovered a dozen feet away from them. That was some relief, but he still didn't like the look of it. He was trying to reassure himself by adding: 'A form of ball lightning. Quite harmless.'
"Brad said slowly: I guess it has to be ball lightning. Only ball lightning's supposed to be coloured — red or yellow. And nothing so big — no more than inches across.'" - p 17
Of course the fireball envelops them & there goes their old life.
"It had to be the fireball that had caused it. Not by picking them up and putting them down, like a playful typhoon, but in some quite different way. A gateway? Could they have passed through it and come out in a different place? But a place where you got run down by barbarous-looking horsemen with swords. Place — or time? A gateway to the past. Or maybe to the future, and a new Dark Age after the world had blown itself up as thoroughly as some people had suggested it might." - p 25
I must admit that this sudden-event-that-dramatically-changes-the-characters-lives trope is very common in SciFi & I don't think I've gotten tired of it yet. The boys end up in what seems to be ancient Roman times but they get separated & the British boy is captured to be used as a slave &/or gladiator. It's unclear, at 1st, what the fate of the American boy is. Simon is fortunately championed by one of the most feared & respected gladiators so he's saved from being beaten to the bottom of the hierarchy.
"The advantages were manifold. Bos took him to get fitted with boots and tossed aside the first pair offered as unsatisfactory; the man issuing them was quick to produce another pair, over which Bos, after a close examination and some twisting of the leather with his powerful fingers, nodded satisfaction. And Simon noticed that when they queued for food, it was not only Bos who was given larger and better portions, but he as well.
"Gradually he was picking up the language. Bos seemed to find his ignorance amusing. he willingly supplied the Latin name for things Simon pointed out and was patient in repetition." - pp 43-44
Simon's situation is bad enough but at least he's young & healthy — what about those older & weaker ones?
"Simon thought about the five who had crouched naked beside them throughout that broiling afternoon, especially of the little old man who had been in the cellar with him. What was going to happen to them? he asked Bos.
"Bos shrugged. 'Damnati ad bestias.'
"Simon had enough Latin to know what that meant. Condemned to the beasts — sent out into the arena, weaponless, to be savaged and eaten by starving lions, for the amusement of spectators. He almost did feel he was lucky." - p 46
Where's a fireball when you need one?
In the meantime, Brad has fared better. W/ a better knowledge of Latin he's ingratiated himself to an open-minded rich Christian, a minority religion barely tolerated.
"'Then, as we went on talking, the discrepancies started to crop up. Like dating. They date the way the Romans did before Christianity — A.U.C. not A.D. Ab urbe condita — from the founding of the city. And I discovered this Rome had been founded two and a half thousand years ago. And that Britain had been a Roman province for nearly two thousand years, not a couple of hundred. He got to it almost as soon as I did. Once you've accepted that someone has come from the future, I guess it's not too difficult switching that to a parallel world. As I say, he's open-minded for a Roman." - p 66
[Insert completely silly irrelevant comment here.]
The boys are believed when they explain that they're from a parallel universe & they're put into the worldly bishop's hands.
"'It was a decree of the emperor Julian that free men should shave their faces, but that slaves might not. He did not name Christians slaves, but I have chosen that title. We may worship our Lord in private, but not proclaim Him in public. That is slavery. We may walk the streets, but not go in procession to celebrate our faith. That is slavery. And we have grown used to our fetters, which is the worst slavery of all.'
"He stared at the boys and then, disconcertingly, smiled, but the smile was not reassuring.
"'That which can be used for good is counted good. At last God has sent a sign! A miracle brought you here, and God's wonders are not worked for nothing. Nor must they be wasted. This generation is blessed, but only if it seizes its blessing and uses it.'" - p 75
I've got news for you, Bishop (Hear ye, hear ye!), not being permitted to proclaim your religion in public isn't slavery — it's censorship. Just be glad you're not required to wear a mask. that might drive you fucking crazy.
Apparently, Christopher's presentation of Julian's beard policy is part of his alternative universe view of this history. Now I'm interested in Julian (aren't I already, ahem, a little overwhelmed by an excess of interests as it is?!).
"Julian (Latin: Flavius Claudius Julianus; Greek: Ἰουλιανὸς, Ioulianòs; 331 – 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism in its place, caused him to be remembered as Julian the Apostate by the Christian Church."
[Really, guy?! Neoplatonic Hellenism?! That's so old-fashioned! I'd sooner worship Neosocratic Troyism.]
[..]
"The Misopogon (or "Beard Hater") is a light-hearted account of his clash with the inhabitants of Antioch after he was mocked for his beard and generally scruffy appearance for an Emperor. The Caesars is a humorous tale of a contest among some of the most notable Roman Emperors: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Constantine, and also Alexander the Great. This was a satiric attack upon the recent Constantine, whose worth, both as a Christian and as the leader of the Roman Empire, Julian severely questions." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_...
Personally, one of the greatest disappointments in my life is that the Misopogon hasn't become a popular genre, like horror or romantic comedies. It's oh-so-desperately needed right now to set the world aright.
"The Misopogon, or Beard-Hater, is a satirical essay on philosophers by the Roman Emperor Julian. It was written in Classical Greek. The satire was written in Antioch in February or March 363, not long before Julian departed for his fateful Persian campaign.
"Glanville Downey says of the text:
""Julian vented his spleen in the famous satire, the Misopogon or Beard-Hater, in which, by pretending to satirize himself and the philosopher's beard which he wore in a clean-shaven age, he was able to pour forth his bitter anger against, and disappointment with, the people of Antioch.""
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misopogon
Well, one thing leads to another (except for, y'know, that one thing over there that got missed somehow) & the boys give the Christians an advantage w/ their alternate universe knowledge & the next thing you know..
"There must have been not one firing party, but several. One after another the temples turned to torches. They watched because there was nothing else to do, and the scene had a terrible beauty. From the temples the fire raisers turned to palaces and public buildings. As dusk fell, the flames were brighter still as they burned to ashes the ancient heart of Rome." - p 119
See what happens when you empower Christians? Where are they going to display Imelda Marcos's shoe collection?!
"Immediately following the return from Rome, the pendulum had been set up in the high-ceilinged state room of the governor's palace, where it swung its murderous arc from wall to wall. Murderous, because its bob was a heavy cylinder of lead, with a sharp blade of iron set in on either side. An Altar, surmounted by the figure of Christ, had been set up just in front of the point where the bob, at the lowest point in its arc, swept some four feet off the ground.
"And at that point a small wooden enclosure had been built, big enough for a man but granting him only sufficient freedom of movement to be able to drop to his knees in front of the altar before the bob came down. Some of the more agile were able to sway their bodies just enough to have the bob miss them - on the first few swings anyway. Escape became continuously more difficult, as the pendulum swung to and fro, and fatigue in the end made it impossible. The one time Brad and Simon had been there they had seen bystanders laughing and laying bets as to which would be the killing stroke, before they turned away, sickened." - pp 121-122
Give me Neoplatonic Hellenism anyday.
John Christopher's Fireball
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - November 1, 2020
Having recently read & reviewed Christopher's 'Tripods' Trilogy I was aware, I suppose, that they were probably targetted at young adults but that was even more apparent w/ Fireball. The protagonists are, once again, young males w/ some competition between them, Simon & Brad.
"What bugged Simon was that while he had been prepared to make allowances, lend a helping hand and all that, he found no taker for his generosity. And while he had been determined not to say or do anything which might make his American cousin feel inferior or embarrassed, it was more than slightly galling to have evidence of the other's superiority thrust down his throat instead. The day after Brad's parents left he overheard Yankee Granny telling her sister about Brad. His IQ was 150, he had an incredible photographic memory so that he could recite whole pages out of an encyclopedia, and it wasn't a . . . you know . . . narrow talent." - p 10
Then along comes the fireball wch sends them on their hero's journey.
""What is it?"
"Brad didn't answer. It was roughly spherical, eight or ten feet across, blindingly white—a whiteness of sunlight reflected dazzlingly from mist or ice. Except that there was no sun. It appeared to float a foot or so above the ground. Thunder growled, and a heavy drop of rain splashed Simon's face. He said 'It's what they call a fireball, isn't it? I've read about them.'
"The progress had slowed and now halted. It hovered a dozen feet away from them. That was some relief, but he still didn't like the look of it. He was trying to reassure himself by adding: 'A form of ball lightning. Quite harmless.'
"Brad said slowly: I guess it has to be ball lightning. Only ball lightning's supposed to be coloured — red or yellow. And nothing so big — no more than inches across.'" - p 17
Of course the fireball envelops them & there goes their old life.
"It had to be the fireball that had caused it. Not by picking them up and putting them down, like a playful typhoon, but in some quite different way. A gateway? Could they have passed through it and come out in a different place? But a place where you got run down by barbarous-looking horsemen with swords. Place — or time? A gateway to the past. Or maybe to the future, and a new Dark Age after the world had blown itself up as thoroughly as some people had suggested it might." - p 25
I must admit that this sudden-event-that-dramatically-changes-the-characters-lives trope is very common in SciFi & I don't think I've gotten tired of it yet. The boys end up in what seems to be ancient Roman times but they get separated & the British boy is captured to be used as a slave &/or gladiator. It's unclear, at 1st, what the fate of the American boy is. Simon is fortunately championed by one of the most feared & respected gladiators so he's saved from being beaten to the bottom of the hierarchy.
"The advantages were manifold. Bos took him to get fitted with boots and tossed aside the first pair offered as unsatisfactory; the man issuing them was quick to produce another pair, over which Bos, after a close examination and some twisting of the leather with his powerful fingers, nodded satisfaction. And Simon noticed that when they queued for food, it was not only Bos who was given larger and better portions, but he as well.
"Gradually he was picking up the language. Bos seemed to find his ignorance amusing. he willingly supplied the Latin name for things Simon pointed out and was patient in repetition." - pp 43-44
Simon's situation is bad enough but at least he's young & healthy — what about those older & weaker ones?
"Simon thought about the five who had crouched naked beside them throughout that broiling afternoon, especially of the little old man who had been in the cellar with him. What was going to happen to them? he asked Bos.
"Bos shrugged. 'Damnati ad bestias.'
"Simon had enough Latin to know what that meant. Condemned to the beasts — sent out into the arena, weaponless, to be savaged and eaten by starving lions, for the amusement of spectators. He almost did feel he was lucky." - p 46
Where's a fireball when you need one?
In the meantime, Brad has fared better. W/ a better knowledge of Latin he's ingratiated himself to an open-minded rich Christian, a minority religion barely tolerated.
"'Then, as we went on talking, the discrepancies started to crop up. Like dating. They date the way the Romans did before Christianity — A.U.C. not A.D. Ab urbe condita — from the founding of the city. And I discovered this Rome had been founded two and a half thousand years ago. And that Britain had been a Roman province for nearly two thousand years, not a couple of hundred. He got to it almost as soon as I did. Once you've accepted that someone has come from the future, I guess it's not too difficult switching that to a parallel world. As I say, he's open-minded for a Roman." - p 66
[Insert completely silly irrelevant comment here.]
The boys are believed when they explain that they're from a parallel universe & they're put into the worldly bishop's hands.
"'It was a decree of the emperor Julian that free men should shave their faces, but that slaves might not. He did not name Christians slaves, but I have chosen that title. We may worship our Lord in private, but not proclaim Him in public. That is slavery. We may walk the streets, but not go in procession to celebrate our faith. That is slavery. And we have grown used to our fetters, which is the worst slavery of all.'
"He stared at the boys and then, disconcertingly, smiled, but the smile was not reassuring.
"'That which can be used for good is counted good. At last God has sent a sign! A miracle brought you here, and God's wonders are not worked for nothing. Nor must they be wasted. This generation is blessed, but only if it seizes its blessing and uses it.'" - p 75
I've got news for you, Bishop (Hear ye, hear ye!), not being permitted to proclaim your religion in public isn't slavery — it's censorship. Just be glad you're not required to wear a mask. that might drive you fucking crazy.
Apparently, Christopher's presentation of Julian's beard policy is part of his alternative universe view of this history. Now I'm interested in Julian (aren't I already, ahem, a little overwhelmed by an excess of interests as it is?!).
"Julian (Latin: Flavius Claudius Julianus; Greek: Ἰουλιανὸς, Ioulianòs; 331 – 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism in its place, caused him to be remembered as Julian the Apostate by the Christian Church."
[Really, guy?! Neoplatonic Hellenism?! That's so old-fashioned! I'd sooner worship Neosocratic Troyism.]
[..]
"The Misopogon (or "Beard Hater") is a light-hearted account of his clash with the inhabitants of Antioch after he was mocked for his beard and generally scruffy appearance for an Emperor. The Caesars is a humorous tale of a contest among some of the most notable Roman Emperors: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Constantine, and also Alexander the Great. This was a satiric attack upon the recent Constantine, whose worth, both as a Christian and as the leader of the Roman Empire, Julian severely questions." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_...
Personally, one of the greatest disappointments in my life is that the Misopogon hasn't become a popular genre, like horror or romantic comedies. It's oh-so-desperately needed right now to set the world aright.
"The Misopogon, or Beard-Hater, is a satirical essay on philosophers by the Roman Emperor Julian. It was written in Classical Greek. The satire was written in Antioch in February or March 363, not long before Julian departed for his fateful Persian campaign.
"Glanville Downey says of the text:
""Julian vented his spleen in the famous satire, the Misopogon or Beard-Hater, in which, by pretending to satirize himself and the philosopher's beard which he wore in a clean-shaven age, he was able to pour forth his bitter anger against, and disappointment with, the people of Antioch.""
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misopogon
Well, one thing leads to another (except for, y'know, that one thing over there that got missed somehow) & the boys give the Christians an advantage w/ their alternate universe knowledge & the next thing you know..
"There must have been not one firing party, but several. One after another the temples turned to torches. They watched because there was nothing else to do, and the scene had a terrible beauty. From the temples the fire raisers turned to palaces and public buildings. As dusk fell, the flames were brighter still as they burned to ashes the ancient heart of Rome." - p 119
See what happens when you empower Christians? Where are they going to display Imelda Marcos's shoe collection?!
"Immediately following the return from Rome, the pendulum had been set up in the high-ceilinged state room of the governor's palace, where it swung its murderous arc from wall to wall. Murderous, because its bob was a heavy cylinder of lead, with a sharp blade of iron set in on either side. An Altar, surmounted by the figure of Christ, had been set up just in front of the point where the bob, at the lowest point in its arc, swept some four feet off the ground.
"And at that point a small wooden enclosure had been built, big enough for a man but granting him only sufficient freedom of movement to be able to drop to his knees in front of the altar before the bob came down. Some of the more agile were able to sway their bodies just enough to have the bob miss them - on the first few swings anyway. Escape became continuously more difficult, as the pendulum swung to and fro, and fatigue in the end made it impossible. The one time Brad and Simon had been there they had seen bystanders laughing and laying bets as to which would be the killing stroke, before they turned away, sickened." - pp 121-122
Give me Neoplatonic Hellenism anyday.
March 10, 2024
Inhalt (Klappentext):
"Die Feuerkugel, dieser riesige gleißende Ball aus Licht, verändert die Ferien, die Brad und Simon miteinander verbringen, mehr als ihnen recht ist. Als das Unbekannte auf sie losrast, stürzen sie zu Boden; nachdem sie wieder zu sich gekommen sind, stellen sie fest, daß sie in einer Welt sind, in der alles anders ist. Eine Parallelwelt, in der die Macht des Römischen Reichs ungebrochen ist. Dort ist die Geschichte anders verlaufen, als die beiden Jungen sie in der Schule gelernt haben. Der Islam hat sich nie als Religion entwickelt, es gab keine Renaissance, keine Industrielle Revolution. Simon bekommt das ganz deutlich zu spüren. Er wird von Reitern gefangengenommen und als Sklave verkauft. Nach einer Ausbildung als Gladiator soll er im Circus sein Leben verteidigen. Brad dagegen trifft es besser - er wird von einer christlichen Patrizierfamilie wie ein Sohn aufgenommen. Schließlich interessiert sich der Bischof von Londinium für die beiden und es entsteht ein Plan, wie die rechtlosen Christen das Römische Reich aus den Angeln heben können."
Bewertung:
Im ersten Teil dieser Trilogie konstruiert John Christopher einen spannenden Einblick in das Leben im Römischen Reich. Das Buch ist relativ dünn (154 Seiten, nicht allzu dicht bedruckt) und daher bleiben die Darstellungen an der Oberfläche. Teils haben sich nach meiner Ansicht bzw. Internet-Recherche kleine Fehler eingeschlichen. Andererseits glaube ich nicht, dass es dem Autoren darum ging, einen historischen Roman abzuliefern. John Christopher bearbeitet vielmehr, wie in vielen seiner anderen Romane auch, erneut die Frage, was und wie stabil Zivilisation ist. Es wird hier nicht nur eine Gesellschaft beschrieben, die sich von der unsrigen, aktuellen unterscheidet. Die Inhaltsangabe verrät es bereits: Es geht auch darum, diese Gesellschaft zu ändern, sogar "aus den Angeln (zu) heben". Unterwegs macht Simon, aus dessen Sicht heraus die Geschichte erzählt wird, eine Entwicklung durch. Wieder einmal ist John Christophers Held ein Junge, der sehr von sich überzeugt ist. Der sich hervortun möchte und leicht gekränkt wird. Sein Cousin Brad dagegen ist von vornherein erwachsener und hochintelligent. Beide machten sich bei mir etwas unsympathisch durch ihre Rivalität, die glücklicherweise jedoch keine tragende Rolle spielt. Und Simon wird recht schnell erwachsen. Eben war er noch ein Schuljunge und dann macht ihm die Kampfausbildung in der Gladiatorenschule Spaß und er bekommt einen Bart. Insgesamt hat die Geschichte viel Tempo, auch wenn der Einstieg einen anderen Eindruck macht. Obwohl sich der Autor zu Beginn viel Zeit läßt, um Simons Situation in England 1981 zu beschreiben, überschlagen sich nach der Teleportation ins Römische Reich die Ereignisse. Immer wieder geschieht etwas und das ist nötig, denn die Geschichte hat Großes vor. Wer John Christopher kennt, weiß, dass sein Stil kurz und bündig ist. Das klingt oft sehr nüchtern und sachlich. Was das Seelenleben der Hauptfigur betrifft, wird es jedoch auch diesmal wieder dargestellt. Ich finde dies für einen Autoren seiner Zeit (John Christopher lebte zwischen 1922 und 2012) eigentlich einen lobenswerten Ansatz, der Jungen oder jungen Männern einerseits Gefühle erlaubt und andererseits zeigt, dass es zur persönlichen Reifung beiträgt, wenn man bestimmte Dinge, die als männlich gelten wie Rivalität und Kränkbarkeit, überwindet. Manchmal geht das Ganze aber etwas schnell:
Insgesamt hat mir die Geschichte gut gefallen und ich gebe ihr vier Sterne.
"Die Feuerkugel, dieser riesige gleißende Ball aus Licht, verändert die Ferien, die Brad und Simon miteinander verbringen, mehr als ihnen recht ist. Als das Unbekannte auf sie losrast, stürzen sie zu Boden; nachdem sie wieder zu sich gekommen sind, stellen sie fest, daß sie in einer Welt sind, in der alles anders ist. Eine Parallelwelt, in der die Macht des Römischen Reichs ungebrochen ist. Dort ist die Geschichte anders verlaufen, als die beiden Jungen sie in der Schule gelernt haben. Der Islam hat sich nie als Religion entwickelt, es gab keine Renaissance, keine Industrielle Revolution. Simon bekommt das ganz deutlich zu spüren. Er wird von Reitern gefangengenommen und als Sklave verkauft. Nach einer Ausbildung als Gladiator soll er im Circus sein Leben verteidigen. Brad dagegen trifft es besser - er wird von einer christlichen Patrizierfamilie wie ein Sohn aufgenommen. Schließlich interessiert sich der Bischof von Londinium für die beiden und es entsteht ein Plan, wie die rechtlosen Christen das Römische Reich aus den Angeln heben können."
Bewertung:
Im ersten Teil dieser Trilogie konstruiert John Christopher einen spannenden Einblick in das Leben im Römischen Reich. Das Buch ist relativ dünn (154 Seiten, nicht allzu dicht bedruckt) und daher bleiben die Darstellungen an der Oberfläche. Teils haben sich nach meiner Ansicht bzw. Internet-Recherche kleine Fehler eingeschlichen. Andererseits glaube ich nicht, dass es dem Autoren darum ging, einen historischen Roman abzuliefern. John Christopher bearbeitet vielmehr, wie in vielen seiner anderen Romane auch, erneut die Frage, was und wie stabil Zivilisation ist. Es wird hier nicht nur eine Gesellschaft beschrieben, die sich von der unsrigen, aktuellen unterscheidet. Die Inhaltsangabe verrät es bereits: Es geht auch darum, diese Gesellschaft zu ändern, sogar "aus den Angeln (zu) heben". Unterwegs macht Simon, aus dessen Sicht heraus die Geschichte erzählt wird, eine Entwicklung durch. Wieder einmal ist John Christophers Held ein Junge, der sehr von sich überzeugt ist. Der sich hervortun möchte und leicht gekränkt wird. Sein Cousin Brad dagegen ist von vornherein erwachsener und hochintelligent. Beide machten sich bei mir etwas unsympathisch durch ihre Rivalität, die glücklicherweise jedoch keine tragende Rolle spielt. Und Simon wird recht schnell erwachsen. Eben war er noch ein Schuljunge und dann macht ihm die Kampfausbildung in der Gladiatorenschule Spaß und er bekommt einen Bart. Insgesamt hat die Geschichte viel Tempo, auch wenn der Einstieg einen anderen Eindruck macht. Obwohl sich der Autor zu Beginn viel Zeit läßt, um Simons Situation in England 1981 zu beschreiben, überschlagen sich nach der Teleportation ins Römische Reich die Ereignisse. Immer wieder geschieht etwas und das ist nötig, denn die Geschichte hat Großes vor. Wer John Christopher kennt, weiß, dass sein Stil kurz und bündig ist. Das klingt oft sehr nüchtern und sachlich. Was das Seelenleben der Hauptfigur betrifft, wird es jedoch auch diesmal wieder dargestellt. Ich finde dies für einen Autoren seiner Zeit (John Christopher lebte zwischen 1922 und 2012) eigentlich einen lobenswerten Ansatz, der Jungen oder jungen Männern einerseits Gefühle erlaubt und andererseits zeigt, dass es zur persönlichen Reifung beiträgt, wenn man bestimmte Dinge, die als männlich gelten wie Rivalität und Kränkbarkeit, überwindet. Manchmal geht das Ganze aber etwas schnell:
Insgesamt hat mir die Geschichte gut gefallen und ich gebe ihr vier Sterne.
September 2, 2018
Yet another interesting read by this author. This story moves very fast and like his other works, held my interest the entire time. I like the old Twilight Zone tv show a lot and his stories have similar scenarios. Very creative and not predictable. I'm impressed and plan to read more from Mr. Christopher.
April 23, 2021
Much better than I had been led to believe. Whilst not scaling the heights of his post-apocalyptic works and The Tripods, this is still entertaining and thought provoking fiction of the sort that I lapped up in my teens. Such a shame that no book stores had it in stock in the 80s when I was reading every John Christopher I could lay my hands on.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
May 7, 2022Decided to read this trilogy first as it's more avl. than Tripods atm.
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Um, actually, no, not gonna. Dnf p.44 due to it being alt. history & adventure which I don't like, and because other reviews complain about other relevant failings (though nobody mentioned the boys' fistfight in the beginning?) Too many books too little time.
May 2022
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Um, actually, no, not gonna. Dnf p.44 due to it being alt. history & adventure which I don't like, and because other reviews complain about other relevant failings (though nobody mentioned the boys' fistfight in the beginning?) Too many books too little time.
May 2022
June 19, 2020
The style of this book is all "telling" and very little "in scene." I found that distances the reader and drops the emotional investment to nil. A good premise and an interesting, parallel Roman world, just not all that engaging for me.
March 15, 2022
Sabia que me iba a gustar porque las ucronias son mi pasión. Evidentemente, un libro en el que los protagonistas son enviados a un mundo paralelo donde el imperio romano no cayo porque Juliano el Apostata no pereció en su guerra contra los persas tenia que encantarme. Luego esta la habilidad de Christopher para usar protagonistas mezquinos y envidiosos, en nada modélicos. En resumen, puede que no sea tan evocador como la Trilogía de los Trípodes, pero funciona muy bien y ha sido muy influyente. Si no que se lo digan a los autores de "Los Forasteros del Tiempo". Menos mal para ellos que Christopher ya no esta entre nosotros para pedirles royalties.
Read
December 3, 2015Graded By: Megan no h
Cover Story: Classically Ugly
BFF Charm: Sure, Why Not? and Maybe
Swoonworthy Scale: 0
Talky Talk: Straight Forward
Bonus Factors: Parallel Universes, Gladiators
Relationship Status: Cousin Who Visits Once Every Couple of Years
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Classically Ugly
BFF Charm: Sure, Why Not? and Maybe
Swoonworthy Scale: 0
Talky Talk: Straight Forward
Bonus Factors: Parallel Universes, Gladiators
Relationship Status: Cousin Who Visits Once Every Couple of Years
Read the full book report here.
June 2, 2011
Definitely a fun, fast read. I liked how well history was incorporated into the alternative universe. Isn't a substitute for the Tripod books though. A longer review here:
http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/2011...
http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/2011...
December 29, 2016
I am a long standing fan of John Christopher and his young adult books. This one transports two boys back in time to different places and situations in Roman times in Britain. It is as much historical travel as time travel. Characters and settings are interesting and clear.
November 8, 2013
اگه به خاطر سه پایه های کریستوفر بری سراغ این کتاب یه کمی ناامید می شی. اما اگه صرفاً به عنوان یه کتاب و یه مجموعه بری سراغش توی جایگاه خودش جالبه. اما به نظرم رده سنیش برای زیر سیزده سال بهتره. اما من خودم وقتی می خوندم به اندازه ی کافی جذبش شدم که تمومش کنم. جان کریستوفر کلاً خوب می نویسه. .
December 20, 2008
After reading the tripod books as a teen, I stumbled across this one as an adult. I really enjoyed it, as it combined survival with history. Worth seeking out.
March 24, 2015
بهار 84
July 4, 2010
Perfectly reasonable teen/young adult book that I first read when I was fourteen or so. Two kids get caught in a fireball and end up in Ancient Rome. Perfectly reasonable.
March 9, 2012
The book that got me reading fantasy novels at primary school. Still love it and want to read it again.
August 12, 2023
I normally really like John Christopher books. This one, however, is loaded with far too many implausibilities to sustain it as an interesting story.
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